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Dear Crowley FUMC,

It seems like we have lived a whole year since last Friday when the winter storm rolled in! Thank you for your flexibility and faithfulness to the schedule changes that we had to deal with. Things may look different than originally planned but God is faithful and so is our church, as we have proven over and over! With that being said, I know it can get confusing trying to figure out what the new plan is, so without further ado, here is what is happening next at Crowley FUMC:

-THIS Sunday, February 1st, please bring your Commitment of Giving cards!

These cards represent your covenant to support our church in 2026 with your prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness. At 10:45 am worship, you are invited to leave your Commitment of Giving cards on the altar rail when you come forward for Holy Communion. (Or you can drop it in the offering box at 9:00 am Modern worship). After Communion, there will be a prayer of consecration over our cards, followed by a dedication prayer over our 2026 Leadership teams.

-Then after the service, the Celebration Meal is still on!

Please bring whatever you signed up to bring with Mary Burtch two Sundays ago. All are welcome to join us in the Fellowship Hall as we celebrate what God is doing in 2026 at Crowley FUMC!

-Team Leader Training Videos are being emailed out this weekend to each specific team, so watch your email if you are serving on a team in 2026.

All Team Members will be asked to stand on Sunday at 10:45 am worship and receive a prayer of blessing as you dedicate your work to the Lord. Come, Holy Spirit! God is moving in mighty ways in this church and community!

This Sunday also marks the beginning of my Renewal Leave, which is set for February 1-March 2, 2026. I will return on March 3rd and I will hold you in my heart while I am out. During this time you will be blessed by the leadership of a wonderful, part-time Interim Pastor, Rev. Barbara Dunlap, who also included a note in this e-news. I know I leave you in the best of hands and that you will be a blessing to one another! I am grateful to the Horizon Texas Conference for the opportunity to take this time to rest and renew and also provide a strong Interim pastor.

I must confess that in the beginning, I was confused about the timing of this renewal leave. I was born in the Spring, and I thrive in the Spring! The new life that comes in Springtime seemed much more inclined for the time period in which I should seek spiritual retreat and renewal. Or the Summer time due to my love of the beach. Or even the Fall, with the beauty of the changing seasons.

Any time but Winter! I don’t even like Winter, with the exception of Christmas time. But, alas…when the Holy Spirit calls, we must answer, regardless of if it is the time we would have chosen or not. As I prayed and reflected on taking my renewal leave during the winter…God gave me words to understandthat this WAS indeed exactly the right time. After all, I must curl inward and hibernate in order to TRULY rest, so that I can emerge in the Spring, ready, rested and stronger for whatever the Holy Spirit is calling us to do at Crowley FUMC next!

These are a few of the words that God shared with me to help me understand and invite Winter in, despite how foreign that concept seems to me.

“Wintering brings about some of the most profound and insightful moments of our human experience,

and wisdom resides in those who have wintered.”

-Katherine May

“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.”

-Albert Camus

“He directs the snow to fall on the earth, and tells the rain to pour down. Then everyone stops

working so they can watch his power.”

-Job 37:6-7

May you also find time this next month to stop and behold the power of God, and be still in God’s presence. And may the Spirit of the Lord be with you as you rest in love. Please pray for me and know that I will also be praying for you.

See you in March,

Pastor Amy