THE WOODLANDS UMC
MAY 2019 EDITION
POINT Missions
A MESSAGE FROM
I never cease to be amazed at the impact our church is having here locally and around the world.
PASTOR TO SENIOR ADULTS
A few weeks ago, I traveled to Patna, India. In India, only approximately 2% of the population is Christian. I was working with Hope for Today, a dynamic Indian ministry that we have supported for years. The program is called the “Church Planting Discipleship Movement” (CPDM). The purpose is to train young Christian leaders who have a desire to lead others to Christ. The men and women who attend are amazing, as they have a passionate love for Jesus Christ, and they are willing to risk their lives so that others will know Him. This ministry provides them with teaching and materials that cover the whole Bible. I was part of the teaching team and I taught six books of the Bible (Exodus, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Nehemiah, Romans, and James). I wish you could have been there with me to see their joy and their passion for the Gospel. It is amazing. Our church started this ministry in 2013. Let me share with you all that God has done during this time. • To date, 537 believers have completed the two-year program. • 160 more are being trained now. • These trained leaders have led 28,253 people to Christ. • 4,086 people have been baptized. • 6,328 new House Churches have been planted • The ministry started in one city. CPDM is now being conducted in nine cities in eight states and in two countries (India and Nepal)! All of this is the result of support from The Woodlands United Methodist Church! Know that your gifts to Missions are changing lives!! Check out Global Mission opportunities at missions.thewoodlandsumc.org/serve Rev. John Hull, Pastor of Missions
CLIFF RITTER
May flowers. There is a newness about May that always captures my imagination. The Easter Season is behind us and we are starting to feel the power of the summer sun. The kids are busy finishing up school, and parents are putting the final details together for that long-awaited summer vacation. It’s a good time to check in with friends and neighbors, before the busy summer months ahead. In May we can really enjoy being in Houston. The weather is warm, but not searing hot like in July or August. We might even see one or two cool evenings, now and again. I’m not sure why, but I think May might be a great month for a revival. The church is still feeling the passion of Easter, and we are finishing strong in our Bible Studies. We know the Annual Conference is right around the corner. In the old days, and in the smaller churches, folks would begin to wonder if they might get a new pastor this year. But, those decisions are not as abrupt as they once seemed to be. In our church, it looks like we will keep what we’ve got for now. That’s good for us. So, back to revival. It sounds a little old fashioned. But, it may still be the best word. Awakening is also a word we hear quite a bit in the halls of the church. We can agree, I think, that the church needs to be finding fresh new ways to worship God. That’s been true in every generation. As a Senior Adult, I think the best way I can encourage the younger generation is to help them to be awakened to the love of God. They will re-live, and re-store, and re-fresh the faith that has been passed down through us, if we encourage them. I recently heard that I need to empower all the people in our ministry. We need to unleash the Holy Spirit among us. So, let’s get at it. Let’s be about revival, and reawakening, and restoring all that is good about the church. It’s time to welcome Jesus into our lives once again! With grace and peace, Cliff Ritter