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“Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!”
— Isaiah 43:18-19
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Beginning Again
One of the things I’ve been noticing lately is how often life invites us to begin again.
Sometimes those beginnings are exciting. Children are preparing for another school year. Teachers are setting up classrooms. Families will be settling back into familiar routines after a busy summer. Before long, our church will begin looking ahead to new ministry opportunities and new leaders for 2027.
Other beginnings aren’t ones we would have chosen.
As many of you know, we’ve had to start over in our search for a ministry partner to lease the Christian Education Building. While that wasn't the outcome we had hoped for, we’re reminded that beginning again isn’t the same as going backward. Sometimes it simply means trusting that God is still leading us, even when the path changes.
Throughout the summer I’ve seen our church continue to live into that trust. Families have gathered to learn and grow. Kids have found places to connect through Vacation Bible School, Children’s Church, Movie Nights, and our Faith and Garden Club. We’ve worshiped together, served our community, shared meals, cared for Creation, sung hymns in unexpected places, and continued discovering new ways to love people out loud.
None of those ministries happened because every plan unfolded perfectly. They happened because people were willing to keep showing up, keep serving, and keep believing that God can use ordinary acts of kindness, generosity, and welcome to make an extraordinary difference.
Over the past several months we’ve been talking about resurrection—not simply as something we celebrate on Easter or experience one day in heaven, but as something that shapes how we live today. Resurrection teaches us that God continually brings new life out of places that seem uncertain. It reminds us that endings aren’t always the final word, and that faithful people are never defined by their setbacks.
Maybe one of the greatest gifts of our faith is that we don’t wait for perfect circumstances before we begin again. We begin because we know Christ is already walking with us. Every new school year, every new ministry, every new volunteer opportunity, every new relationship, and every chance to serve becomes another place where resurrection takes shape in everyday life.
As we move into August, my prayer is that we remain open to whatever God is preparing next. We may not know exactly what lies ahead, but we know the One who goes before and with us. And that gives us every reason to move forward with hope, courage, and joy.
Grace and peace… Pastor Rick
Look, I'm making all things new
(Revelation 21.5 CEB)
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“Let your hope make you glad.
Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying. Take care of God’s needy people and welcome strangers into your home.”
-Romans 12: 12-13 (CEV)
Our recent week in Letcher County, Kentucky was an opportunity for our team of 13 youth and adults to step into someone else’s world and experience God’s love made visible through home repair, and more importantly, relationship building. Yes, we helped make a home warmer, safer, and drier by installing
insulation and drywall, repairing band joists, adding underpinning, and removing a leaky porch roof. But, we also got to spend time with a very special homeowner and her adorable granddaughter who welcomed us with open arms, shared about the local community, insisted on finding fans to keep us
cool, told us where to find the best cheeseburger, and brought us popsicles as special treats at the end of hot days. We worked hard, laughed harder, got sweaty and dirty, learned some new skills, made new
friends, and ate lots of ice cream.
In a world that sometimes feels like too much, serving our neighbors through ASP 2026 reminded us that kindness is powerful, and love is meant to be lived out loud. Thank you Blair Road for continuing to support this ministry!
We’ll be sharing more about our time in Kentucky during both services on Sunday, August 9 and would love to have you join us!
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Looking for a fun way to end your weekend? Join us for Beer & Hymns on Sunday, August 2, at 5:30 PM at The Brew Room (175 Ray Kennedy Dr., Locust).
Whether you can carry a tune or just love to sing, everyone is welcome! Bring your friends, grab your favorite drink, and enjoy an evening filled with great music, laughter, and community. It's the perfect reminder that faith and fellowship can happen anywhere.
Beer & Hymns meets on the first Sunday of every month, so come raise your voice, make some new friends or bring some old ones, and experience the joy of singing together. We hope to see you there!
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There's a Place for Everyone
at Blair Road UMC
One of the greatest ways we can live out our faith is by simply inviting someone to come with us. Jesus reminds us in Matthew 28:19-20, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations..." That Great Commission isn't just for missionaries—it's for all of us.
Throughout the coming months, Blair Road United Methodist Church has created opportunities for people of every age and stage of life to connect, build friendships, and experience God's love. Whether it's our Children's Church, Beer & Hymns, Wednesday Night Pizza & Bible Study, Breakfast Church, Trunk or Treat, our Wizard of Oz Family Movie Night, or the Christmas Marketplace, every event has been planned with one purpose in mind: to welcome our Mint Hill community and help people discover a church family where they belong.
Our Wednesday Night Pizza & Bible Study will meet on August 5, August 12, and August 26, with dinner at 6:00 PM and Bible Study at 6:30 PM. It's a wonderful opportunity to grow in faith and invite a friend.
We encourage you to prayerfully consider who you might invite. A simple invitation could be the beginning of someone's faith journey.
To see all upcoming events and invite your family, friends, neighbors, or coworkers, visit our Events Page at Blair Road UMC Events.
Together, let's continue sharing the love of Christ with our community—one invitation at a time.
