In the last year since I've posted on here, two major things have changed:
1) Kent Beckman is the new pastor at Peniel United Methodist Church.
2) The services are starting 15 minutes later.
For those who haven't already heard, after being "retired" but having the honor of still serving as pastor, I recently retired from the ministry. For those of you who did hear, thank you for your prayers and well-wishes. I have glaucoma and am having a hard time reading, as well as some memory troubles, so it had become increasingly difficult to pastor the congregation and prepare a weekly sermon. It's been a pleasure serving as your pastor for a number of years!
Pastor Kent and his wife Kathy are kind people, and it's a blessing that they are taking over. They're from the nearby town of Riley. Thank you for giving them a warm reception and getting to know them. Kent is still the pastor at Bethlehem United Methodist Church in the town of Universal, so we're starting later to give them time to make the drive to Brazil. The leadership felt everyone would be ok with sleeping in 15 more minutes on Sunday mornings. Here are some photographs of our folksyMethodist-style reception lunch.
Judy and I offered to attend another church for a few weeks to help Pastor Kent, but he said that won't be necessary, so we benefited from hearing his first sermon at Peniel, which was titled "We Walk by Faith, Not by Sight." We will be sticking around as congregants in the church, Judy will continue serving in the choir, and we will continue trying to volunteer with the food pantry. Peniel is still our home and we are blessed to call you friends, but Pastor Kent is now in charge of the sermons and the hospice visits. I want to go on record stating that we are giving Kent and Kathy our full support and ask you to do the same!
Here's the official statement statement from the Pastor/Parish Relations Committee, with additional info:
"Peniel United Methodist Church is pleased to announce the appointment of Pastor Kent Beckman. Pastor Kent will begin his service at Peniel on August 5, 2018. We would like you to help us welcome our new Pastor by attending our worship service that Sunday at 11:00 a.m.
Peniel UMC will share Beckman’s service with Bethlehem United Methodist Church in Universal, Indiana. Due to the distance between the two churches, we will be moving our worship time at Peniel from 10:45 to 11:00 a.m. Peniel Sunday School time will also change from 9:45 to 10:00 a.m.
Pastor Kent and his wife, Kathy, have celebrated nearly 39 years of marriage. They have raised three daughters who are now grown with their own families. Pastor Kent and Kathy enjoy five grandchildren.
Besides practicing as a part time pastor for well over a decade, Pastor Kent also carries the experience of thirty-four years in food service management. Kathy is a retired elementary school teacher and is now employed in retail sales.
The Beckman’s reside in nearby Riley and both are native Hoosiers. Kent is an avid bicyclist and rides both for fun and fundraisers. He has participated in many events, including the Miracle Ride at Indianapolis Motor Speedy for Riley’s Children’s Hospital.
We believe that Pastor Kent Beckman will be a positive and effective leader for Peniel United Methodist Church as he continues to answer God’s call of service. Please help us welcome Pastor Kent and Kathy to our community.
Sincerely,
Pastor/Parish Relations Committee
+++ We live by faith, not by sight. ~ 2 Corinthians 5:7 +++"
This statement was prepared with some help from my grandson, who is more tech-savvy than Judy and I are. Lately, neither he, Kate, nor I have had time to update the website. However, Pastor Kent said he would be willing to try updating it, so there may be more sermons posted on here in the future.
Thanks,
Richard
