Category Archives: Pastor’s Ponderings

This being my last Pastor’s Ponderings for the Claybanks Good News Letter, I want to share with you my joy in going into full retirement and my sadness with leaving you, the Claybanks United Methodist Church Family.

Just ten short years ago this past April, District Superintendent Bill Holloway introduced us to Claybanks United Methodist Church through the SPRC interview process for appointment to Claybanks United Methodist Church to be served in semiretirement.

From that initial Meet and Greet, Reba and I have been blessed for so many years being a part of the Claybanks Family. Claybanks UMC has made it such a joy to be a part of its ministry that Reba and I remained much beyond our planned three or four years. Over the years we have celebrated together, worshiped together, been in mission together, mourned together, and did the work that Jesus has asked us to do as his disciples together.

When we arrived ten years ago, you provided an interim lodging for us at the Munson house. It was a blessing in that we could not find appropriate housing during that brief time of looking from April until July when our appointment began. What a beautiful place to spend in Claybanks that first year. After living there for one year, we were able to secure a home in Pentwater, our desired retirement community, which has allowed us to establish ourselves in a place that we have grown to love and are continually expanding our role in the community.

We plan to be continually engaged in the Pentwater community and possibly travel just a little bit more as we are still physically able to do so. I plan to assist Pastor Vaughn at Centenary United Methodist Church as I hear God’s calling to be in ministry in the Pentwater Community.

It was a joy for Reba and me to hear that Pastor Terri would be your new pastor.. We value the long-established connection that Terri and Claybanks United Methodist Church have established over many years. It is our prayer that Claybanks United Methodist Church will continue to be in ministry in serving the Claybanks community as it has in so many ways in its history.

The Claybanks Church Family has loved and blessed us, and we are forever grateful to have been part of your church family during these past years. Thank you and may God bless each one of you.

Gary

This message written by Father George Whiteside from the Episcopal church is something that I came across that gave me pause. Because we are “New Testament People,” it can be very pointed for us as Followers of Jesus.

As shared with many by George Whiteside:

“Some would think it’s not easy to summarize the Bible, but our spiritual upbringing can leave us with a consistent sense of what Jesus actually asks of us. It seems to clash with the white nationalism brand of “Christianity” that is happening in our country today. That said I wanted to see if my recollection was consistent with fact, so a bright idea came to me. I will ask AI a question “In a few paragraphs, if a person wanted to live their life by the commands of Christ, not the rest of the Bible, what would the core principles and actions consist of?”

Here is the response, of which I was refreshingly delighted, as it is consistent with what I learned through the preaching and community of my church life.”

“If this someone chose to live primarily by the direct teachings and commands of Jesus, as recorded in the gospels, focusing on what Christ personally taught and modeled, their life would center less on religious rule keeping and more on inward transformation expressed through love and mercy.”

At the heart of Christ’s teaching is love. Jesus summarized the whole moral life in two commands: Love God fully and love your neighbor as yourself. This love is not merely emotional; It is an act of goodwill towards others, including strangers, enemies, and those who cause harm. A person living by Christ commands would practice forgiveness, refuse revenge, and seek reconciliation wherever possible. Compassion towards the poor, the sick, the marginalized, and the society rejected would be essential, because Jesus consistently identified service to the vulnerable people with service to God.

Another central principle is humility and inner security. Jesus repeatedly warned against religious hypocrisy – performing goodness for statue or recognition. Prayer, generosity, and spiritual devotion were meant to be quiet, authentic acts rather than public displays. Such a life would emphasize self-examination, repentance, and the continual reorientation of one’s heart towards mercy, patience, and honesty rather than judgment of others. Moral focus shifts from external complianceself-examination, repentance, and a continual reorientation of one’s heart towards mercy, patience, and honesty rather than judgment of others. Moral focus shifts from externalcompliance to the inner motives; Anger matters as much as violence, lust as much as adultery, and integrity matterseven when unseen.

