Hi Church,

I want to take a moment to ask you to pray. First, because we are invited by Jesus to be people who regularly enter into God’s presence. Second, because prayer deepens our connection with God, God’s purpose for our lives, and helps us better understand how God is calling us to live. Third, because regular prayer helps calm us and centers us in moments of stress and anxiety.

As you may know, stress and anxiety are high in various places throughout our denomination. The United Methodist Church has been struggling for some time over issues around human sexuality, accountability, and theology. These issues, and the subsequent divisions that have formed, have even caused some churches to leave our denomination. In fact, this past June at our Annual Conference session, 18 churches disaffiliated from the United Methodist Church. On August 20, there will be a special session of the South Georgia Annual Conference, held online via zoom, to ratify the actions of 40-60 additional churches who have voted to disaffiliate from the United Methodist Church.

In light of all this, I’m asking you to pray for the following:

• Pray for our conference and its ministries. These ministries include those which serve children through the Methodist Home, youth through Camping and Retreat Ministries, college students through Wesley Foundations and our United Methodist colleges, vulnerable adults with disabilities through Wesley Glen Ministries, victims of natural disasters through the UMCOR, not to mention the 600 places throughout South Georgia where the Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached and shared because of the presence of a United Methodist Church.
• Pray for Pittman Park that our focus would continue to be set on “Making Disciples and Transforming the World,” and that we would be able to have productive conversations about our future and the type of church that God would want us to be.
• Pray for our world and its brokenness. Especially for those who have physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs, and that those needs might be met by God working through the hearts and lives of disciples of Jesus Christ.

After praying, I invite you to take a look at a new page on our Pittman Park website called, “Let’s Talk”. On this page you will find information about what we believe, what is happening in our Annual Conference, as well as other resources to help you stay informed as we journey into the future together.

I also want you to know that I will be setting up times to meet with Sunday School Classes and other Small Groups to talk about where we are right now and about Pittman Park’s future. The current meetings I have scheduled are:

• August 21, 2022 at 10:00am Fellowship Sunday School Class
• August 28, 2022 at 10:00am Lectionary Sunday School Class
• September 5, 2022 at 10:00am Open/Meet in the Fellowship Hall
• September 12, 2022 at 10:00am Open/Meet in the Fellowship Hall

If you, or a group you are a part of, would like to schedule a time to talk, please reach out to me a [email protected] or call the church office 912-678-5631.

I want to conclude by saying that I am for Pittman Park and for our mission of “Making Disciples and Transforming The World.” I want to see our church continue to grow and thrive as we love God and love people, and for each person to come into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.

God bless and let’s talk,

Jonathan Smith
For Jesus. For People. For Community.