Pastor's Midweek Message

 March 4, 2026

Sisters and brothers,

In about 10 weeks, we will have a major event in the life of our congregation: It will be our 70th anniversary!

On Sunday, May 17, we will celebrate our 70th anniversary as a chartered congregation in a very special way. We will have a worship service featuring a special guest preacher, some special guests, and I am hopeful that some of our past members will be able to come and celebrate our day with us. After worship, we’ll gather on the front steps for a picture, with the entire Body of Christ present and joyful. We will then have a 70th anniversary gala—a potluck meal, perhaps as a picnic outside if weather permits. Be thinking of what you want to bring and share!

The theme for our day is, Celebrating The First Seven Decades. We’ll have displays of our history, including photos and artifacts of historic items, such as old bulletins, hymnals, our Folk Choir albums, and more. Moreover, during the spring, I hope to have History Moments on Sunday mornings in worship, where stories from our past can be shared. All of this, I hope, will help us commemorate the women and men whose faithful courage enabled the creation of this congregation. But all the more, I hope God uses this time to inspire us—to remind us that this is just the beginning, just the first seven decades of what God has in mind for God’s church.

How can you prepare? I’m so glad you asked!

First: Be in prayer for our church. As I invited us before Lent, now is a great time to be asking God, what is it that breaks your heart for our neighborhood, that we can begin to lean into as a ministry of the church going forward.

Second: Raise a hand to help our planning team prepare for these events. Larry Murphy, Anne Willaman, Ditty Mooney, Gary Starr, and Sandy Forbes will need help arranging for all the displays, the food, the invitations, the food, the activities, and the food.

Third: Invite people! Reach out to your neighbors and ask them to save the date. Connect with former BHUMC people whom you may still be in touch with, and let them know about our special day and invite them to come home for the day.

Finally: Go through your attic or closets, and see what kinds of artifacts you might have lying around that we can share. Please let me or the planning team members know what you might be able to contribute to our special displays of the day.

This will be a truly memorable day and an important milestone in our history, as we honor what God has done through the First Seven Decades and rededicate ourselves to following where God will lead in the next chapters. I’m excited to share in the day with you, and I hope you are too!

So let’s go.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Eric