The Point Newsletter: Fall Edition 2021

THE WOODLANDS METHODIST CHURCH

FIND MORE AT TWMC.ORG

IN THIS

ISSUE: UPDATES 3 SANCTUARY Check out what’s happening in the Sanctuary.

FIND OUT WHAT’S NEW

4 DISCIPLESHIP Catch the latest thoughts on growing your faith.

ARMY 5 UM Read up on youth and adults working together.

UM Army on Page 5

A MESSAGE FROM MARK Have you ever just stopped to think, “You know, God has a terrific sense of humor,” sometimes? Let me tell you, I do. Almost daily.

Let me give you an example. Almost a year to the day that I was announced by our Bishop of the Texas Annual conference that I would be the next Senior Pastor of this incredible church, I had preached a message from Joshua 1 in Harvest speaking to how Joshua must have felt following Moses, his mentor and friend, in leadership. I literally said in my sermon, and I quote, “Who wants to be the guy that follows the guy who’s led the people for over 40 years?!” I wonder if, as I said that back in 2020, the Lord was laughing and thinking, “Yeah, you’re about to be that guy, Sorensen.”

Can I tell you? What an honor to be, “that guy”, for such a time as this in the life of our church.

So, what’s ahead Methodist Church?

for

The

Woodlands

I’m glad you asked.

Before I answer, let me go back to the story of Joshua for just a moment. If you remember, before Joshua’s story begins, Moses had his own story. Moses, faithful to God’s calling in his life, had led Israel out of Egyptian captivity and, with Pharoah hot on his heels to reclaim his former slaves, Moses found himself standing on the banks of the waters waiting for a miracle. And God delivers.

God instructs Moses to, “raise his staff” so the Lord can part the waters and God is so faithful; the Israelites cross through the Red Sea on dry ground (Ex. 14:16). Moses does as he is commanded, and God creates a path for His people while he stands on the shore and watches it happen. However, what’s interesting about Joshua’s story is that Joshua had a similar, yet different experience.

When Joshua steps into leadership and into the new season of leading the children of God, the Jordan River stands between him, Continue article on Page 2

NYCKI 6 MEET SORENSEN

Get to know Nycki Sorensen through her sister’s words.

7 GENERAL CONFERENCE

Update on delayed meeting.

8 SHARE YOUR STORIES Learn more about sharing your walk with Jesus.

CREATING A VIBRANT, INVITING SANCTUARY I’M THANKFUL FOR WHERE WE’VE BEEN, EXCITED TO SEE GOD ON THE MOVE TODAY, AND EXPECTANT TO SEE WHAT’S AHEAD. - MARK SORENSEN the people, and the Promised Land.

Look at what happens next, The Lord replied, “Now, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. The Priests will carry the Ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth. As soon as their feet touch the water, the flow of water will be cut off upstream, and the river will stand up like a wall.”

(Joshua 3:12-13) Did you catch it? With Moses, God parted the waters and then let the people cross over. With Joshua, the leaders were required to begin crossing first and then the waters parted.

As I was reading this in my quiet time, that struck me in a way that I had never read it before. Here’s why. The truth is, God is always faithful to deliver His people with leaders who obediently seek, follow and act out of His leading and faithfulness. Moses was the proof of that. However, here’s the fun part, rarely is the miracle just as it was before. The

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role for new leaders doesn’t change. We must still obediently seek, follow and act out of His leading and calling in our lives.

Yet, the miracle that awaits oftentimes requires new methods, new paths and new instructions from the Lord. That’s the beauty found in the journey of faith.

giants, walls and battles that lie ahead for us all. But let’s not lose sight of what’s greater: the Lord was with them every step of the way and the battle belongs to the Lord.

I’ve never been more excited to be in ministry than I am today. In my twentyfive years of serving in the United Methodist Church, I can confidently say that I get to work alongside some of the most gifted men and women of God that serve as your pastoral staff and ministry team. You know, for Joshua, the Lord found it important that he see it wasn’t just on him to make the miracle happen, the leaders needed to step into the river as well. What followed? On the other side of the leaders stepping into the Jordan, the people of God walked into the new chapter and season that He had called them to step into.

