Greetings!

I just came back from a powerful and Christ-centered weekend at the Missouri Annual Conference of United Methodist Churches in Springfield, Missouri.

In his opening address, Bishop Robert Schnase, the leader of Missouri United Methodists, highlighted two videos of our church in Sikeston. The video clips focused on our growth in numbers and discipleship, and our outreach in the recent Hope Epidemic event. You all are doing great work, and it is a humble privilege to be your pastor! If you would like to view the "Awakening" video that details our Healthy Church Initiative.

New to First United Methodist Church in Sikeston? Thank you so much for looking us over. I want to invite you to a face-to-face time for us to get to know each other, and to have some question and answer time about our church and its mission. Please be my guest at LUNCH WITH THE PASTOR at 12:30 this Sunday, June 12, at Patrick's Deli on Malone Street! Lunch is on us!

I am proud of United Methodist commitment of funds and hands-on work as the city of Joplin, Missouri digs out of the recent killer tornado's damage. Google "Aaron Brown - Joplin Memorial Service" to hear a powerful statement of faith in the midst of tragedy, delivered by one of our United Methodist pastors in that city. As of last weekend, we have several volunteers for a Volunteers in Mission Workteam to Joplin. Rick Sherman has agreed to lead this team. He will work with the United Methodist Office of Creative Ministries to determine a date.

Our neighbors in Morehouse continue to need the presence of Jesus' servants as they recover from recent flooding. Thank you to Becky Kuykendall and her team of volunteers who went to Morehouse last Thursday to distribute food! I'll be part of a flood recovery workteam going to Morehouse this Saturday, June 11. If you can help, meet us at the Family Life Center at 7:30 to fill out waiver forms; we'll plan to be in Morehouse around 8am and work until around 2pm. If anyone has drywall experience, that's a particular need, but all hands are needed.

Flood waters are working their way down the Missouri River again, and have displaced some people along the way. We will know in a couple of weeks how southeast Missouri will be affected. Depending on rainfall, we might need to be ready for a second round of flood relief. We are reassembling our flood relief team, under the leadership of Pastor Toni Dee. Toni's team will meet this Sunday night, June 12, from 5-6pm in the Grace Cafe at the south end of our facility.

This weekend is Confirmation Weekend at First United Methodist Church in Sikeston. Ten seventh-graders will publicly profess their faith in Jesus Christ and commit to being a part of our church's mission of leading people in new life with Jesus.

We'll also begin a new series titled, "Friend Request: Confirm/Not Now." We'll celebrate the life-changing challenge to each of us to be a friend, make a friend, and bring a friend to Christ! Speaking of friend requests,

In these days that are both exciting and challenging, I still return to the last lines of the Creed of the United Church of Canada: In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us. We are not alone. Thanks be to God! I believe this with a driving passion, and it is my deepest desire that everyone experience the truth of this statement. Thank you for being a church body committed to God's vision for all people.

Geoff Posegate