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Churches Leaving, But UMC Still Has ‘Strong Presence’ in Northwest Texas

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Links to related Spirit of Abilene articles:Aldersgate Leaves UMC; Conference Forms Online Missional Churchhttps://spiritofabilene.com/2022/11/12/aldersgate-leaves-umc-conference-forms-online-missional-church/Methodists Must Decide: Will We Stay or Will We Go?https://spiritofabilene.com/2022/05/27/local-methodists-informed-about-decisions-on-whether-to-stay-or-leave/St. Paul to Remain United Methodisthttps://spiritofabilene.com/2022/10/17/st-paul-to-remain-united-methodist/Local Methodists Not United on Futurehttps://spiritofabilene.com/2022/10/10/local-methodists-not-united-on-future/Q&A With Dr. Sandra Harper, McMurry University Presidenthttps://spiritofabilene.com/2022/06/03/qa-with-dr-sandra-harper-mcmurry-university-president/ By LORETTA FULTON “We’re finally past the fighting,” a relieved Jeff Fisher said following the departure of 145 United Methodist

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Christmas in Abilene 2022

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By LORETTA FULTON It’s official! The 2022 Christmas season is underway, with concert music, light displays, Living Nativity scenes, opera, a Christmas parade, and more festivities.  Following is a partial list of upcoming Christmas events. To add to the list, send information to editor@spiritofabilene.com CSC CHRISTMAS STORE OPEN The annual Christmas Store at Christian Service Center will be open on

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Problem People

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By JIM NICHOLS We all have these people in our lives, do we not? Problem people. There is a person down my street who has flown a gigantic TRUMP flag in his front yard for at least three years. I have exchanged pleasantries with him at the mailbox and he seems like a normal person. What is he thinking? There

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Candle of Peace

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By DANNY MINTON Churches vary on the lighting of the second candle of Advent, with some lighting the candle of peace and others the candle of love. I wasn’t sure which to do since my experience with the tradition of Advent is limited, so I decided to take the “casting lots” method of determining whether to write about peace or

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Advent for a Novice

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By NANCY PATRICK I grew up in a church that did not observe religious traditions such as Advent or Lent. Although we observed Christmas and Easter, our leadership sort of skipped over other liturgical events, so when I began attending a church that followed the liturgical calendar, I had a lot to learn. The twenty-four days preceding Christmas is the

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Meet Rick Grant

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By LORETTA FULTON Wylie Baptist Church is celebrating its 40th year of producing the Living Christmas Tree, an annual gift to the community that involves almost everyone in the congregation.  This year’s productions will be held Dec. 8-11 at the church, 6097 Buffalo Gap Road. Tickets are free, but required. They are available at the church office or by calling

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The Candle of Hope

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By DANNY MINTON Until recently, the congregations I of which I’ve been a part have never had the Advent tradition. However, when I think about the meaning behind the practice, I realize that I have practiced its basic principles yearly and month after month. During this time of year, attention revolves around four central thoughts. Many churches will light a

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