Christ’s teachings also call for radical forgiveness and non-violence. Turning the other cheek, loving enemies, blessing those who curse you, and refusing to repay evil with evil form a distinctive ethic. Trust in God replaces anxiety about wealth or status, therefore, generosity, simplicity, and detachment from material accumulation become practical expressions of faith. Many of Jesus’ parables portray a life oriented towards God’s Kingdom – valuing mercy over sacrifice, people over rules, and spiritual riches over worldly success.

Finally, living by Christ’s commands would mean active service and sacrificial love. Jesus modeled leadership as service, washing his disciples’ feet, and teaching that greatness comes through serving others. Followers of Jesus would strive to feed the hungry, welcome outsiders, pursue justice with compassion, and live in hopeful trust in God’s care. The goal would not be perfection through the law, but through action in the qualities Jesus himself demonstrated.”

As I am coming to the end of twenty years of pastoral ministry and I look back, I would have preached more and passionately on Matthew 25:35-36 “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.”  It is my spiritual goal to live out what Jesus commands of me. I will follow Jesus as He leads me. AMEN.

Pastor Gary

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting

The past few weeks I have been asked on numerous occasions when we will hear who the Claybanks United Methodist Church’s new pastor will be beginning this summer. The discernment to appoint a new pastor for Claybanks is part of a very long process along with many other United Methodist Churches in Michigan.

I would like to describe for you what the process is: The Michigan United Methodist Conference will have pastors who are retiring, pastors who would like to be assigned a new church, and churches who would like to have a new pastor appointed to them. They are to inform the district superintendent, the bishop, and his cabinet during the month of December. I did inform Jodie Flessner, the Western Waters District Superintendent, of my intent to completely retire as of June 30, 2026. At that time, Claybanks became one of many churches who will receive a new pastor on July 1^st when our conference appoints new pastors to begin serving churches throughout the state of Michigan. This process could include as many as seventy to eighty pastors being appointed to new churches. Beginning in the month of January, and running into the spring, the bishop meets with the cabinet to discern those pastors to be appointed to new churches. In the fall, for our Church Conferences, one of the forms we completed describes who Claybanks United Methodist Church is and who we want to be in the future. This church profile helps the bishop and the cabinet decide the right appointment for a church. As the cabinet begins the process, it is like the domino effect. A pastor retires or requests a new church, a pastor serving at a church or coming out of retirement is presented to the new church that needs a new pastor. This may then lead to an opening at a church who will be losing their pastor possibly and needing an appointment there. The process can be quite lengthy and complicated in its planning, organization, and execution.

Once the cabinet and bishop have discerned through prayer, discussion, and finalization, the district superintendent will contact the local church and set up a meeting with the church’s Staff Parish Relations Committee (SPRC) for an introduction of the new pastor being considered to be appointed to the local church. An interview is held and it is determined by the SPRC and that potential new pastor whether this will be a good fit for both. Should it be determined that this will be a good fit for the church and the pastor, announcements are made and shared with the new church family (Usually during Announcement Time prior to worship) on a Sunday to be determined and if the pastor is moving from a previous church, their appointment is shared with both churches simultaneously. This process is repeated numerous times throughout the Michigan Conference and concludes during May as the final appointments are made.

This means for us that Claybanks can be anywhere within the appointment cycle. We can be rest assured that Claybanks United Methodist Church will have an appointed pastor in the very near future that has been prayed over, discerned, and evaluated as to their gifts and blessings that will best serve the Claybanks United Methodist Church.

I, as your appointed current pastor, have been praying for a pastor who will love the Claybanks United Methodist Church and be loved by the church as you have loved Reba and me over these many years.

We are all waiting, waiting, waiting.

Pastor Gary

Reba and I are sitting in the early morning looking out our slider in Anna Marie Island watching the strong winds blow the palm trees for the second day in a row. It brought to mind for us the coming Sunday, March 29th “Palm Sunday.” The palms we use on that Sunday are a little different than the ones we see from our living room, yet they are very similar in their movement in the winds. On the tall trees, the winds are lifting the palm branches up to an almost upright standing position and they are swaying so mightily you would think that they would break and fall to the ground.

