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A Note from the Pastor
Thank you for visiting Amlin UMC’s web site. On behalf of the entire congregation I extend to you an always-open invitation to participate in worship and all church events/activities. Whether you are a first-time visitor, or have been part of the congregation a week, a month, or a lifetime, you are welcome to participate fully in the ministries and activities of the church.
May our experiences at Amlin UMC enrich our spiritual life, draw us closer to God, connect us with friends in Christ, and empower us to make the world a better place.
Rev. Casey Wilson
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Keep Swinging
Remember 1981? There was a song by David Bowie and Freddie Mercury called “Under Pressure”, which reached number 1 on the chart. The beginning of the song goes, “Pressure pushing down on me, pressing down on you…”
Are you under pressure? Most of us are to some extent. There is pressure to succeed in the workplace, to keep up with the neighbors, to spend time with the family. There are pressures of illness, injury, expectations, demands, aging, relationships, responsibilities… We all experience pressure, pushing in on every side.
By the grace of God and the power of Jesus Christ at work within us, pressure does not crush us. Instead it pushes us toward hope. Romans 5:3-4 says: pressure produces endurance; endurance produces character; character produces hope.
Hope is not just wishful thinking. It is not just a dream or desire, but also the expectation that the dream or desire will come to pass. Hope expects the realization of the dream. The hope we have in Jesus Christ is an increasing measure of expectation of what God will do in and through and with us. We can trust God to fulfill his promises. We can rely on God to lead us toward the realization of his dream for us and for our church.
As we claim our hope, we begin to see that struggles aren’t so overwhelming. Money isn’t so important. Disappointments aren’t so devastating. Death isn’t so final. Change isn’t so scary. Service isn’t so complicated. Making an impact on our community and on the world for Jesus Christ isn’t so daunting. We can do it. We can make a difference in the world. We can transform our community, even if it’s just one person at a time. We can do it, because we have hope, an increasing measure of expectation of what God will do in and through and with us.
Red Barber, a radio sportscaster of Major League baseball from the 1930’s to the 1960’s, said, “I think and believe that basically the one thing God expects of us is that we get up to the plate of life and swing at the ball – that we don’t hide in the supposed shelter of the dugout, and that when we do go to bat, we don’t stand up there with the bat on our shoulder and take strikes. At least we swing.”
Friends, we need to keep swinging. Whether we hit a homerun every time or not doesn’t matter. What matters is that we don’t just sit in the dugout; that we don’t just stay where it’s comfortable and safe. What matters is that we don’t step up to the plate and never lift the bat off our shoulder; that we don’t let the tremendous opportunities for ministry and mission just pass us by.
We need to keep swinging, to reach out to our neighbors, to try new ideas, to vision for the future, to serve those in need, to teach children, to engage youth, to disciple adults, and to do it all with hope, with an increasing measure of expectation of what God will do in and through and with us.
David Bowie’s and Freddie Mercury’s song “Under Pressure” ends like this: “Why can't we give love…love dares you to care for the people on the edge of the night…and love dares you to change our way of caring about ourselves…”
Keep swinging. Love dares us.
Pastor Casey
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Disaster Relief
To contribute to ongoing relief efforts in the U.S. and around the world through the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), make checks payable to Amlin UMC and write UMCOR in the memo line. To designate a specific relief effort or to contribute directly to UMCOR, visit www.gbgm-umc.org/umcor. Thank you.
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