Pastor Jeff Ridenour
From the pastor’s desk…
As I write this, we are in the midst of Scriptures
that celebrate “The Now and The Not Yet.”
What I mean is that we have celebrated the
Resurrection of Jesus and are awaiting the
Celebrations of His Ascension and Pentecost.
I also want to acknowledge that we as a
community are once again experiencing our
own “Now and Not Yet.” In case you missed it
(ICYMI), I shared recently that I have been
reappointed effective July 1, 2024 to serve the
churches of Wauseon Christ and West Unity,
near the Northwest Corner of Ohio.
While many of us have been through this type
of transition before, each time it happens we go
through cycles of grief, anticipation, and some
fear of the unknown.
These times allow us to reflect on our own
place and our congregation’s place within the
context of the whole Church of Jesus, as well as
the context of The United Methodist Church.
Our understanding is one of covenant with God
and each other. The local church is also in
covenant with the annual conference in which
it is located. The covenant for the congregation
is that a pastor will be appointed while pastors
in good standing will receive an appointment.
So while I have received news of my
appointment, I am sure that you will soon learn
of your next pastor.
You may recall that in December I wrote,
“May God bring you a sense of what 2024 can
be that is beyond your wildest imagination.”
And “It has been said, ‘If your dream isn’t so
big that you absolutely need God, your
dream is NOT big enough!’ ”
As I look at the second half of 2024, I know
that God will be faithful to all of us. God will
bless us as we are faithful to Him. We need
God for whatever we will face in this time.
We know that God “is able to do
immeasurably more than all we ask or
imagine, according to his power that is at
work within us,” Ephesians 3:20.
So, as we move forward, we trust that God
will be faithful to us. I also trust that we will
be faithful to God individually and
corporately, no matter whether we are
serving together here or serving in different locations.
Please continue to pray for all of the pastors,
families, leaders and churches in this time of
tradition.
In Ministry with YOU,
Pastor Jeff