Leaving the old behind and looking for what is ahead is what happens each year on or around New Year’s Day. For the Claybanks United Methodist Church, 2024 was again a blessed time for our church. We were able to meet with only one interruption in February and one in December prior to Christmas. We were blessed in worship when a number of our long-time friends assisted us in music as Suzanne was recovering from surgeries. Holy Week was a blessing even though the weather on Easter morning moved us inside for our Visit To The Empty Tomb. Our Women Of Faith Strawberry Social and our Outdoor Old Time Worship Service in August brought many of our friends and community to the Claybanks United Methodist Church once again. During the year we were blessed by a number of worship leaders including Jim Tanis as he moves into preaching retirement. Terri Cummins returned to us on a Sunday in August to lead our worship service and bless the marriage of Megan and Daniel French. David and Sandi Kersten blessed our World Communion Sunday with music and preaching. We were blessed as Susan Nagel, on Laity Sunday along with Richard Lindell and Janice Anderson, provided a narrative worship message.
We as a church were continually active and supportive of our traditional missions of Trinity Food Bank, Love In The Name Of Christ, Evangelical Youth Fellowship and new for us this year, St. Jude’s Hospital. We continue to have volunteers who assist at the store at Love In The Name Of Christ. Other mission projects included supporting mothers in the Step-Up program and the Pregnancy Center in Muskegon. During the holiday season this year, we sponsored a family with three children participating in Family Promise and one local family.
Our Adult Sunday School gathered together for a good part of the year and studied a number of books in the Bible, engaged in an Advent Study looking at women in the Bible and also famous and not so famous people of the Bible. Our movie nights focused on historical movies including “Chosen” that depicts the life of Jesus and his disciples.
A notable project completed by our Trustees was the replacement of the fluorescent lights in Fellowship Hall with LED bulbs. And as always, our spring outside cleanup and hot dog roast was a time for work and fellowship. The Trustees are planning to refresh the front outside plantings of our church.
So much that has continued to happen at Claybanks United Methodist Church in 2024 and will be the springboard for our church in 2025. On Ash Wednesday, we will be participating in a special service in Muskegon when Bishop Bard will be leading an area wide worship to begin Lent. A special imposition of ashes will also be offered that day at our church.
We will be looking for new and different opportunities to worship together, serve and support our church through worship, missions, and our church leadership in committees and with our Administrative Council. Our prayer is that our church family will continue to worship, to engage and be active using the gifts that God has given us to continue to bless and serve our church and our community.
Happy New Year!
Remember to: do no harm, do good and stay in love with God.
Pastor Gary Peterson
Claybanks United Methodist Church 