The Sign Question

Without fail, nearly every time I see Hunter Francis, he has a question for me: “What do I put on this sign this week?” You see, Hunter has been putting up the church sign since Moses was in diapers (not really, but he has done it a long time!) He and I agree that whatever goes on the sign should be things the community would be interested in, so that’s why you haven’t seen signs advertising Bible studies and the like – we do note special services and the like, but we try to focus on general interest things.

The issue is – there are more than a few weeks in a year when there isn’t a general interest item. Except, now, for September! We will be part of several general interest items. First, we are all invited to a Hampton-wide United Methodist Church cookout on September 7. It’ll be from 11am-2pm at the Courtyard shelters by the playground at Sandy Bottom Park. This will be a low-key event, where the goal is simply to gather together, share food, and get to spend time with our neighbors from around the city.

This is the “first fruit” of the gatherings I have been arranging for the Hampton pastors since April. We are working towards some training and other events in the future, but we thought a cookout/potluck/picnic would be a good start to future events, since it would foster relationships.

The second event will be for us specifically – we are planning a Homecoming weekend for October 25 and 26. Of course, we plan to bring one of our former pastors to bring the message at a 10am combined service on Sunday, and of course, we plan to have a potluck meal to follow. However, we also plan to have a tent revival on the Saturday before, October 25, with not just one or two, but several pastors to bring a message of hope, love, faith, and salvation. The tent revival will feature excellent music, as expected, and we’ll also be looking for ways to make it family-friendly. Perhaps you’ve never been to a revival, or perhaps your idea of revival is preachers yelling and scaring people, but be assured – our goal is not to scare people towards Jesus, but to honor Jesus by loving the people he brings into our lives.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, I brought up the sign as a way of introducing these events, and as a bonus, to let you know about one of the many unsung heroes we have in our church family. Like every family, people sometimes move, sometimes pass on, sometimes go in different directions, but like the best of families, we find the greatest joy and satisfaction when each of us shares in life together and develop into our full potential. I don’t need you to be exceptional or give of yourself to the point where you have no life, but I do encourage you to find ways to share your talents, blessings, hopes, and even your fears. You may be surprised to discover there are many people just like Hunter, who do things in our church and in our community, not because it brings them fame, but because they have a gift and a hope to share. That’s why I am glad to be your pastor, even fifteen years and a few months after I first arrived here!