Pastor's Update

Make Plans to Say Good-bye to the Rawlings

As many of you know, Scott is moving into a new chapter of his life, a chapter that offers him the excitement of something new and someplace new. Scott will become one of the associate pastors at St. Peter’s United Methodist Church in Katy. While it is hard to say goodbye to Scott, it is a good move for him as he begins his quest for ordination in the United Methodist Church.

We are planning a “farewell” party for the Rawlings family. Make plans to join us on May 23rd from 12:00- 1:30 in the Ministry Center Atrium. This is a “come and go” event, but we will be serving a light lunch. I hope you will stop by and offer your love and best wishes to Scott and Charlotte as they begin this new chapter in their lives. For more information, contact Claire Marshall.

Take A Step Forward!

Sundays, 9am Join Gary Payne in this “Old Fashion Bible Study”. This group reads Scripture, figures out what it says and then applies the Scripture to life in the 21st century. This is a great opportunity for you especially if you see yourself at the Foundational or Growing places.

Adopt an Intern!

John Ferguson brought the Summer Intern Program to Parkway in 2002 when he recruited college students to hang out with our youth in “The Lounge”. My children benefited from the quality time they spent with the interns so much that I decided to replicate the model for our Children’s Ministry. Instead of bringing in “outsiders”, five of our own high school seniors and college students became our 2009 Summer Interns. Two of them, Matthew and Mary Ellen, remained with us throughout this school year, teaching every Sunday.

Why does an Intern Program cost money? I agree that serving the church is the duty of every Christian and kids shouldn’t get paid for it. But providing summer-long weekly programming requires a BIG commitment on the part of the workers. College-bound kids are under a lot of pressure to earn their mad money, if not their actual tuition. The stipend we give at the end of the summer helps the student to make the choice to do God’s work instead of flipping burgers. It reinforces that this is actually a job, not something they can show up for if it’s convenient for them. That is crucial once we promote our activities to the community, we MUST have leaders here to deliver the program.

I hope you will give generously so that we can have a sufficient number of interns to do all the ministry we want to this summer. For more information, check out our site or contact Valerie.

Family Promise

Rotation: May 16-23rd
Parkway hosts know the innocent face of our average Family Promise guest, who is 9 years old. One week each quarter, Family Promise and Parkway provides safe lodging, meals, welcoming care, and support services to help lift up families in need. We are honored to be God's hands and love our neighbors by hosting Family Promise guests; we need servant volunteers to provide evening meals and hosting in our Worship Center. This is a great time for Grow Groups to fellowship and serve. Families and individuals are welcome as well. Sign up by contacting Shirley Connally or sign up at the Outreach Kiosk in the lobby.

Spirits Fruit

Thursdays, June 10 – August 12, 7-8:15pm
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." - Galatians 5:22
Join us for an in-depth look into the characteristics of a Spirit-filled life for deepening your walk with God. We will take a 10-week journey together through Ascending Leaders' Spirit's Fruit. An orientation session is scheduled on Thursday June 3rd at 7:00 PM to meet your fellow travelers and receive materials. Sign up today by contacting either Colleen Spencer or Nigel Smith .

High School Students are Heading to Canton!

We will be taking our High School students to Canton, Texas with a ministry known as UMARMY. I have been associated with UMARMY for my entire career in the Texas Conference and have seen it change lives of young people, as well as adults. My own 16 year old would go to UMARMY every week if he could.

The dates for the trip are June 20 thru June 26. I know this is coming up quick, but I know the leaders of this camp, and they lead a great camp. The cost is $215 plus some spending money. We are going to have a fundraiser to help defray some of the cost. If you want to join us, we always need adults who are willing to work and have fun! For more information, contact me.If you want to learn more about UMARMY,check out their website.

Middle School Students Will Put Their Faith in Action

Our High School students are heading to Canton, and our Middle School kids will be going to Lake Jackson. There is a ministry called Faith In Action, which gives kids a shorter, less intense mission experience. I discovered the power of Faith In Action during the time I pastored at a church in Lake Jackson. I believe it is a perfect opportunity for our middle school kids. The cost is only $60 plus some spending money. The camp begins on July 22nd and goes thru July 25th. If you want to join us, we always need adults who are willing to work and have fun! For more information, contact me.

Changes in Attitude

If I am honest with you, I generally do not like change. But I have come to understand that change is important and inevitable. In fact, I have been told that one of the definitions of death is a body that ceases to change. We might as well face it...we change all the time.

I have been told that in the hour that you sit in church on Sunday morning, you will change by losing around 1 million dead body cells. My step father use to make me eat foods that I did not really like. He would tell me that my taste buds change every 7 years, so food I didn't like before, I may now like. I have learned that he was correct. Around every 7 years or so, our bodies produce all new cells. Even though he might have been right, after all these years, I still don't like broccoli.

On the night He was betrayed, Jesus prayed for His followers. He prayed that we would experience a change in our lives. He prayed, not for superficial changes, but for changes that went deep into our hearts. He prayed that you and I would truly love one another...that we would embrace those people who are not like us. He prayed that we would be “one.” I wonder if you and I are willing to have more than changes in attitude, changes in latitude. Are we willing to change our hearts and our lives?

See you Sunday!! Take care and God Bless….

PLEASE EMAIL KATHY YOUR BIRTHDAY, YEAR NOT NEEDED!