A MESSAGE FROM REV. KAREN KINNEY: A SENSE OF BELONGING
Grace and peace to you,
Some random thoughts and then a bit about Sunday. First, a huge shout out to all of our She Nailed It! participants, our inspirational leader – Lindsey Altvater Clifton – and all who came out to support Monday’s events, in what often was pouring down rain.
There was so much joy and laughter and cheering 
for our two teams that even the Emcee noticed what a big crowd we had! So thank you for being the church that cheers and supports!
Second, my deepest apologies for the scam perpetrated in my name asking you for gift cards. I want to stress again that I would never text you randomly to go get gift cards and that my West Virginia number will not change. So, if you see a number with a local area code, it is not mine.
Finally, we move to Sunday and the story of Philip, a leader in the early Christian church, who was also one of the seven men chosen to help address a case of justice indifference alongside Stephen. This week we will explore Philip’s experience with the Holy Spirit which leads him down a “desert” road and an encounter with an influential man from Ethiopia who is different from Philip in so many ways.
Philip hears him reading scripture and at the prompting of the Holy Spirit, asks if he would like to know more. Philip teaches him about Jesus and baptizes him in a nearby body of water. And guess what, the baptism occurred without any statement of faith or belief, just a sense of belonging made possible through a conversation.
Where might the Holy Spirit be prompting us to engage someone in conversation without any expectation of believing or behaving, just an invitation to belong? Come and explore this Sunday, May 11.
Blessings,
Pastor Karen