We're Starting Something New

The Parable of the Mustard Seed by Kelly Latimore

🎉 Happy 4th of July! 🎉

Friends, I hope you are spending this weekend with family and friends and fun, and staying safe in whatever festivities are happening. Let me know what your plans are so I can celebrate and pray with you!

This is a day all of God’s people across America celebrate freedom. And we certainly give thanks to God for the witness and work through history to make that real.

At the same time, we hold the American ideal of freedom accountable to the work that still needs to be done in and around our country for those who live inside these borders, and yet outside the borders of freedom.

As you celebrate, I’ll invite you to a moment of prayer for God’s liberation of all people. Would you stop for a moment and lift that hope to the God of Freedom?

… take your time …

Thanks be to God.

As we begin the second half of 2026, I find myself wondering what God might be inviting us into next.

Our vision at Knightdale UMC is to serve as a heartbeat in the community so all feel connected and worthy of love. It's a beautiful vision, but it also raises some questions.

What would it take for one more neighbor to feel connected?

What would it take for one more person to discover they are worthy of love?

What new friendship, conversation, act of service, or act of courage might God be calling us to begin?

The truth is that every meaningful thing starts somewhere. A relationship starts with a conversation. A ministry starts with an idea. A movement starts with a few people willing to take a step. It starts with a mustard seed (see the image above).

And so this July we'll spend some time exploring what it means to start something new with God. We'll talk about curiosity, hope, energy, and perspective—not as abstract ideas, but as the kinds of things that make room for new life to grow.

My prayer is that this season helps each of us pay attention to where God is already at work and gives us the courage to join in.

Who knows what might happen if we do?

From the heart,

Rev. Steph Margeson