RANKIN AND RENEWAL!

This coming Sunday, the Rev. Steve Rankin will be our guest as he challenges us to grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ and with each other. Steve comes to us from Winfield where he currently serves as a professor and campus minister at Southwestern College. He also is an ordained elder in the Kansas West Conference of the United Methodist Church. He is a what I call our "resident scholar" in the conference. At the last annual conference he was nominated as a candidate for bishop by our conference. The jurisdictional conference this summer will determine the outcome of that nomination.

Steve is a well learned, bright, articulate leader in our conference and has served in a variety of ways in churches, colleges, and seminaries. That all is fine and good but what I like about Steve is he is just a good ole boy who happens to love Jesus and wants others to experience that love too. Steve was a student pastor at my church in Aulne in 1984 where we hit it off as good friends. Little did I know that Steve was mentoring me during those years at Aulne ( I was a little dense - I thought we were just eating pizza together). To make a long story short, it is because of Steve Rankin that I went into ministry. So you can either blame him or thank him when you see him on Sunday.

Both of us have a heart for renewal (or revival as some folks would like to call it). Both of us have been called into ministry to help people move from the bad news that they seem to find themselves in, to the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And I am very excited that Steve is coming to lead 3 days of services for us here in Leoti. The schedule is as follows:

A prayer vigil all day Saturday from 6:00 am - 12:00 midnight. Call the office if you have not yet signed up to pray (30 minute time slots).

Sunday, March 9 - Steve will preach during morning worship
- A pizza party for all youth at 5:00 pm - (6-12th grade)
- Evening service at 7:00 pm

Monday, March 10 - Women's luncheon at 11:45 a.m.
- Evening service at 7:00 pm

Tuesday, March 11 - Men's breakfast at 7:00 a.m.
- Evening potluck at 5:30 pm
- Evening service at 7:00 pm

There will be a children's time each service and a nursery will be provided.

I invite all who are able in this area to come to these special services. Even if you have to drive a ways, it will be worth it. But prior to the services I invite you to pray for God's Holy Spirit to prepare each and every heart of those who attend. Pray that God will tear down walls that are interfering with a right relationship with him. And pray that we will make ourselves available to what God wants to do in our lives as individuals and as a church. If we pray, God will move.

Hope to see all of you at church Sunday morning. God will not disappoint!