Hola Kelsey Family,

I have opportunities to visit with many of our members and friends. Some I get to see during worship, or during our Sunday morning Bible study. Others show up on Wednesday mornings to watch The Chosen, and then there are the home and hospital visits. I will say, only a few people have taken me up on the offer to visit them at work to pray. 

In just a few weeks, I'm going to begin meeting with some of our young adults. The plan is the meet for coffee every other week. Our church council made it a budget priority to include funds to do this. So, I'm going to be inviting anyone at Kelsey in their 20s or 30s to join. If you have anyone in your family or circle of friends that fit that group, let them know. I'm working on putting together a list to send invites to.

I'll be with the United Methodist Men this weekend. Their monthly Bible study and breakfast is on Saturday at 8am. Miguel is leading the study--and I think I'll be leading next month.

This weekend, we're concluding our worship series on The General Rules for Methodist. The last rule is "stay in love with God." That's actually a modernized version of the original rule that said to "continue upon the ordinances of God." I'll unpack that a little. Plus, we'll have a membership renewal to finish the series. Plus, plus, it's Communion Sunday! Our Communion offering will be for UMCOR.

See you Sunday.

Stay blessed...john

P.S. Mark your calendars for the United Methodist Men's Valentine's Party (February 7) and the Kelsey Youth's Souper Bowl (February 8).

Father Greg Boyle is a hero of mine. His ministry stands on the promise of Jesus' way of love, mercy, and compassion. He is the founder of Homeboy Industries, a gang rehabilitation and re-entry program. I've read a couple of his books, listened to several speeches and conversations with Father Greg, and watched a documentary about the ministry. The work God has done through that ministry is inspiring.

In this week's sermon, we talked about compassion as a witness. In this interview, Father Greg "reflects on the roles of compassion and relationship in ministry." Have a listen and see how God might stir your heart. 

The world teaches us to protect ourselves, stay suspicious, and respond with anger. Jesus offers something different. In this message from Matthew 5:13–20, we look at what it truly means to “do good” not as moral performance, but as a visible witness of God’s compassion. Jesus calls us salt and light, forming a community that changes the environment around them. This is a call to a bolder good in a divided world.