We have returned to In-Person worship in the sanctuary at 9:00 a.m. & also on Facebook Live
Here we are at the beginning of another year: 2023. We are beginning to see some positive changes in church attendance and participation since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been 3 years since the first case of COVID-19 was identified in the United States. So many of us have known friends and family who died from the virus and others, including ourselves, who were sick with it or who were impacted by it in other ways. The church has suffered through it in terms of attendance, but our church family at Tunica UMC has been so faithful in continuing to contribute financially to the work of the church. At the end of 2019, before the pandemic, our average weekly attendance was 72. In 2021 after the 2nd wave (or was it the 3rd??), our weekly average attendance dropped to 44. However, we did establish an on=line presence through Facebook Live! We ended 2022 by improving on our attendance to an average of 50 and the last few Sundays of 2023 we have been in the 60's. Hopefully, we are turning the corner.
Every New Year brings each of us a renewed hope for something better, whether it's in our personal life, our finances, our career, family, or our spiritual lives. We don't know what new thing God has in store for us and for the church. The United Methodist Church is going through turbulent times with a number of churches seeking to disaffiliate with the denomination and either become independent, join the new Global Methodist Church, or connect to some other branch of Methodism. For the time being, the leadership at Tunica UMC has decided to stay with the United Methodist Church. Nothing in our Book of Discipline or doctrines have changed and nothing can be changed except by the action of the General Conference, which will not meet until 2024.
My wife, Jean, and I do not know what new thing God might have in store for us. We are going to end our formal ministry at the end of June. While I am technically already retired, as far as the UMC is concerned, I will officially step away from formal ministry. It's time. This is my second appointment at Tunica. I served from 1992-1998 and then was called back into service in 2007, for a combined total of 22 years. My last Sunday in the pulpit at Tunica UMC will be June 25, 2023. My prayer is that Tunica UMC will continue to thrive under the leadership of a new pastor and allow God to do a New Thing in the life of the church and its people.
NEW PASTOR APPOINTED
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Rev. Brandon Sikes as the new pastor at Tunica United Methodist Church, effective July 01, 2023. Rev. Sikes is currently serving as pastor at Squyres UMC in Ragley, LA. He is a native of West Monroe and is married to Rev. Allison Sikes, the newly appointed pastor at St. Francisville UMC. The Sikes' are the proud parents of a 2 year old daughter. We extend a warm welcome to Rev. Sikes and his family to West Feliciana Parish and look forward to his ministry at Tunica UMC.
Our Mission is pretty simple: To be a welcoming and loving congregation gathering to worship God and sharing the love of Christ with our community and the world, as we continue to make disciples for Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world!
When one becomes a member of the United Methodist Church and the Tunica United Methodist Church, they answer this question, which becomes their vow to God and to the church: Will you support the ministries of the United Methodist Church and the Tunica United Methodist Church through your PRAYERS, PRESENCE, GIFTS, SERVICE, and WITNESS.