Dear Church Family,
I am pleased to announce that I have been reappointed to Bright Hope Laurel for another year! I am so excited to get to extend my stay with you all, and cannot wait to see what this year brings. For those of you who are not up on the appointment system in the United Methodist Church, pastors are appointed for one year at a time, so waiting to get this news every year can be somewhat anxiety inducing. While I do know that God (and the cabinet) knows what’s best for each community, I am so grateful to get to stick around!
I am also so glad to announce that Savannah Smith, a seminary student from Duke Divinity will be joining us for the summer. Each summer, divinity students apply to take part in Field Education placements. We also applied to receive a student and were matched with Savannah. She has written you all a letter of introduction:
Dear Bright Hope Laurel UMC,
I am thrilled to be spending the summer with you all! As an Appalachian State Alum, my heart has deeply missed the mountains. Finding out that my placement would be in Mars Hill felt like a wink from the Almighty.
I just wrapped up my first year at Duke Divinity, where I am completing my Master of Divinity in hopes of becoming an Elder in the Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church. I am also a Thriving Rural Fellow and will serve in Rural Western North Carolina upon graduating. I was born and raised in Albemarle, North Carolina, where I spent most of my time with my parents and grandparents, playing sports, fishing, drawing, and taking long drives with my older siblings.
I began to feel a call to ministry in college, where I earned a degree in Advertising with a minor in Religious Studies. Despite my love for Church History, I never intended to work in ministry in any capacity, but as it so happens, God had other plans. By God’s grace and twisted sense of humor, I soon found myself in seminary, where I continue to feel my calling grow. I am so excited and thankful to join you all for the summer.
I look forward to getting to know you, serving with you, eating with you, and learning from each of you! See you on May 25th!Grace and peace,
Savannah Smith
Savannah will be arriving on Sunday, May 25th and will attend worship on that day. Over the summer, she will be learning about the congregation and the community and will be taking on various roles of leadership, including preaching and curriculum development.
I still remember my first day at Bright Hope Laurel. I felt so welcomed by you all! I cannot wait for her to experience that same hospitality. To that end, I want to invite you all to help welcome her by bringing something local as a gift for her on her first Sunday (May 25th)! Some suggestions have been a homemade baked good, a gift certificate to a nearby restaurant or coffee shop, or something from a shop with locally made items. Barbara Merrill has generously offered to bring a basket from a local shop so that we can put everything together and gift it to her at the end of the service.
Savannah’s second Sunday falls on the first of the month, which means she will experience her first Bright Hope Laurel fellowship potluck. I am looking forward to us all getting some time to fellowship with her. During that potluck, we will also be taking part in an exercise focused on mapping the history of Bright Hope Laurel. Please join us if you hold even a more recent part of that history. Each piece is important for this project.
Until I see you again, I hope you have joy and peace. Grace to you all!
Pastor Shonnie
