I am humbled and grateful to serve as the Assistant Minister here at Four Oaks UMC. My role includes leading our age group ministries – Children, Youth, and College Students/Young Adults (“CYA”) – overseeing our church’s small groups, maintaining some of our church’s administrative and financial tasks, and assisting Pastor Adam with worship planning and daily operations of the church.

One of my core beliefs that guides me personally and the ministry I do is the simple, yet profound truth that “God is love,” as attested in 1 John 4. God is love. God as Love is the most powerful force in the universe, intimately and persistently calling all of us, as God’s children, back home to embrace and be embraced by the Love that created and holds all things together. Every act of love that we give and receive – no matter how great or small – is from the very heart of God and, therefore, God is very present in that moment. I believe our greatest task in this life is to open our hearts to God’s Love and to open our hands to share this Love with the world. It is there we find peace, joy, wholeness.

Some of the ways I best experience God’s presence and Love are through being in the natural world – especially gardening and marveling at the animals with whom we share this amazing planet. I find joy in cooking (I am a happy vegan), reading, a good cup of coffee or tea, feeding the birds, and watching Seinfeld or any movie with Paul Newman. I try my best to live simply, intentionally, and sustainably. Consequently, I am passionate about Creation care, animal welfare, learning from different faiths and perspectives, and helping people discover their inherent connection to God, to themselves, and to the world.

May peace and the assurance of God’s presence be with you today.