Quick List of Upcoming Events
at Blair Road UMC
Children's Church
Every Sunday beginning August 2
11:11 AM–12:11 PM
Beer & Hymns
Sunday, August 2
5:30 PM
Storytime
Tuesday, August 4, 11, 18, 24
10:00 AM
Morning Play Date
Wednesday, August 5, 12, 19, 26
9:30 - 11:30 AM
Wednesday Night Pizza & Bible Study
August 5, 12 & 26
Pizza Dinner – 6:00 PM
Bible Study – 6:30 PM
Breakfast Church
Sunday, August 30
10:00 AM
Highway Cleanup
Saturday, September 12
7:30 AM
Rain date: Saturday, September 19 at 7:30 AM
Trunk or Treat
Wednesday, October 28
5:30–7:00 PM
Wizard of Oz Sing-Along Family Movie Night
Saturday, October 31
7:00–8:30 PM
Blair Road Christmas Marketplace
Saturday, November 7
9:00 AM–3:00 PM
See all upcoming events: www.blairroadumc.org/events
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Book Bags of Love:
Preparing for a New School Year!
The school year is about to begin, which means we are getting ready to restart our Book Bags of Love packing sessions! Each week, we will be preparing food bags to help provide weekend meals for 90 local families throughout the school year.
We would love for you to join us and help pack food bags for this important ministry. Our upcoming packing times are:
Sunday, August 2 at 12:15 PM
Thursday, August 6 at 10:00 AM
Please note: The Book Bags of Love pantry is now located in the Christian Education Building at Blair Road UMC.
Your time, generosity, and helping hands make a difference in the lives of children and families in our community. Together, we can be a blessing with every bag we pack!
"If you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of these… you will surely be rewarded." — Matthew 10:42
For more information, please call or text Pat Millman at 704-254-9877.
August Focus is Peanut Butter & Jelly in Plastic Jars.
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VBS 2026: Magnified!
Was a Huge Success!
What a fun and faith-filled week we had at Blair Road UMC’s Vacation Bible School! VBS 2026: Magnified! was filled with laughter, learning, creativity, and reminders of how big God’s love is.
Monday through Thursday, we welcomed 50 children from our Mint Hill community who sang, played, created, explored, and grew in faith together. The kids were happy, the parents were happy, and we were so blessed by the joy that filled our building!
We wrapped up the week with a special Friday celebration featuring A Bug’s Life, Bug Bingo, and a fun morning with children, parents, and grandparents. It was the perfect ending to an amazing week!
A huge thank you to everyone who helped make VBS possible—from preparation and decorating to serving during the week and cleaning up afterward. Every helping hand made a difference!
A special thank you to Rosie Kakachyan, leader of our Girl Scout Troop, who gave countless hours of her time to help create a magical stage and transform our rooms for crafts, science, and storytelling. Her creativity helped make VBS an unforgettable experience for our children.
We are also excited to continue growing our Plant & Grow Faith Gardening Club next season. After such a wonderful summer focused on nature, we are grateful for the support of the Reynolds Grant that helped provide meaningful hands-on opportunities for our children to learn, grow, and experience God’s creation.
Thank you, Blair Road UMC, for helping us share God’s love, one child and one smile at a time!
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Blair Road UMC will be participating in Charlotte Pride 2026 with a booth to share God’s love, welcome our neighbors, and show that our church is a place where all people are valued and treated with grace and kindness.
As followers of Jesus, we are called to love one another. Jesus reminds us in John 13:34,
“Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
If you would like to volunteer or join us at Charlotte Pride, we would love to have you be part of this opportunity to represent Blair Road UMC and share the love of Christ with our community. A sign-up sheet is available here: Community Connection Team
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Roadside Litter Cleanup – September 12
Plan ahead! Put it on your calendar now. Join us as we help keep our community beautiful! Our next Highway Cleanup will be on Saturday, September 12, at 7:30 AM. If weather doesn't cooperate, we'll meet on the rain date of Saturday, September 19, at 7:30 AM. We'd love to have you join us!
"The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it." – Psalm 24:1
Let’s care for creation and our community—grab a friend and come help!
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Crafting the Spirit of Christmas Starts Now
Christmas Is Coming to Blair Road UMC!
It may only be August, but preparations have long been underway for our Blair Road UMC Christmas Marketplace on Saturday, November 7!
This event is about so much more than holiday shopping. It's an opportunity to welcome new people into our church, support talented local vendors, and share the love of Christ with our community. We want our vendors to have such a successful day that they'll be excited to come back year after year—and you can help make that happen!
Please invite your family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. Share the event on Facebook and other social media, hang a flyer at work, and help us spread the word throughout Mint Hill. Every person who attends not only supports our vendors but also gives someone the opportunity to experience the warmth and hospitality of Blair Road UMC.
You can also help by donating baked goods for our Bake Sale or a new item or themed basket for our Silent Auction. Proceeds from both will benefit our Missions Ministry.
Together, let's make this year's Christmas Marketplace our biggest, most welcoming, and most successful one yet!
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"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."
2 Corinthians 3:17
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9135 Blair Road, Mint Hill 28227
www.blairroadumc.org
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