“A true follower of Jesus never becomes accustomed to the sound of footsteps headed for hell.”
Frank and I returned from our West Plains Annual Conference excursion yesterday afternoon. Almost
immediately upon arriving in Lubbock we were given cause for excitement. On our trip down, we
noticed there was a deep pool of moisture and the wind started to increase. Clouds billowed and grew
dark as we passed the state line. It wasn’t long before things got wild. Tornado warnings followed by
wind gusts, heavy rain, and hail were reported. We saw a supercell thunderstorm spinning right in front
of us as we stood in our hotel parking lot. But not for long. Rain and hail driven by 80-mile an hour
winds pelted buildings, vehicles, and trees. Sirens blew. Lubbock dodged the proverbial bullet was a
repeated theme in newscasts, articles, and posts. As it turned out, we saw tornado-warned storms each
day! Ah, home sweet home.
The Lord was not to let the conference be outdone! We were provided inspiration, information, and
invitations. Frank will be sharing more details below.
I want to thank Holly for preparing and presenting the message for Pentecost. We missed you all and
look forward to a more regular schedule. Continue to pray for your church family, our community, and
especially for those God would have us reach with Christ’s love and Gospel. May we all truly Love ,
Follow, and Serve Jesus and seek to Thrive in ’25.
Loving you in Jesus!
Pastor Brian
“A church that neglects prayer becomes disunited, scattered, lethargic, all but dead.” ~Charles
Spurgeon
Frank Smith’s Reflection/Thoughts from the West Plains Global Methodist Conference, Lubbock,
Texas.
“Now to each one, the manifestation of the spirit is given for the common good.”
1st Corinthians 12:7
Thursday, June 5th, Brian and I had a pleasant day driving to Lubbock for the West Plains GMC Annual
Conference. Thursday evening, we each had dinner plans with friends. Our evening with friends ended
earlier than either one of us expected when we were interrupted by phone weather alerts as well as local
sirens. We met back in the hotel parking lot where we stood for a while with other folks being ‘storm
watchers’ until the wind and hail stones chased us inside. Parts of the city very close to us were hit by a
category four tornado, our area had strong winds, rain, and hail but avoided any major damage—we heard
the voice of God in the tornado and in the silence afterwards. GOD IS GOOD!
For the first conference session Friday afternoon, laity met separately from the clergy. That session was
the first of several times I truly felt God’s spirit. Angela Carter, West Plains Conference Lay Leader,
provided us with an inspiring message based on 1 Corinthians 12, more regarding this reference later….
One of the first things I noticed as the conference progressed was the feeling of love and Christian
fellowship. A true feeling of being ONE CHURCH. This was a feeling that continued throughout the
sessions of the conference, recognized by all. Following the opening session, laity and clergy met together
for the remainder of the conference.
I cannot relate to you everything that we experienced during the worship and conference sessions, but I
wanted to share highlights for me. Friday afternoon’s worship time was led by Mike Schafer followed by
voting for lay and clergy delegates to attend the GMC General Conference to be held in Johannesburg,
South Africa in 2026. That evening we were able to observe the ordination ceremony for new GMC
deacons and elders facilitated by Bishop Greenway.
Our Saturday sessions provided us with opportunities to hear from our Mission Partners from the
Thailand Conference and the Western States Conference. Both of these conferences (as well as our own),
need prayer for guidance and continued leadership as they complete work for GMC membership. Please
include these folks and their work in your daily prayers. Three messages were provided from Technology,
Entertainment and Design (TED talks) which emphasized being BOLD WITNESSES. This theme was
also expressed with the message from Ms. Carter on Friday.
I started my reflection with 1 Corinthians 12 where Paul lists the gifts of the Spirit. It is up to us, as
individuals, to support RiverStone, GMC, our brother/sisters throughout the world, and ALL church
leadership to continue the mission “to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
Thank you for providing me with this opportunity to serve you.
Frank Smith
RSC Lay Person
Leave a Reply