We are a hopeful people.

Even as we face the worst economic disaster since the Great Depression, we as a nation still hope and work together for the better.

In the midst of “hard times” news, there are stories of individuals, neighborhoods and communities filtering out to show the deeper heart of our nation and of our citizens.

I believe that hope and the willingness to work together comes from the fact that we are a nation deeply influenced by a dynamic form of Christianity.

Within four hundred years of it’s birth, Christianity was recognized as a powerful force in Roman society and made the “official” religion.  As such it not only held sway, but was corrupted

by the powers that be as it struggled to live up to it’s life-giving promise.

Our founding Fathers and Mothers recognized that such a forced choice made true faith and belief impossible.

And so our fledgling nation allowed a full freedom of Religion to blossom. 

The Constitution set the stage for all the many great revivals that have often swept over our society and influenced our character .

In our land, having faith in Christ is a choice, and for the most part, that choice has been to believe in a Creator, in the power of life and in the presence of hope in Christ.  

   Orangethorpe UMC was born out of that hope.  It was the hope that called a small band of young families to begin a new congregation in an old farmhouse and weathered barn.

It was the hope of a changed life that grew this congregation to be strong and to build and inhabit the beautiful facilities and campus we all enjoy.

It was the hope of a future filled with people of all nations that has welcomed people of different lands to worship with us.

It was the hope of Christ finding a home in our hearts that has led us through the past few years to discern some major choices for us as a Congregation.

On Sunday, April 19, we’ll have our “Discernment and Decision” meeting after Church.

It come after a lot of study, workshops, retreats, Coffee discussions, hard work, prayer and worship of the ever living God.

It will come with the urgency of forces beyond our control.  It will come with an understanding that now is the time for a new choice to be made, in faith and hope.

And while we anxiously approach this decision and the future that follows it, we know that God is with us no matter what path develops.

We are also human enough to know that our plans, while guided by God’s Holy Spirit, may see changes, encounter curves in the road, face unforeseen problems.

But through it all, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will stand with us, protecting our hearts and minds, and giving us the hope we share with others of everlasting life.

Be sure to be with us over the next few weeks; worshipping, praying, studying and seeing what God is doing with us.

Join the Palm Sunday Parade, spend time with the Lord in prayer at the Last Supper of Maundy Thursday, and Celebrate the Glory that is Easter.

We have been given a special gift here at OUMC, and it is our honor to be able to give it to others.

How goes it with your soul?   (…And what scripture has stayed with you lately?)

What would others say they learned about Christ from you this week?