August 2008 - A Letter From The Pastor

Posted on September 1, 2008

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Well, we are through our first month together. And what a blessing it was and will continue to be. As some of you may know, this is my first appointment. Our thanks to all of you for making us feel welcomed and helping us in the many ways that you have.

Thank you for being patient as we got settled in. Again, on behalf of my family, I want to express ow blessed we are to be here in this area, and what a blessing it is for me as your new pastor to serve the Alleghany-Grayson charge. I look forward to letting to know you better in the time ahead as we grow together in Christ’s love.

To give you some of our background, we moved here from Marion, NC where we lived for 7 years. I grew up in Burnsville, NC, which is over the mountain from Marion. Melissa, my darling wife of 11 years this coming October, grow up in Kenvir, Kentucky, before moving to Asheville, NC where we met.

I worked as a carpenter prior to receiving this appointment and moving to these beautiful mountains, which remind me so much of Burnsville. Both Melissa and I feel at home here in Alleghany County. And our two boys, Zachary and Timothy, are loving it here as well.

In closing, it is my prayer that our time ahead is richly blessed. I look forward in serving you as we grow together as a family for His kingdom.

May the Lord bless and keep you always,
Pastor Pete Fender

Nothing But Nets

Posted on March 23, 2007

The people of the United Methodist Church are being invited to participate with the Nothing But Nets partners to help stop a deadly disease – malaria. In sub-Saharan Africa, a child dies every 30 seconds from this preventable disease. This is a statistic that the world must pay attention to according to Bishop Joao Somane Machado, leader of the United Methodist Church in Mozambique.

“This is not an African issue,” said Machado. “It’s not only for poor countries. It’s global.”

Just $10 buys a bed net, distributes it to a family and provides education on how to use it.

By answering Jesus’ call to “minister to the least of these who are members of our family,” we can beat this awful disease and save future generations. So give a child the opportunity to live a life of health and happiness. Pray. Communicate the need. Buy a bed net. And save a life.

To learn more about malaria initiatives of The United Methodist Church, visit http://www.umc.org