minister's message.
Welcome to the website of Hampton United Church! Thank you for taking this opportunity to ‘check us out’. Preparing to produce a website has been an excellent activity to help us pay attention to what is happening in our congregation, for we are highlighting what is important to us and who we are!
“Paying Attention” is essentially a spiritual practice – an opportunity to discover and heighten our awareness of the presence of God in our lives and in our world.
Paying attention, I believe, is God’s essential call to the church for this time. We can recognize that God calls us to pay attention to opportunities that are around us, to be available to those who are in need and to welcome all into our faith community, whether it is worship, a group, an event or even here, online!
As a community of faith, it is our ministry to help people and the world focus attention on what is important; to take time to discern personal, communal, local and global priorities, to be aware of the holy in each other, in every circumstance, decision and action. To pray is to pay attention to God in us, around us and with us; to be the church in worship or in community, in reflection or in action is our call to ministry.
God is calling the church with an opportunity to pay attention … and that is what being part of a community of faith can offer to you, to me, to each other and what we can then offer to our world. Paying attention is our purpose, our priority, our ministry. This is why we matter and this is what difference we can make to the world around us!
As a church community we find ways to be with each other, to get to know each other and we learn that “We are Not Alone.” As a community of faith we know that even in the darkest of days, in our lives or the lives of others and those in our world, God calls us to be present to each other and to pay attention – for hope is in our midst. Hope is what God calls us to bring to each other and to our world.
And that is what I believe is the purpose of church. That is why I believe that being and being part of a community of faith matters. We are called to pay attention to hope, to be messengers of hope. We welcome you to discover hope in the activities and posting on our website and we welcome you to gather with us in community - in person or online! We are Not Alone! Thanks be to God!
Welcome to the community of faith and hope at Hampton United Church!
Rev. Kelly Hudson-Lewis
“Paying Attention” is essentially a spiritual practice – an opportunity to discover and heighten our awareness of the presence of God in our lives and in our world.
Paying attention, I believe, is God’s essential call to the church for this time. We can recognize that God calls us to pay attention to opportunities that are around us, to be available to those who are in need and to welcome all into our faith community, whether it is worship, a group, an event or even here, online!
As a community of faith, it is our ministry to help people and the world focus attention on what is important; to take time to discern personal, communal, local and global priorities, to be aware of the holy in each other, in every circumstance, decision and action. To pray is to pay attention to God in us, around us and with us; to be the church in worship or in community, in reflection or in action is our call to ministry.
God is calling the church with an opportunity to pay attention … and that is what being part of a community of faith can offer to you, to me, to each other and what we can then offer to our world. Paying attention is our purpose, our priority, our ministry. This is why we matter and this is what difference we can make to the world around us!
As a church community we find ways to be with each other, to get to know each other and we learn that “We are Not Alone.” As a community of faith we know that even in the darkest of days, in our lives or the lives of others and those in our world, God calls us to be present to each other and to pay attention – for hope is in our midst. Hope is what God calls us to bring to each other and to our world.
And that is what I believe is the purpose of church. That is why I believe that being and being part of a community of faith matters. We are called to pay attention to hope, to be messengers of hope. We welcome you to discover hope in the activities and posting on our website and we welcome you to gather with us in community - in person or online! We are Not Alone! Thanks be to God!
Welcome to the community of faith and hope at Hampton United Church!
Rev. Kelly Hudson-Lewis