We marvel that since the hurricane that hit the Island just one year ago, most palm trees survived and show little or no signs of damage. So strong, yet how flexible they are. We can learn much about life from observing the palm trees. The palm trees sway when a strong force of wind blows against them. They bend yet they do not break. We at times are pushed by forces that would try to bring us down. We know that God stands with us and His strength keeps us upright. When we look at the lower parts of the palm trees, we can see where the lower palms have dried up and the trees allow them to fall to the earth to become part of the soil and nutrients that will continue to help them grow. At times we must shed those dried parts of ourselves and allow them to  fall away, allowing us to grow from the experience, when we get rid of what is no longer beneficial to our souls. The trunk surfaces of the palm trees are both rough and smooth. We at times must be rough on the outside to protect the inside. We must also be smooth so when others allow us to come along side of them, we can share Jesus’ Gospel with them.

As we went out from our lodging and walked through the trees, we saw small palm nuts in clusters in the trees and some that had fallen to the ground and we also saw large nuts, “coconuts,” on the ground and in clusters in the trees. These nuts reminded us how we grow in groups through  worship and Sunday School and then are able to go out on our own for Jesus.

As we walked through our neighborhood, we saw many varieties of palms: some fan shaped, others reeds, many large, and many small in size, all created by God. We are like the palms too, all different and yet the same. As God created us, God created the palms.

Palm Sunday will be a very special time for us as we honor Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem with palm branches and the marking of Holy Week.

Blessed are we this day.

Reba and Pastor Gary

What a cold, cold ending to January! Reba and I have missed being with all of you in worship at Claybanks UMC. I pray that you have stayed safe and warm.

We did OK on that first Sunday that we did not have worship at Claybanks United Methodist Church (January 18^th) staying off the snow covered and icy roads. But last Sunday, January 25 when we cancelled worship service for Claybanks, missing worship and knowing that the Methodist Church in Pentwater was only a couple of miles from our home, we crept out onto our slippery Longbridge Road taking us into the village where the roads were much better even though it was still cold. We attended and enjoyed the service at the Pentwater United Methodist Centenary UMC. Pastor Vaughn was on a weeks’ Sabbath time off so the Reverend Dave Kersten (Dave and his wife Sandi were with us at Claybanks UMC a little more than a year ago on World Communion Sunday) brought us a message from Matthew 6: 5-18 on the Lord’s Prayer, noting for us that The Lord’s Prayer may use trespasses, debts and sinners.

The Lord’s Prayer, as translated into English from Greek, can mean different things to us depending on the words chosen. Matthew’s Gospel had been originally written in Aramaic and depending on how those who translated from the original Aramaic, we get three different words: trespasses, sins, and debts each speaking to us in diverse ways. Each of the three translations is very appropriate for the world we live in today. As Dave began his message, the sun began to shine through the stained-glass windows of the church and Dave noted that the day is a APRISATIDY Day (Meaning a warm sun on a frigid day).

Later, Reba and I were talking about how we at Claybanks UMC have an opening welcome song: You Are Welcomed Here

In this place, among these people

God is worship, God is praised.

We have seen the signs and wonders; the lost are found here, the dead are raised.

We are living the gospel story;

lives are changed, and mountains moved.

Won’t you come and work among us? You are welcomed, you are loved.

The Pentwater United Methodist Church has a sending out song at the end of worship: As We Go

O Lord, now let your servants depart in peace, according to your gracious word.

Our eyes have seen the glory of salvation prepared for all the people of the world.

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you and make his face shine upon you;

and may God lift his countenance upon you and give you blessed peace for now and evermore.

Our faith, our hearts, and our lives should be as the words of these songs speak to us both “come and be welcome, inviting the world to be with us and to go out and share God’s love with the world.”

