Message from the Pastor

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Upcoming Sermon Series for June!

Kickoff June 7th for our 4-part series!

Rooted in Faith — A Four-Week June Series

McKendree United Methodist Church

 

 

The Bridge from May to June: In May, we went deep into the life and legacy of John Wesley — the man God used to ignite a movement. We explored his Three Rules: Do No Harm. Do All the Good You Can. Stay in Love with God. Those rules weren't just guidelines — they were the fruit of a life that was deeply, intentionally rooted.

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Now in June, we turn our eyes to us — to McKendree. Because Wesley's rules only make sense if the roots go deep enough to sustain them. This month we ask: What are McKendree's roots? And more personally: Are you rooted?

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Rooted in Faith is not a sermon series tagline. It is not a cute church catch phrase for June. It is meant to become the answer to a question — "Who are you?"

I am Rooted in Faith.

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Not rooted in a tradition. Not rooted in a building. Not rooted in a style of worship or a favorite hymn. Rooted in the living God, in the story of Scripture, in the community of McKendree, and in a Wesleyan heritage that calls us to go deeper, not just wider.

 

 

Series Scripture: Colossians 2:6-7 — "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him — rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."

 

 

June 7th - Week 1 — Deep Roots for All Seasons

"This Is Who We Are"

• The Wesley Bridge: Wesley didn't survive ridicule, persecution, and heartbreak on willpower — he survived because he was rooted. His Three Rules weren't self-help habits; they were the natural outflow of a soul planted in Christ. Now we ask McKendree: what sustains us?

• Focus: Laying the foundation. Why shallow faith breaks in the storms of life — transitions, grief, doubt, celebration — and what it looks like to go deeper. This week is the declaration: at McKendree, Rooted in Faith is not a tagline. It's who we are.

• Themes: Identity in Christ, the cost of shallow roots, nourishment through Scripture and community, what it means to own your faith not just attend it.

• Key Scriptures: Jeremiah 17:7-8; Psalm 1:1-3; Matthew 13:1-23 (the Sower — roots that last)

• Congregational Challenge: Ask every person to answer aloud or in writing: "Who are you?" Then give them the answer to practice carrying with them all month: I am Rooted in Faith.

 

 

June 14th - Week 2 — Roots That Send You: Celebrating Allen

"Rooted People Bear Fruit That Goes Somewhere"

• The Wesley Bridge: Wesley himself was sent. He left the familiar, the comfortable, the established — and carried his roots with him into the fields, the prisons, the margins. A rooted person isn't stuck. They're sent.

• Focus: Honoring Allen's departure not as a loss, but as a beautiful picture of what rooted faith produces — gifts cultivated here at McKendree that now go out into God's larger story.

• Themes: Spiritual gifts as expressions of rootedness, the Body of Christ sending its own gratitude, God-honoring goodbyes, staying connected across distance.

• Key Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 12:4-7; Psalm 150; Numbers 6:24-26 (the blessing over the one who goes)

• Worship Connection: We will have Corinth with us to celebrate Allen!

• Congregational Reminder: You can be sent and still be rooted. You can leave and still belong. That's what it means to be McKendree.

 

 

June 21st- Week 3 — Roots Passed Down: Father's Day

"The Deepest Roots Are the Ones Given to Us"

• The Wesley Bridge: John Wesley's own faith was shaped profoundly by his mother, Susanna Wesley — a woman who prayed over her children, taught them Scripture, and modeled a rooted life. The roots someone planted in Wesley changed the world. Fathers and spiritual fathers carry that same weight and privilege.

• Focus: Celebrating dads and honoring the irreplaceable role fathers play in digging the soil of faith for the next generation. And for those without earthly fathers — pointing to the Heavenly Father whose roots never fail.

• Themes: Generational faith, godly instruction, the Heavenly Father as the perfect root-layer, the tenderness and courage of fatherhood, leaving a legacy deeper than achievement.

• Key Scriptures: Proverbs 4:1-4; Luke 15:20 (the Father running); Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (impress faith on your children)

 

 

June 28th - Week 4 — New Growth: Confirmation & Graduation

"Rooted and Released"

• The Wesley Bridge: Wesley's movement produced disciples, not just attenders — people so rooted in their faith that they could go anywhere and still bloom. Confirmation is a student saying: these roots are mine now. Graduation is the moment those roots are tested in new soil.

• Focus: A dual celebration — confirmation students claiming their faith as their own, and graduates launching into new seasons — both carrying McKendree's roots with them.

• Themes: Owning your faith, courage for the unknown, the church as a living root system that stays connected even when you go, the Holy Spirit as the source of life in new seasons.

• Key Scriptures: Ephesians 3:17-19 (rooted and established in love); Joshua 1:9 (be strong and courageous); Philippians 1:6 (He who began a good work will carry it to completion)

 

 

Series Closing Declaration: Each week closes with the same question and the same answer — building it into the congregation's identity week by week:

"Who are you?" "I am Rooted in Faith."

 

Not because it sounds good. Because it's true. Because Wesley modeled it. Because McKendree has lived it. And because every confirmation student, every graduate, every father, every person saying goodbye to Allen — they are all carrying the same roots into whatever comes next.