I Feel Like I Belong

This week during Sunday School, Melissa, our newest member, leaned over to me and said, "This is the first church where I feel like I belong." I told her she had made my day. I encouraged Melissa to share her thoughts with her Sunday School class, whom, along with God's Holy Spirit, are largely repsonsible for her feeling this way. I also asked if she would write something down for me: her testimony. This is a lady who lives next door to the church in what would be considered lower income apartments. Socioeconomically, Melissa is very different from the majority of the people in this church and particularly in her Sunday School class. She has no car. Melissa is on disability and doesn't have a job. Yet she has experienced the love of Jesus through Epworth UMC. Melissa has seen the face of Christ. My husband mentioned that he thought she looked visibly different. There was a new lightness and freedom, like Melissa's burdens had been lifted. It was noticeable.  

Sunday night when our Administrative Council meeting was meeting with Jerry, a church consultant and coach who's been working with us, we were talking about our mission: making disciples for the transformation of the world. We started a visioning process, discussing why we exist. We came up with "to bring glory to God through Epworth UMC." We will flesh that out further, of course, but our coach asked how we want people to feel when they leave here. Even folks who had not heard Melissa's comments said, "We want people to feel like they belong." Isn't that how we all want to feel?

I said, "I also want people to feel loved, forgiven, accepted," and our Trustee chair said, "If they feel like they belong, they will feel all of those things, too." Well, said. I am SO honored to be the senior pastor of Epworth United Methodist Church in Arlington, Texas. We serve an amazing God! May ALL that we do bring glory to God's name so that people will come to know that wherever they've come from, wherever they've been, God has been present and IS present with them right now. They (We) belong to Him.

Rev. Sheila Fiorella

Senior Pastor

Epworth United Methodist Church

"The Church Behind Starbucks" in Arlington, TX