Weekly Greeting - October 16, 2026

Did you know that Laity Sunday in the Methodist Church used to be called “Layman’s Day?”

Of course, American Methodism never would have spread had it not been for laypeople (men and women!) who led worship in churches on the Sundays when no itinerant preacher was available.

I am so grateful that on this Sunday, October 18, worship at Bethlehem United Methodist Church will be led by laypeople.  You will not only hear stories and testimonies from church members; you will also hear a call for all of you — the members of the church — to be the “channels of living water” through which the whole world experiences God’s grace.

The prophet Isaiah calls God’s people “a watered garden, like a spring of water whose waters never fail.”

What a beautiful picture of the body of Christ — a watered garden, like a spring whose waters never run dry.  What a gift God has given us — to be channels of grace so that God’s grace flows on and on through us, where it reaches everyone who needs it.  And we never run out!

Bethlehem, continue to be a means of grace for your community and your neighbors!

Grateful to be in ministry with you,

Mary Beth