Hodgeman County United Methodist Churches

04/23/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14aXenvLqsQ/

When its partner in a Hodgeman County, Kan., charge voted to disaffiliate three years ago, it left Hanston United Methodist Church without a pastor of its own.

“They were smarting a lot from the disaffiliation. They were shell-shocked. What are we going to do? Is there any future for us?” Rev. Dr. Richard Fitzgerald, conference circuit pastor, recalled. “There was a lot of anxiety, a lot of confusion, a question about their future.”

Although Fitzgerald and clergy from Dodge City serve the church once a month, the rest of the time the Hanston church is led by laity, including Cindy Heller, who was secretary for both churches.

“I didn’t ever picture myself as a pastor. I’m not a real outgoing personality,” she said. “But I felt God’s call on my life. I’ve always felt it, but behind the scenes. Coming over here and stepping up and taking kind of a leap of faith.”

Read the first article in our new series, "No Pastor? No Problem!" about laity stepping up in some smaller Great Plains churches.

https://www.greatplainsumc.org/newsdetail/sw-kansas-church-pulls-together-to-keep-moving-forward-19697237

04/20/2026

"Grief and Gratitude"

04/20/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/1ELmd4tUae/

04/06/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/1CQWG4XyWL/

01/19/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/189bFi3aYw/

01/12/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1HPK1uKDjN/

01/12/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/1G1tkSdN3g/

01/04/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/17zBtEvbZy/

12/14/2025

Jesus didn't shrink back from difficult conversations. He engaged with wisdom and insight, all the while remembering who He was. The religious leaders, on the other hand, had rested on their laurels for too long. When Jesus arrived on the scene, their own jealousy blinded them from truly seeing what God was up to in their midst. Our jealousy will do the very same thing to us. If we want to walk in God's power, we need to reflect His heart. The Pharisees watched, assessed and judged from the sidelines. Their hearts fossilized along with their sense of expectancy. The Scriptures they claimed to know so well prophesied of a Messiah. But they stopped looking expectantly for Him and instead searched for ways to kill Him.

When we live in the shadows and spend any of our precious time jealously watching others, we weaken ourselves and our influence. In due time, our spiritual muscles sag and our hearts grow cold.

This is not to say we shouldn't watch others. In biblical times, an apprentice actually moved in with his master so he could learn his master's craft, his rhythm, and how to live an integrated life. It's not that we watch, it's who we watch that determines the course of our lives.

12/14/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/187dzZgGKY/