October "Adventures"

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Since moving here to Quincy in 2016, October is a month I look forward to.  Besides the beautiful colors in the changing trees, the cool nights, the fantastic fishing in our lakes and streams as the trout get fat for winter, and the smell of fireplaces in the air, it’s also when things feel like they are back in rhythm.  I’ll admit that in September after not having my regular routine during the summer, things can be a little rough.  But when October comes around, I’m back in gear. 

The period from October until January is one of the busiest times of year, as our lay leadership development team works on the leadership needs for the next year, planning for the season of Advent and Christmas is well underway, and several of us are working on reports for our annual church conference (aka Charge Conference) that will be happening sometime in November.  Even amidst the busy nature of Fall, it is always a source of joy to step outside and see God’s handiwork around us, as I always find a sense of awe and wonder during each season. 

Along with all of the activities taking place, I am particularly excited about A Blueprint for Discipleship.  As I’ve said before in past articles, discipleship is extremely important in our journey of faith, no matter where we are.  We all have to start somewhere, or as I like to put it, crawl before we can fly and we can practice our discipleship whether we’re still crawling or whether we’re already flying.  John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, highly encouraged the practice of being a part of small groups in order to grow as disciples by studying scripture, checking in with each other, ‘watching over another in love’ and praying over one another.  And it’s something that can happen even after we’ve concluded A Blueprint for Discipleship, as we cannot go the journey of faith alone.  We need the connection, even when life is super busy.  These small groups of ‘watching over each other in love’ can take place anywhere; at the park, the lake, the coffee shop, pub, café, or your homes.  My weekly ‘coffice hour’ at our local coffee shops on Thursday can be one way to check in too!!  I highly encourage everyone to find a group of people in the church, and even your neighbors that you can practice this with. 

Finally, during worship this month, we will be talking about the mysterious ways that God works as we study the book of Job.  It’s not the easiest book to read or understand, yet in the book of Job, we encounter “vivid imagery, human emotion, and the mysterious nature of a God who created the entire universe.”[i]  Each week, we will discuss the following themes, although I also encourage you to read the text ahead of time and feel free to ask questions during the week:

October 7 Disoriented Job 1:1, 2:1-10 (World Communion Sunday; Special Offering for World Communion Sunday, a UMC Special Offering)
October 14 Deserted Job 23:1-9, 16-17
October 21 Silenced Job 38:1-7 (34-41)
October 28 Restored Job 42:1-6, 10-17

Let us embrace the mystery of God as we pray, study, enjoy the Fall season, and joyfully live our faith in this month to come!!

Peace & Blessings,
Rev. Andrew

[i] 2018. Gbod-Assets.S3.Amazonaws.Com. Accessed September 18 2018. https://gbod-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/legacy/kintera-files/worship/Oct18_MysteryWorshipSeries.pdf.


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