June 2026
My friends,
The start of June marks the beginning of my 12th month in ministry with Wyoming United Methodist. I am shocked that it’s been nearly a year since my first Sunday with all of you – how the time flies! I continue to be astounded at the love and hospitality of this community and am deeply thankful to God for bringing you all into my life.
There have been so many gifts over this time as well as challenges. It has been hard to say goodbye to so many long-standing pillars of the community, including most recently Marti Gustafson and Myron Zaruba. Yet when I look at the people joining our church this month and at the youth we have confirmed and baptized, I am hopeful for this church and its future. The Holy Spirit is alive and active in this community, forming us and shaping us into the Body of Christ. It is a joyful thing to witness. I cannot wait to see what this next year has in store for us!
With the celebration of Pentecost last month behind us, the Church now enters into the period called Ordinary Time. Ordinary Time is the period in between the great seasons of the Christian year (Christmas and Easter). This period begins with the close of Eastertide at the Feast of Pentecost and will last until Advent this coming winter (a similar period exists in the time between Christmas and Lent as well). Appropriate to the coming of summer, the color of ordinary time is green – suggesting the idea of growth, nurturing, and cultivation. It is a wonderful season to contemplate how we grow in our discipleship, in how we become better and more faithful followers of Jesus Christ. To aid this, our lectionary dives deep into the ministry and teaching of Jesus in the Gospel According to St. Matthew. As we prepare our gardens and our flower beds to flourish with the coming of the summer months, let us commit to tending to our spiritual lives so that God’s holy love can flourish in our hearts, as lush and green as the trees that surround us.
Grace and Peace,
– Pastor Jeff