Immediately after our time in Gadsden, I traveled across town to the community of East Gadsden. The East Gadsden UMC has a long and proud history in the community. In the last few decades, the neighborhood where the church sits has gone through a major transition. The church has been struggling with how to deal with that transition and under the direction of Rev. Mark Puckett, has now made a courageous step to move the church towards becoming a multi-ethnic congregation. They are receiving a black pastor in June and they are gearing up to walk into a new future. That is the context I stepped into as we began these days of renewal.
Mark was an associate pastor in another congregation when we were last together. He has a passion for ministry and a love for the people he serves. I was greatly blessed to be with him this week.
There was great response to the storytelling.
We met in the fellowship hall which was a great space for worship. They will be remodeling this area as they plan for the future, so it will work even better for contemporary worship.
God was at work in many hearts. The greatest joy of ministry is seeing God produce the fruit.
In addition to the services in the local church, we also had the privilege of doing some storytelling in the public schools in E. Gadsden. The kids were very excited to have the Master’s storyteller in their schools.
There are many changes in the future for East Gadsden. They will have a new pastor, a new vision, a new mission and a heart for their transitioning neighborhood. Pray for them as they step into this future, that God will use them to change the world where they live.