Peace and love to all from the first Annual Conference of the Horizon Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church. Many things are happening in our conference, and I am thrilled to be in the service of God at this exact time in history.

Before I get to the business of this meeting, I want to ask for prayers for our beloved Max and Jackie. Max took a tumble yesterday, scraping up his hands and arms, hitting his head, and falling hard on his right knee. He was admitted to the hospital for observation and to help decrease the swelling in his knee. The scan of Max’s head was normal, and for that we thank God. His knee is very swollen, and surgery is one option to assist with decreasing the swelling. He will keep us updated about the plan. Your prayers are vitally important to his recovery.

Please refrain from calling him at this time. Max can be emailed at pastor@saintmatthewumc.com or cards sent to his home address. Please email me at mary.teague@saintmatthewumc.com if you need his address. Or call the church, and Veta can help you. Finally, you can send cards to the church:

2414 Hitson Lane
Fort Worth, TX 76112.

Now, back to the work of the annual conference. This has been a learning experience for me and another lesson in humility. I am learning more and more about the operations of this conference, called “holy conferencing.” Holy conferencing is supposed to be covered in the Holy Spirit and fueled by our commitment to God, to each other, and to our neighbors. Holy conferencing invites us to put aside our egos and our personal opinions. It invites us to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in the work of the gospel.

There are still some passionate conversations about how we should do the work. And by passionate, I mean sometimes contentious. In the midst of these difficult decisions, someone always stands and reminds us to breathe and to refocus on our commitment to each other.

I am humbled by the work being done by so many for the honor and glory of God. I am humbled to be a part of these ministries and to serve as God intends. I am humbled and blessed to be able to take time away from my nursing job to be here.

I will close for now. Sunday I will have a report of some very important decisions made here.

My love to all,

Mary

Last Sunday, we celebrated Pentecost—a special day when something amazing happened to Jesus’ friends.

After Jesus had gone back to heaven, the disciples were all together in one place. They were probably wondering what to do next. Suddenly, there was a sound like a rushing wind, and something like flames appeared above their heads—not hot or scary, but bright and full of power. They were filled with the Holy Spirit—God’s presence with them!

Then something even more incredible happened: they started speaking in different languages. People from all over the world heard them speaking in their native tongues, and they were amazed. “What is going on?” they asked. Peter stood up and explained that this was the power Jesus had promised. The Holy Spirit had come to help them share God’s love with the whole world.

And that’s exactly what they did.

🕊️ What We Learned

✔ The Holy Spirit is a gift from God that gives us strength and courage.
✔ God wants us to share His love with everyone, no matter where they’re from.
✔ Pentecost is like the birthday of the Church, when everything began to grow.

We missed many of our kids last Sunday—we know some of you are off on family adventures now that school’s out! Whether near or far, know that we are always thinking of you and cheering you on as you grow in faith. We hope to see you soon for our next lesson!

Blessings and joy from your Sunday School family.