Fairbanks and Nome

Tis the season all UM's love....church conferences!  Pastors and lay leaders dread it because it means preparing paperwork for the superintendent.  But so far the first three of 28 were very positive and hopeful.  Karen Martin-Tichenor invited me to preach at New Hope which I appreciated.  One of their mission fields is children.  I just love that the kids stay in the sanctuary during the sermon and create a craft or drawing which they bring forward during the offering.

I visited First UMC, Fairbanks, twice.  I had the honor of speaking at the Celebrate Recovery service on Saturday evening.  What a needed and blessed ministry!  I returned Sunday evening to lead their church conference which was creative and fun.  First UMC is a happening church with an amazing array of ministries.  Here is a clip of Pastor Tom Telfer sharing a piece of the ministry puzzle.

Then I flew to Nome via Anchorage which was a bit weird.  One of their saints, Esther Bourdon, is in Anchorage in the hospital following heart surgery.  I offered to visit Esther and suggested at their church conference that they sing a song which I recorded on my iphone.  Tomorrow I plan to show the video clip to Esther.  Another example of how God's Spirit moves in and through our connectedness to bring healing and hope.

Next stop: Unalaska!

Grace and peace,
Dave