To my beloved Mt. Vernon Family,

God's peace be with you. How are you? Do you need help? Do you need prayer? Feel free to email me at mtvpastor@mtvernonumc.com or call the church office at 713-227-0616. I want to hear from you whether you are in need or not. Your welfare is important to me. I pray for you all continually. I hope the prayers that I send out daily have been both thought provoking and encouraging. Our God is still on the throne, so we do not panic, we pray, we have faith, and not fear. There is no fear in love for perfect love cast out fear. We are perfected in love when we love God with all our hearts, our souls, our minds, and our strength, and love our neighbors as ourselves.

Join us every Sunday for Sunday School at 8:45, Sunday Worship at 10 am, and Wednesday Bible Study at Noon and 7 pm via WebEx. Let us continue growing in the wisdom and knowledge of the Lord so that we may discern the voice of God. These are unprecedented times and we must be as wise as serpents but harmless as doves Mat. 10:16. Different seasons call for different responses in following Jesus. In the days of Noah, there was a time to build the ark and warn others, and a time to get in the ark and allow God to shut the door. The Passover story is the same. It was a time for God's people to put blood over the door post of their homes ad stay in the house until the death angel passed over them. We must be discerning of the times.

Scripture reminds us to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, and to be ready for every good work Titus 3:1. We are abiding by the guidance of our Texas Annual Conference Bishop, Scott Jones and our government leaders in their call to Stay Safe and Stay Home. But most of all we are obeying God when we obey those God has put in authority over us, especially when what they ask of us is not sin. Obedience is better than sacrifice. We must use this time to pray, read our bibles, to examine our hearts and minds, and fellowship by phone, Face time, Skype, WebEx, Facebook or text etc. Check on family, friends, church family, and your Pastor. Know that I love you and I am praying for you. I will be calling to check on you.

Be Blessed and Be Safe,

Pastor Deborah Giles