A Letter from Pastor Mark- January



Dear Friends,
As we embark upon a brand new year I think it would be good to reiterate the mission and vision of Southport United Methodist Church.  In 2015 we are continuing to emphasize the call of Jesus to all Christian churches to reach beyond ourselves and out into our communities with the message of Jesus that can heal our hearts and set our lives in the right direction.
Our mission continues to be “to make new disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of our community and the world.”  The goal and focus of the church is to create new disciples for Jesus.   We do this because Jesus commanded us to do it and we do it because we love people, and the best thing for people is to come to know Jesus.
The vision of Southport United Methodist Church is to help those new disciples grow in their discipleship through the discipleship pathway of CONNECT – GROW – SERVE – GIVE.  We want to give people opportunities to connect to God through the grace of Jesus Christ, and we feel that can be nurtured most often through attendance at worship.  We want to give people opportunities to take their faith in Jesus and continue to grow in his love and grace, and we feel that can be most often achieved through involvement in a journey (small) group that is offered through the ministry of the church.  We want to give people opportunities to live out their growing faith by serving others in the name of Jesus in and outside of the church, and we feel that is nurtured through involvement in ministry action teams that are focused on service.  We want to give people the opportunity to give of their time, talents and treasure, and we believe that is nurtured by encouraging people to financially tithe their income and to give of their talents and time through service.

This mission and vision is nothing new but it continues to be the core and focus of who we are as a church.  So, that means, in 2015, we should always be asking ourselves the following questions when we do ministry:
How is what we are doing helping the church to make disciples of Jesus Christ?  How is this particular ministry helping us to reach beyond ourselves?
How is what we are doing helping us to build and grow disciples through encouraging them to CONNECT – GROW – SERVE – GIVE?
The bottom line is that if what we are doing does not help us to answer those questions in a positive manner as it relates to our mission and vision, then we shouldn’t be doing it.
Let me leave you with this truth:  There are people all around us who are living and dying without the benefit of the life-changing grace of Jesus Christ.  Therefore, it is urgent that we do all we can to fulfill the mission and vision that Christ has given us.  We must remain focused and resolute when it comes to making new disciples and developing existing disciples.
In Christ’s Abundant Love,
Pastor Mark

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