Here we are again- SEPTEMBER! Where did the summer go? The kids are back in school. Wednesday Night Life is back in session! We had our “Blessing of the Backpacks.” The kids and the entire congregation seemed to enjoy the service.

The next question that comes up may be, “Now what?” Believe me, things are not slowing down. We may be slowing down from summer activities. But the church does not have the option of slowing down. There is kingdom work to do! How do we do that? And another question is, how do we do that in con-junction with all the other things going on? For instance, the disaffiliation discussions that have been taking place within our Administrative Council and, most recently, with the entire church group.

Let’s get caught up, shall we? General Conference 2019 passed a resolution allowing churches to “disaffiliate” from the United Methodist Church if they disagreed with stances taken on two different issues. This is section 2553 in the Book of Disciple. There are two issues which a church can use as the basis for their decision to seek disaffiliation. First, “reasons of conscience regarding a change in the requirements and provisions of the Book of Discipline related to the practice of homosexuality or the ordination or marriage of self-avowed practicing homosexuals as resolved and adopted by the 2019 General Conference.” The second reason is “the actions or inactions of its annual conference related to these issues.”

Many churches have already made use of the opportunity. Approximately 60 Tennessee Western Kentucky Conference churches were approved for disaffiliation at this year’s annual conference. Many more are somewhere in the process.
Both Homestead and Dorton, beginning in the administrative councils, and continuing most recently with general church meetings, have been discussing the possibility of accepting the offer to disaffiliate. Obviously, this creates great consternation on everyone’s part. As pastor, I can most assuredly say it brings great consternation to me and Mrs. Preacher!

Now some might say, “what do you really think, Pastor?” Let me say this. I have tried my best to “straddle the fence” throughout this process. I have provided information for both councils when I was asked, while trying not to influence as best I can. When I have been asked on a personal level, I have shared my opinion. Over the years, I have encouraged my congregants to do their own research on matters of conscience. You have access to the same information. But remember this, pastors come and go at local churches. But this is your church. You hopefully don’t come and go like pastors. That continues to be my mantra throughout the current process. You, the church, must decide what you want for the future.

But with all of that said, as of Sunday, August 28, 2022, our Homestead Church has decided not to pursue disaffiliation and will continue to monitor the situation at both the annual conference and general conference levels. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

In Christ, Pastor Tim

Matthew 20:25-28 tells us that, “Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

If we want to be the type of leader that Jesus was, there are plenty of examples of how he led and what He said about leading others in scripture, especially the gospels (Paul talks a lot about Jesus’ leadership as well). The scripture above makes it clear that if you want to lead in the Kingdom you must serve. Not to serve first, then you earn the right to lead, Biblical leaders continue to serve. A Christlike-leader serves always. Romans 6:13, “offer yourselves to God” becomes a fixed point to navigate Christian leadership.

Giving ourselves to kingdom work becomes exhausting when people continually let us down. That person that you invested so much in feels called to another ministry. That couple you counseled with for hours on end decides to give up on their marriage. Without even calling you, they file for divorce. That young man from your discipleship class decides he’s not all that sure if there even is a God and stops returning your texts.

How do we deal with the frustration and disappointment? Primarily, we must recognize that it is not our responsibility to convict of sin and woo others to Christ. In fact, it’s none of our business! We are not the Holy Spirit. You do not offer yourself to a church, to an institution, or to people. You offer yourself to God.

In times of disappointment and betrayal, focus on offering yourself to Him and doing the labor (for Him) of fishing for men and making disciples. Overcome the temptation to fix everyone’s problems by taking them to God in prayer. Only He can fix them anyway.

There is a story told of a fisherman who bought a new compass. Excitedly, he fastened it to the front of his boat and set off into the ocean, beyond sight of land. After a full day he decided to head home following his new compass. After an hour or so, he knew he should be able to see the shore, yet there he was surrounded by waves on a clear day. As he saw the sun begin to set in front of him, instead of off his left shoulder, he realized the compass was leading him west instead of north. He knew the compass worked when he bought it; what had gone wrong? When he got home he unscrewed the compass and it immediately shifted . Only then did he realize that the screw he had mounted the compass with was magnetized. It would always point north no matter which way he was going.

As we all struggle with our personal calls to kingdom work, The Apostle Paul says in Galatians 6:9, “…let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Keeping our focus upon Him is the only way to move forward in the face of trials and tribulations.

In my article each month, I usually try to write something “spiritual” that will hopefully help us all move along in our journey of faith. But I am using my newsletter article for next couple of months to update you on some ongoing and future projects here on the property.

Those of you who have attended Homestead Church for any length of time may remember that the State of Tennessee Department of Transportation purchased the west end of the property from the church some twenty years ago. The purpose for this purchase was to re-align Deep Draw Road- changing the current V-shape stop intersection into a T-shape. It has taken this long to finally get this project moving. 

