Behold, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert. (Isaiah 43:19, BSB)

Greetings!

In Isaiah 43:19, God declares “BEHOLD.” This transitive verb tells us to not miss what God is doing.

I am both honored and humbled to join a healthy conference, the Southwest Conference of the United Church of Christ and follow the legacy of the Rev. Dr. William Lyons. My heart overflows to the response of support I have received as your new Transitional Conference Minister. It affirms to me that when we say we offer extravagant welcome and hospitality that our actions speak louder than words; and we reflect the love and light of Christ.

Well, it is 2023, a new beginning! It is with joy and excitement that I look forward to this New Year as a time of celebration, revitalization, and transformation. We are on a journey together to create greater connections, foster community, build each other up through collaboration, and strengthen all ministries whether rural, urban, suburban, or a new start-up. In unity there is strength (Joshua 6:5).

You are the Southwest Conference; you are what makes this conference unique. So, join me at one or more of the upcoming meet and greets scheduled throughout the conference. The first gatherings are in Tucson and New Mexico; details coming soon. For more information on these and other scheduled gatherings, refer to future issues of The Loop. Post-COVID, we are searching for new ways to stay connected, honor traditions, while looking to the new thing that God is doing in our midst.

Let us have open conversations that will spark new ways of being and help us to move forward in the purpose that God has for us. As we begin this year together, I invite you to

Join our staff at 12 noon for Pause for the Cause Wednesdays, a self-led time of prayer, centering, and reflection.
Pray for our MIDs, the health and growth of our congregations, new church starts, and emerging ministries.
Pray for an expanded table that is inclusive of all of God’s children as we embark on new opportunities for connection through podcasts, communities of practice groups, come close sessions and community events. The opportunities are endless as we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us into this new season.

May Howard Thurman’s prayer resonant with you:

Keep alive in me the forward look, the high hope.

The onward surge. Let me not be frozen

Either by the past or the present. Amen.

Until we meet, hold fast to the promise of what God is doing, "I AM ABOUT TO DO SOMETHING NEW: EVEN NOW IT IS COMING."

Remember, the best is yet to come!

Toni