Storms Are Inevitable But God Is Our Refuge and Strength

June, 2021 Newsletter

Dearest Friends,

Nancy Pugh and I will be attending the Annual Conference of the Alabama-West Florida

Conference of the United Methodist Church virtually via Zoom, starting Sunday afternoon, June

6th through Wednesday, June 9th. I am delighted to share that I will be reappointed to serve as

your pastor at Whitfield Memorial United Methodist Church for another year when our bishop

sets the appointments at the end of Annual Conference on Wednesday!

This year’s Annual Conference missional offering will be a collective effort of four conference

ministries. Acts 1:8 reads, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and

you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the

earth.” Following the movement of the Spirit and seeking to be Christ’s witnesses to our

community, nation, and throughout the world, we have four mission endeavors to support

during this annual conference: Blue Lake Camp, Communities of Transformation, AWF Disaster

Response Ministry, and Teaming with Tanzania. We focused on the Wesley College in Tanzania

and had our own Harambe! Celebration. Coming together and dancing down the aisles to bring

our offerings forward on April 25th, we raised over $800!! How exciting to know that we are

helping our brothers and sisters halfway around the world to know and share Christ with

others, as they make a better world where they live through God’s blessings. If you would like

to contribute to any of the other mission projects, please mark your check for that project and

we will make sure it gets sent in for that worthy mission.

Bishop David Graves, along with his lovely wife Nancy, has been serving our Conference for the

past 5 years, and will continue to serve as the resident bishop of the Alabama-West Florida

Conference. In addition to serving the our conference, Bishop Graves has been appointed to

also serve as bishop to the South Georgia Conference. Due to four retiring bishops, several

acting bishops will assume the episcopal duties of those conferences. While he will share

his time with the South Georgia Conference, we know he will continue to lead us with

wisdom and grace. Please keep Bishop Graves in your prayers as he continues to seek

Christ’s guidance while serving our conference.

June 1st is the start of hurricane season, and the weather services are anticipating a busier than

normal season this year. From previous Disaster Preparedness meetings, I’ve learned some

good information. The most important fact stressed was “First 72 on you,” meaning that, in the

event of a hurricane or other disaster in our area, each of us needs to have enough nonperishable

food and bottled water (3 gallons minimum) on hand to last us for the first 72 hours

until outside help arrives. We should also have a 30-day supply of our prescription medications

on hand prior to an emergency situation. I am also asking that all of our members receiving this

newsletter please make sure our church office has your current cell phone numbers so we can

contact you in case of an emergency. Frequently, text messaging works even when calls cannot

be placed or received on cell phones, so make sure you have that capability and know how to

use it.

Storms are an inevitable part of the natural environment in which we live, but we also have

personal, private storms with which we have to deal also. Whatever storms may rage in your

life, we have a God who is ever present, majestic, and all-mighty. Our God walks on the winds

of the storm to offer us refuge. Psalm 46 assures us, “God is our refuge and strength, a very

present help in trouble.” Thank God that we can focus on the One who is our Refuge.

Love,

Pastor Kathy