This construction will primarily affect the church in two ways. The first is the elimination of most parking on the Highway 68 side of the church. We’ve had use of that area all these years even though it actually belonged to the state as highway right of way.  Once construction is completed, it is possible that there may be room for some parallel parking. But that remains to be seen, since we will only be left with about 20 feet from the edge of our sidewalk to the road edge.

This also affects the traffic for our monthly food pantry.  The past few months have seen such heavy use of the food pantry that pantry recipients have formed four lines entering the property to receive food.  Our parking guys, Gary and George (who do such a great job by the way), report that at times cars are even sitting on the side of the highway before entering the church parking lot. Obviously, this will have to end due to the projected alignment of the new road. 

This leads us to the second affect in our property.  With the near elimination of parking on that side for regular services and especially the food pantry, the church council has been struggling with a solution to resolve the situation. The few viable solutions have led the council to the decision to pursue creating more parking in front of the church which is currently covered in grass. However, after having received several bids for this project, the result is an extremely high cost.  The lowest bid came in around $27,000 up to the highest bid of just over $36,000.  Furthermore, this price will only result in a gravel parking lot. Paving the parking lot would incur even greater cost.

Please be in prayer for your church council as they work together to find solutions to our parking lot situation including locations and costs. Road construction is tentatively scheduled to begin later this summer. So, your church board is somewhat under pressure to find solutions.

For our upcoming August newsletter article, we’ll share about some of the beautiful work done by several church members to improve the looks of our property, and perhaps update you on the parking lot situation.

During these dog days of summer when it would be so easy to let our faithfulness to our church wane, let’s make an extra special effort to prioritize our attendance and giving!

Pastor Tim

The month of April 2022 has certainly been an unusual month, hasn’t it? Lots of rain but thank goodness no extremely destructive storms to speak of. It seems the past few years that the spring storms have been exceptionally destructive. So, a reprieve during this spring of 2022 is certainly welcomed and appreciated.

That said, I’ve been thinking about the “storms of life” which we all face from time to time. It seems that the old devil has really been pulling out all the stops to torment our church folk and their families. It is certainly true for your parsonage family, and from all I have been told, it is certainly true for many of you.

How do we deal with the attacks of the devil? I think the answer to that question is rooted in something Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” Who is he coming after? Obviously, it is those who are a part of Christ’s kingdom. He really doesn’t bother the unsaved that much. Frankly, it could be said that he has them right where he wants them. This frees up his time to come after God’s people.

Dr. David Jeremiah, pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, California is one of my favorite authors (even if he is Southern Baptist – LOL). He is one of many writers who call this “spiritual warfare.” I’ve got to be honest with you, my dear parishioners and friends. This month of April has felt a lot like warfare. Old Satan has pulled out lots of weapons from his arsenal against many of us in and outside the church. It seems we overcome one attack and along comes another.

So how do we deal with these attacks? There is no one single answer to that question. But let me share just a couple of ideas with you.

First, we should pray and read scripture regularly. Spending time with God and His Word will help you know Him better and be assured of His love for you. Psalm 91 is a good place to start. It really is a covenant prayer – that assures us of being confident in the Lord’s sheltering care.

Second, remember that God is stronger than the devil. Christ defeated Satan on the cross, so He can deliver you from Satan’s traps and keep you in the protection of His grace. That’s what the apostle James had in mind when he wrote, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

Obviously these two brief observations are not the “end all be all” answer to the attacks of Satan. But they are great place to start.

Let’s band together in prayer for one another as we fight the fight with the devil and his tricks. There is strength in numbers.

In closing, I am reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:38 and 39. “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Pastor Tim

Dear Friends in Christ,

As many of you know, our Wednesday Night Life adult Bible class will be wrapping up a long-term study of Revelation this month. This study has been ongoing for the better part of a year- including a break for several months as Covid numbers suddenly in-creased for a period of time.

It has been interesting to say the least. So many wonderful thoughts, opinions, and ideas have been shared. I think we can all, including me, say we have learned things we did not previously know.

One of the things that sticks with me as we near the end of the study is the fact that we need to be ready for end times. No, I’m not saying we’re on the verge of the end of the world. But I do believe that much prophecy has been fulfilled which leads me to believe it could happen anytime. That said, we remember the words of Jesus speaking about His return to earth in Matthew 24:36, “But no one knows the date and hour when the end will be—not even the angels. No, nor even God’s Son. Only the Father knows.”

Yes, you heard that right! Jesus Himself does not even know when He is coming again. So, again, what did I get out of this study? Be ready! Yes, I said BE READY! If we all will just make absolutely sure that we are ready for His return, it won’t really matter exactly when it occurs.

