G
reetings,
Welcome! I am so glad that you found your way to our website. However it is that we find ourselves together on this path in this moment, I believe that we are led. We are being led by a God who goes before us, walks beside us and Who carries us when we just can’t take another step. We are always being led to life abundant and life eternal. This I believe.
My own journey has taken me from an apple farm in Western MA to serving as pastor to the Blackstone Valley United Methodist Church in Central MA. Of course, there have been a lot of twists and turns between here and there.
Growing up, our big old farm house became a rest stop of sorts for all kinds of people. A cousin’s house burned down and so they lived with us for a while. My sister and her family were building a log cabin. When their house sold ahead of schedule, they came and lived with us until the house was done. In their senior year a best buddy of my two brothers needed a place to stay when his family moved in the middle of the school year. There were always drifters passing through Granville, probably because of the hostel some other cousins ran just up the road. Some of those travelers ended up staying on to work in apples and lived with us for a bit.
My mother was known for her generous hospitality, so the coffee pot was always on and there was always room at the table. She has been the model for my ministry. In fact, if I had to sum up the gospel in one word, I would say it is hospitality. By this I mean the welcome God offers us and that we in turn are called to offer one another. Often when I serve communion and I am uncovering and preparing the elements, I flash back to my mother’s kitchen.
I believe that the church needs to be a rest stop, just as our home always was. A place where we find bread for the journey. And a question I believe the church always needs to be asking is this. Who is missing? Who is missing from the table?
Is that person you? If so, please know that we are saving a place for you here at Blackstone Valley United Methodist Church. I look forward to welcoming you and learning about where your journey has taken you.
Pastor Val
Learn more about Pastor Val
A Word of Welcome From Pastor Valerie Roberts-Toler
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