I’m thankful for where we’ve been, excited to see God on the move today, and expectant to see what’s ahead.

Now, there were giants, walls and battles to be fought, and I am sure there are

True then, true today.

Twenty years ago, when the Sanctuary dome with the cross high on top rose from the middle of the forest, it was a visible sign to the whole area of the mission of our church to reach people for Jesus Christ. Our beautiful Sanctuary is the centerpiece of our campus and is a grand and special place that stands tall as a beacon of light to those around us.

As we have been updating The Woodlands Campus, the Sanctuary has been patiently awaiting its own fresh look. The required installation of the sprinkler system provided a great opportunity to update and refresh this most sacred space. In a desire to be inviting to people from outside the church, the updates are centered around creating a modern and versatile space that will appeal to all generations.

Angela Branch, Executive Director of Administration, shares, “Our worship spaces are a front door for people to experience the Holy Spirit, so it is critical to our mission to reach people for Jesus Christ, that this beautiful and sacred worship space speak to the community around us. And people who don’t know Jesus will feel the presence of Jesus in a new and vibrant, modern way while also honoring our traditional values.”

The updates include stained-glass windows inside the dome, state-of-theart audio-visuals, fresh paint, updated carpet and new fabric on the pews. The chancel and choir loft will be versatile spaces used for traditional services and could accommodate contemporary purposes as well.

As one of the largest gathering places in The Woodlands, this updated space with its great acoustics and modern features can be used by our mission partners, community groups and high schools. And with every meeting, concert or conference, people from outside of our church have a chance to come into this space and encounter the presence of Jesus. The Sanctuary will be finished in time to open the doors to members and visitors for our beautiful Christmas Eve services.

“OUR WORSHIP SPACES ARE A FRONT DOOR FOR PEOPLE TO EXPERIENCE THE HOLY SPIRIT...”

Angela also shared that there will be opportunities for individuals and families to participate in a very real way in connecting to this sacred space.

The first opportunity will be a Sign the Slab event on Sunday, October 3 before and after worship services.

Members will be able to leave prayers, Scriptures, and their signatures on the concrete slab of the Sanctuary as they call upon the Lord to bless the space and use it for His good.

The second way to invest in the Sanctuary space is by making a specifc donation to the church for a pew or chancel furniture in honor of a loved one or family. Church members will be able to go online to pick the pew or piece of furniture they would like to purchase, complete the transaction and indicate who they would like to honor, commemorate or remember.

Stay tuned for more information about the Sign the Slab event coming to your inbox or mailbox. Additionally, the church will include more information about contributing to pews and chancel furniture for the updated space. •

I hope this newsletter gives some insight into what’s happening within and outside the walls of your church, and I hope to see you soon!

The Lord is on the move and to God be the glory! •

Mark Ephesians 3:20

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GENERATIONS WORK TOGETHER AT UM ARMY THE VISION FOR THE FUTURE The ones who followed after Jesus, who didn’t always get it right but kept trying anyway, were called His disciples. They were committed followers who were transformed – permanently changed – by learning from and serving with Jesus.

They changed the world.

As Luann Riley, Community Discipleship Leader, puts it, “Jesus’ call ‘to follow me’ is an invitation to become His disciple and begins a life-long journey to explore and apply God’s Word, grow in maturity, love our neighbors, share our faith, and ultimately become more like the One we follow.”

Rev. Mark Sorensen’s vision for the church is for all of us to grow as followers of Christ – he really means all of us. Yep. That’s every single one of the members of The Woodlands Methodist Church to be growing in their faith journey day by day.

As a church, our goal is to be intentional in creating disciples – to help people grow in their own faith through taking

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part in inspiring worship, meaningful community, mentoring and investing in others and serving outside the church.

As Rev. Susan Kent says, “Most of us want to grow our faith, and the biggest question is ‘How? – How do I become a more devoted follower of Christ?’”