How then should we “be ready”? I think it begins with prayer. Certainly, these dark times in which we are living call us to a deeper prayer life or at least they should. During this month of April, as we remember the death, burial, and resurrection of our savior, we are reminded that even Jesus Himself spent much time in prayer during the last days of His earthly life. On more than one occasion, Jesus reminded us that “the servant is not greater than his master.” If Jesus Himself felt the need to spend a great deal of time in prayer, then certainly we need to do likewise.

My advice? Don’t worry about the end of the world. Don’t worry about Jesus’ coming. Just stay on your knees, thus staying close to the Lord. Pray, pray, pray! Pray for our world.

Pray for our country. Pray for our state, county, city and own community. Pray for our neighbors. Pray for loved ones. Pray for friends. Pray for our leaders on all levels of government. I could go on and on about who and what to pray for, but I think you get the message. During this Easter month, there is much to pray about! Let’s get “on our knees” and “Just Have a Little Talk with Jesus”!

In closing, we offer a huge debt of thanks to Rolf Weeks! Rolf is the husband of our church secretary Sharon Weeks. Rolf has dedicated himself to leading the study of Revelation. Thankfully, I am happy to tell you that Rolf and Sharon will be staying with us for our soon to be announced new Wednesday Night Life Adult Bible Study.

If you have not been attending, let me encourage you to consider coming to join us. Kelly Thompson has been doing a fantastic job preparing a delicious meal for our 5:00 pm dinner. Our study time follows immediately after around 5:30-5:45. I just know you will enjoy it.

See you there!

Pastor Tim

“March winds bring April showers. April showers bring May flowers.” Do you remember this old saying? I’m sure you older folks remember. But are you like me? Our weather patterns of late seem to be “catty-wampus,” don’t they? It seems our March winds came a little earlier than our old saying said they should. I believe the February winds are what we normally get in March. Oh well, I’m reminded of something my daddy used to say when I would complain about rain or wind or too hot or too cold. “There’s nothing you can do about the weather.” So, true, isn’t it?

What does all this talk of wind have to do anything, you ask? It got me to thinking about the Holy Spirit. Do you remember Acts 2:2? And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. What does that rushing mighty wind symbolize? You already know the answer to that question. Frankly, we find the answer just two verses later. “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.”

I have to be honest with you, my dear friends. I’m just not sure how I could go on without the Holy Spirit in my life. Jesus said, “I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever.” It is hard to find words to describe the comfort that comes from the Holy Spirit. I am so glad that Jesus asked His Father to give us the Comforter, aren’t you?

The winds of spring should remind us of the rushing, mighty, windy, power of the Holy Spirit that blows and flows through our lives like rivers of living water. How comforting is the thought that with all of life’s trials and tribulations, we have the Holy Spirit to bring peace in these troubling times!

Blessings,
Pastor Tim

Do you remember studying fractions in school? I remember teaching fractions in third and fourth grade. Back then, basic fractions were introduced in third grade. By the time the students were in fourth grade, they were hitting fractions hard. However, by the time I retired from teaching first grade, we were already introducing the basic fractions to first graders. Wow!

I can imagine about this time, you’re thinking to yourself, ‘What do fractions have to do with Homestead United Methodist Church, pray tell Preacher Tim?”  Let’s think about the fraction 1/12. Yes, you read that correctly- 1/12^th. Do you realize we are 1/12^th through the year 2022? Yes, it is true. Twelve months in the year and one is already gone. What did we do for God and his kingdom in the month if January?

“Sure snowed a lot in January!”   “Bad weather all month, Pastor.”  “Just afraid to get out in the weather there, Preacher!”

Uh oh! “He’s fussing at us again.”  Frankly, maybe I’m fussing at myself as your pastor. A little self-examination from time to time is good for one, isn’t it? Even for us pastors! Maybe it’s good for us all, pastor and parishioner alike, to stop and examine our walk with the Lord.  During the slower days of winter, some of which we may not be able to get out of the house, maybe it’s advantageous to do a little self-examination. Even though I may have been stuck in the house, did I call our shut-ins to check on them? Did I send a card or letter to our young friend in Africa? What about this time of year being a wonderful time for Bible study and prayer?

You see, there are lots of worthwhile things we can do during the dark days of winter. Perhaps during that prayer and self-examination time, we can ask God what He would like for us to be doing. I’m reminded that In John 16:24, Jesus stated, “Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete”. Have we asked God what He would have us do? Jesus said if we would do that, we would get our answer. Certainly, we want joy in our lives, don’t we? Well, Jesus gave us one of the ways we can have more joy.

But what about that 1/12^th fraction we talked about earlier? Do you know remember the opposite? I’ll bet you do. The opposite of 1/12^th is 11/12^th. Putting them together makes ONE WHOLE. One whole year- 2022. In other words, even if we did not do one single solitary thing to enhance God’s kingdom in the month of January, we still have eleven more months to get busy for the Lord!

I wish you God’s blessings in February and on through 2022 as you seek the will of God in your life in spreading the Good News of God and His kingdom!