China Methodist Church, China, Texas
Forest Park Methodist Church, Beaumont, Texas
It was a privilege to be appointed as pastor of Forest Park Methodist Church and China Methodist Church at the beginning of October, 2023.
I hope to be developing this website as a place for resources for ministry for both congregations.
Let me also invite you to worship with us some Sunday morning soon. Services are:
9:30 a.m. at China Methodist Church, 205 W. Washington Ave., China (map)
11 a.m. at Forest Park Methodist Church, 225 S. Major Dr., Beaumont. Parking lots open to the side street, Drennan Drive, next to Amelia Elementary School (map)
- ‘Table’ (Sermon for Maundy Thursday, March 28)Maundy Thursday recalls the Last Supper, when Jesus gathered his disciples around the table and told them to remember him through their love for one another.
- ‘Leaves in the wind’ (Sermon for March 24)Palm Sunday represents a shift in mood from Lent. After about five weeks of somber preparation for remembering the crucifixion of Jesus, and leading into the darkest week of the Christian year, it is a day of festivity and celebration (though somewhat hollow in retrospect).
- ‘Heart-writing’ (Sermon for March 17)As we continue the journey toward Good Friday (and the promise of Easter beyond), we will look at another of the times that Jesus speaks with his disciples about his upcoming death and resurrection, and what that will mean for them and the world. The main sermon text this week is the Gospel reading, John 12:20-33 (read it here). Unlike… Read more: ‘Heart-writing’ (Sermon for March 17)
- ‘Saved through faith’ (Sermon for March 10)This week’s reading, John 3:14-21, contains what is undoubtedly the best known scripture reference, John 3:16. Often seen at sporting events and other public gatherings, it highlights a verse at the heart of the passage, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Stripped of its… Read more: ‘Saved through faith’ (Sermon for March 10)
- Thinking GlobalThree of the key leaders of the Trinity Conference of the Global Methodist Church created a podcast that shares some insight into their plans and vision for the churches of eastern Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas. This podcast features President Pro Tem Rev. Jim Welch, executive officer Rev. Jason Burnham and strategic planning committee chair Rev. Drew Essen. Listen to it… Read more: Thinking Global
- ‘Empowerment’ (Sermon for Feb. 4, 2024)The sermon text for today is 1 Corinthians 9:16-23, a passage in which Paul says he was commissioned to proclaim the gospel. He also says he has become a slave to all people, being a Jew to the Jews, a gentile to the gentile and weak to the weak. The sermon title, though, comes from the Old Testament reading for… Read more: ‘Empowerment’ (Sermon for Feb. 4, 2024)
- Some church priorities for the new yearRev. Keith Boyette, transitional connectional officer for the Global Methodist Church, shared an inspiring vision for ministry in 2024. Read the full article here The bulleted list of missional priorities at the end of this article is especially significant. While two of them apply more to the larger church, three take place at the local church level and are good… Read more: Some church priorities for the new year
- ‘The clouds gather’ (Sermon for Jan. 7, 2024)The accounts of Jesus’s birth speak of him coming to save the whole world, but are deeply within the Jewish tradition in terms of his background, the prophesies foretelling the birth, and the accounts of his birth and earliest childhood. With Matthew’s account of a visit by wise men from the east, the significance of the birth beyond the Jewish… Read more: ‘The clouds gather’ (Sermon for Jan. 7, 2024)
- ‘Giving gifts’ (Sermon for Dec. 31, 2023)Luke 2:22-40 22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”[a]), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law… Read more: ‘Giving gifts’ (Sermon for Dec. 31, 2023)