Welcome, Pastor Dan

This morning was the first Sunday for our new pastor appointed to our church (Hope UMC), Pastor Dan Schneider-Bryan. We gave him a warm welcome. It was a good first Sunday. His message was on “Learning to Dream”. He met with the Administrative Council last month, after his appointment. He asked them what they felt was accomplished during the years since the merger of the two churches. He was given many answers, but one member summarized it best by saying “We learned to Dream”. What a good way to put it. Yes, we did “learn to dream”. This was part of the welcoming ritual we used:

Staff/Pastor/Parish Committee Chair: Dear Friends, today welcome Dan Schneider-Bryan who has been appointed to serve as our pastor. We believe that he is well qualified and has been prayerfully appointed by our Bishop, Sally Dyck.

Administrative Council President: Dan, you have been sent to live among us as a bearer of the Word of God; a minister of the Sacraments; and a sustainer of the love, order, and discipleship of the people of God.

Pastor Dan: Today I reaffirm this commitment in the presence of this congregation.

SPRC Committee Chair: Brothers and sisters in Christ, as people committed to participate in the ministries of Hope United Methodist Church by your prayers, your presence, your gifts, and your service, will you who celebrate this new beginning support and uphold Dan in these ministries?

Congregation: We reaffirm our commitment to support you with our prayers, our presence, our gifts, and our service.

Ad. Council President: Let us pray.

All: Eternal God, strengthen and sustain us in our ministries together, with Dan as our pastor. Give him and us patience, courage, and wisdom so to care for one another and challenge one another that together we may follow Jesus Christ, living together in love, and offering our gifts and talents in your service; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

We were also thinking of our former Pastor Michelle, as she had her first Sunday at her church in St. Paul this morning. Transitioning from Pastor Michelle to Pastor Dan, and moving forward with our dreams.