And this question of “how” is the question our church leadership is focused on. You will begin to see some exciting opportunities, classes, and groups become available around the church to help you on your journey. We ask you to please jump into any of these opportunities and take steps to be the disciple Jesus calls you to be.

According to Susan, “the greatest gift we can offer as a church is a legacy of discipleship where followers of Jesus have a longing to not only grow in their faith, but to become multipliers and invest in others.”

It’s a legacy that could change the world. •

One of the beautiful things about missions is people of all generations can work together for the common purpose of sharing the love of Christ with people young and old, and of all cultures and languages. UM ARMY is one of those missions’ experiences where generations share in the work of God to help others.

UM ARMY brings adults and high school students together to repair homes, paint, and build wheel chair ramps for the elderly or others who have a need.

Every summer, our youth and adults take a week out of their schedules to work together at UM ARMY. This summer at the Night of Worship service celebrating these young people, Mark Swayze dug into the biblical basis for generations to share God’s work with each other.

He explained, “In praising the mighty works of God, David writes in Psalm 145, One generation commends Your works to another… As youth leaders, we know that what stirs the heart of a student is when an adult commends the works of God to them. And as an adult, you might have felt overwhelmed when a generation of young people commended the works of God to you. That’s the back and forth that’s supposed to occur in the church – it’s generations sharing the works of God with one another.”

Several young people talked about how the work they did built bridges between generations – not only with the adults who helped, but also with the clients on the trip. One high school graduate told his story about working on the home of an older lady. “UM ARMY is all about the people. We served an elderly woman who was so loving and kind.

She told us she prayed every night that no one would fall off the ladder when we painted her house. By the end of the week, I felt like her grandson. I want to keep a connection with her family – it’s a great thing.”

Rev. Mark Sorensen also shares a story about how he was impacted by a UM ARMY group commending his calling as a youth pastor. “Early in my ministry as a youth pastor in Marshall, Texas, a group from UM ARMY came to my church – we were the host church. As the youth pastor, it fell on me to make sure they had everything they needed. They asked me to lead the closing devotion at the end of the week.

For that last devotion, we created this cross with about 150 candles inside it for the service. During worship, the students came down and lit the candles. When these candles began to melt together, I gave this message ‘you know when you melt us all down, we are one in the body of Christ -we all have our unique giftings, but we are one people.’

‘YOU KNOW WHEN YOU MELT US ALL DOWN, WE ARE ONE IN THE BODY OF CHRIST -WE ALL HAVE OUR UNIQUE GIFTINGS, BUT WE ARE ONE PEOPLE.’

trek to Tyler, went from Tyler with me to Shreveport. While in Shreveport, I get this call from Dr. Ed Robb asking me to come to The Woodlands, and I was so scared, but I said “yes.” As I prepared to go, the doubt started creeping in, and as I took this cross off the wall to pack up my things for the move, I flipped it over and it took my breath away. On the back of the cross, it said ‘With Love, The Woodlands United Methodist Church UM ARMY.’ It’s like that cross just led me home.”

While the youth never knew where God might call Mark to serve, they were open to God’s leading as they encouraged him on his journey. And now, as Mark leads The Woodlands Methodist Church, those young people from 25 years ago play an integral part in his story.

Just as Mark Swayze pointed out in his message, when youth and adults commend the works of God to each other, they allow God’s mighty acts to become visible to each other and to the world around them. •

Before the group got back in the van to go home, the leader came over to me and said, ‘look, we were talking last night, and we were supposed to take this cross back with us. We know you have this calling, and it is so clear to us, so we want you to have this cross, we’ve all signed it and we just want to leave this with you.’ I was overwhelmed by their gift.”

Mark continues, “Twenty-five years later I still have that cross in my office, and every time I walk into my office it’s symbolic for me of this call. It started in Marshall, Texas and then it made the 5

MEET NYCKI SORENSEN A SISTER’S REFLECTION

General Conference is a body of delegates representing United Methodist Church congregations from the United States and around the world that meets once every four years to discuss and vote on decisions for the United Methodist Church organization. Bishop Hayes shared that as General Conference was preparing to meet in 2020, it was delayed due to COVID-19. They hope to meet in August 2022, and we will share that information as it becomes available.

