A note from Pastor Travis 5/20/21
Dear FUMC Family and Friends,
Sunday is Pentecost, the day we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit empowering the first followers of Jesus to go into the world and share the Good News of God’s redemptive love in Jesus. In the tradition of the Methodist movement, Pentecost used to be called Whit Sunday or Whitsun. In fact, it was still officially called that in the 1964 Book of Worship of the Methodist Episcopal Church of the United States (a forerunner to the United Methodist Church), which was still the official book of worship of the United Methodist Church until 1992. Perhaps some of you remember it being called that. The name Whit Sunday (or Whitsun) is a very old name in Great Britain for Pentecost and comes from “White Sunday.” It was called White Sunday because it was a popular day for baptisms, and those being baptized traditionally wore white robes.
Regardless of what we call it, Pentecost is the day we celebrate the birth of the church through the empowerment and guidance of the Holy Spirit. This Pentecost, as part of our celebration, we are asking the question, “What new thing is God calling us to do?” We invite you to join us as we reflect on this question and dream about the possibilities of who we can become, building on the faithfulness and the hard work of those who came before us led and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Blessing and Grace,
Pastor Travis