So much power in these words for us as followers of Jesus Christ.

One other little thing to add, following worship at Centenary United Methodist Church, we were invited to the coffee hour which is on a lower level from the sanctuary. While sitting around the table that I was seated at, there were a number of discussions not only about the weather, but what it was like for a number of those sitting at the table who had grown up in a rural setting. They talked about what it was like to live on farms with cows and all that goes with caring for the cows. The table talk was not unlike the table talk that we experience at and around Claybanks United Methodist Church and it brought back to me the warm feelings of love, acceptance and how we have so much in common with our brothers, sisters, and the world around us.

Gary and Reba

In the beginning of each new year, many people make New Year’s Resolutions. Resolutions can go from exceedingly slight changes that you want to make in your life to even major changes in how you conduct your life. Not all resolutions are kept. I have experienced that and I have spoken to many others who had the same experience, and some say because I could not discipline myself to keep my resolutions, I no longer make resolutions. I understand that, but let me suggest something to you that may help you with your resolutions by making a Covenant Resolution for your spiritual growth.

There are many churches within our United Methodist Denomination that have a Watch Night on New Year’s Eve. During the Watch Night Service, which is usually about three hours in length, they include readings from scripture, hymn singing and prayer. During the service there is a part that is called Covenant Renewal, and I would like to suggest to you that one of your resolutions for 2026 is a Covenant Renewal. For us as United Methodists, Covenant Renewals go back into even John Wesley’s preaching time when John would preach about the “Application of the Whole” which is considered the first real celebration of the Covenant Renewal within the Methodist movement. John preached that we need to have a rich and meaningful expression before God. This is a time of remarkable blessing and occasion for a variety of spiritual experiences in a time when we experience the manifestation of God’s grace; a time when God helps us with not backsliding and a time where we can commit ourselves to be more supportive of others on their spiritual journey. Overtime we as united Methodists have taken the Covenant Prayer of John Wesley and updated it in its language so that we might fully live out the Covenant that we are making with God through Jesus Christ and with the presence of the Holy Spirit.

I would suggest to you that if you are willing to make a Covenant with our Creator God and with the intent of fulfilling that Covenant throughout 2026, working with one or more of the Spiritual Disciplines, this can be your resolutions for 2026.

Begin by reciting the Covenant Prayer: O God, searcher of all our hearts, you have formed us as a people and claimed us as your own. As we come to acknowledge your sovereignty and grace, and to enter into a new covenant with you, remove any reluctance or falsehood within us. Let your Spirit impress your truth on our inmost being, and receive us in mercy, for the sake of our Mediator, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Spiritual Disciplines are those practices that are found in scripture that promotes spiritual growth within a follower of Jesus Christ. Spiritual Disciplines fall into two main categories: The first is abstinence or self-denial which includes solitude, silence, fasting, Sabbath, secrecy, and submission. The second category of disciplines is engagement and include bible reading, worship, prayer, soul friendship, personal reflection, and service. It is not practical to engage yourself in each of these disciplines with emphasis all the time. I would suggest that you select one from each of the two categories and strive to make them practices during a month’s period of time. After the first month and continuing monthly thereafter, select one discipline from each of the two categories and focus upon them for that month reviewing the previous month (s) as you build your spiritual practices.

There are other spiritual disciplines that I will be introducing to you in a few months’ time. Our goal is a goal that I quite often speak to when someone asks me the question: How can I become more spiritual or find myself closer to God? My answer is that we need to find ways (Practices) that can bring us into a closer contact with God.

It is my prayer that you will begin 2026 with this challenge of Covenant Renewal. I will be challenging myself with practicing these Spiritual Disciplines each month and as the year goes along, my plan is to introduce to you additional disciplines that we might continue our Covenant Renewal for all of 2026.

I pray that you will find that John Wesley’s Covenant Renewal enriches your spiritual walk with almighty God, blessed by Jesus and directed by the Holy Spirit.

Happy New Year!

Pastor Gary