Written by Kristan Gross

There is truly not another soul on the planet like Nycki Sorensen. You know her husband well – pastor, leader, comedian, friend. But if you don’t know Nycki yet, you’re truly missing out. Writing from the perspective of her big sister, I have watched her whole life unfold, and Nycki has become one of the most amazing women I have ever known.

“...I HAVE WATCHED HER WHOLE LIFE UNFOLD, AND NYCKI HAS BECOME ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING WOMEN I HAVE EVER KNOWN.” To really know Nycki is a privilege and a bit of a mystery. Unlike her bold and charismatic husband, Nycki is an introvert – but most people wouldn’t know that. As a child she preferred to spend more time with animals than with people, and her household is still blessed today with treasured pets and pictures of the special friends (pigs, donkeys, camels, puppies) she has made on her many excursions around the world.

She’s never met an animal she didn’t already love.

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A WORD FROM BISHOP HAYES ABOUT GENERAL CONFERENCE

But over the years, Nycki has grown into a woman who loves people even more richly. Her heart for her family and friends is unmatched, and those who are blessed to be loved by her understand what a Proverbs 31 woman is all about. Her heart for ministry, for children, for those who need her goes beyond simple love into action. She has moved mountains for children in Haiti who needed lifesaving medical care they could only find in the United States. For more than twenty years, she has invested in the lives of children as their teacher, mentor, and friend. She has touched the lives of families who needed her to step in the gap for them when they had no other hope. To know Nycki is to experience love in motion.

As women, whether in business or in our homes, brave is rarely a word we use to describe each other. But it’s the best word I know to sum up my sister – your pastor’s wife. Her bravery first showed up when she married a radio DJ more than twenty-eight years ago.

She didn’t marry a pastor – she didn’t have any idea where God would call them. But she bravely embraced the covenant of marriage that has led her down the pathway of sacrificial ministry right alongside Mark, as his wife, supporter, and balance. She was created for this role.

But Nycki’s bravery has extended far beyond being a pastor’s wife to ministering in developing countries to the world’s poorest and neediest people, to being stranded by natural disasters in places where she was saved only by heeding God’s voice telling her to move now, to motherhood and all the challenges it brings. She has developed businesses from inception to success and braved the public and private school systems for years. Her heart and faith in the Lord have led her to bravely take steps from which many of us would have shied away.

Bishop Hayes reiterated that for the local church – The Woodlands Methodist Church – missions and ministry will continue as usual in the church. The delay will not impact local church activities and plans. Sharing the Word of God and the love and saving grace of Jesus Christ will continue to be the mission, vision and focus of our church as we minister to those around us. •

Your pastor’s wife – my sister and best friend – is a woman who loves to bake and be barefoot in her kitchen as much as dressing up in fancy clothes and eating party food. She’s a lover of nature and the beauty God created, embracing the beaches and the mountains equally.

She treasures a relaxing yoga session in her sunroom and a great avocado toast.

But more than anything, Nycki is a fierce defender of her family and her faith.

Now you, as her extended church family, have the assurance that Nycki’s fierce bravery and love in motion will be extended to you as well. I encourage you to pray for her as she bravely walks this next path in her life and take the time to walk alongside her in ministry. Your life will be richly blessed by intentionally knowing Nycki. I know mine is. • 7

The Woodlands UMC 2200 Lake Woodlands Drive The Woodlands, TX 77380

SHARE YOUR STORIES! We want to know more about you and your spiritual journey! You never know how God can use your experiences. Your faith story might be just the one that gives hope to someone looking for Jesus.

Stories like: · Describe how learning about Jesus impacted your life. · Tell us about the person who first introduced you to Jesus. · How did coming to know Jesus change you?

Go to our website and learn more about sharing your story with us!

Find all the information and directions at twmc.org/stories

THE WOODLANDS METHODIST CHURCH 2200 Lake Woodlands Drive | The Woodlands, Texas 77380 | twmc.org