Glimmers of Hope

It is a single verse in a single chapter in a single book in the Old Testament. It reads:

^“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope”(Jeremiah 29:11).

It is written in the sixth century before Christ, and it is in the context of the exile of God’s people in Babylon. It was written to provide encouragement, hope, and strength.

It continues to provide encouragement, hope, and strength. Even though we are not in exile, there are times when we may begin to wonder if God has plans for us in the future. It is good to know that God’s plan is to give us “a future with hope!”

As I completed the 2008 statistical report, I believe that I detected a few “glimmers of hope” in the numbers that we reported. While our total membership declined from 673 to 647, this was a smaller decrease than a year ago. Our worship attendance nearly held its own, from an average of 220 in 2007 to an average of 219 in 2008.

For the first time in several years, we reported a confirmation class–this year consisting of five participants. The number now involved in United Methodist Youth showed a spectacular increase, from eight in 2007 to twenty four in 2008!

Financially, the big news was the repayment of the $25,000 loan that had come from the Parsonage Endowment Fund. The number of “pledges and identified givers” was up slightly  (304 in 2008 compared with 302 in 2007). The amounts received through pledged giving, identified giving, and other giving were each up from the prior year. We again had a generous bequest that will help support and sustain ministry in important ways in the years to come–this time through our congregation’s “Josephus Fund.”

Besides these “glimmers of hope,” there have been several persons join as members of this congregation in recent weeks, including seven on one Sunday. Those who have joined us in our journey reported that they felt welcomed and accepted by members of the congregation. That is more than a “glimmer of hope,” it is the “dawn of hope!”

May God continue to bless us with “glimmers of hope” as we live our way into God’s plans to give us “a future with hope!”