July Moderator’s Report
Moderator Report
July Newsletter
June 19,2026
Summertime! As I write this report, summer officially begins in 2 days. Besides the hot
temperatures, thunderstorms, mosquitoes, cutting grass, and other things, summer means
different things to different people. It can be vacation time, fishing trips, going to the beach,
picnics, gathering vegetables from the garden, dropping the kids off at grandma’s house,
Vacation Bible School, youth mission trips, and a host of other things.
Summer also brings a time of celebration as we will be celebrating the 250 th birthday of our
country on July 4 th . Think about that. For 250 years we have been celebrating freedoms that
many other countries don’t have. Our fore fathers had a vision of a nation independent of any
other. They fought a war to gain that freedom. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of
Independence of which I am a proud descendant of one of the signers.
James Madison is celebrated as the “Father of the Constitution” and the primary architect of
the First Amendment in which he drafted several principles to guarantee basic freedoms for all
Americans. The number one principle and perhaps the most important one for us is to protect
freedom of religion. This amendment states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” This means that Christians
have the freedom to worship the God we identify with, assemble in our churches, carry out the
Great Commission as commanded by Jesus and be a witness for Him as Jesus instructed in Acts
1:8.
Keep in mind that folks who practice others religions have that same freedom. As Christians we
don’t agree with those religious teachings but should respect their right to worship the way
they do. Often times we don’t always agree theologically with fellow Christians but we try to
work together to share the Gospel and to minister to those in need.
As your moderator, I am proud of how we have worked together over the years to do mission
work both here and abroad. So far this year, we have helped to collect enough shoe boxes to
meet the needs of Bell Central Elementary School in Eastern Kentucky with the Hope for
Appalachia ministry. We donated 551 jars of peanut butter and $6,080.95 to the Bland Ministry
Center to help with their ministry in Bland County and surrounding area. We are well on the
way to meeting our goal of collecting $5,300 for the Rise Against Hunger meal packing event
scheduled for October 25 th . Please remember to send your donations by July 1 or as close to
that date as possible so we can get the contract signed.
Some churches may have already held their VBS or done youth missions but some still have
those events scheduled in the next few weeks. Please keep those events in prayer and that our
young people will learn more about Jesus and the Christian life as well as to provide ministry to
folks in need. Pray that those who are traveling will be safe and also be safe on the work sites.
Rev. Austin Williams has taken over as the Association Coordinator. He has improved the web
site and has begun posting news and events. The email address as well as the mailing address
are listed there.
On this July 4 th , as you eat your hot dogs, apple pie, and ice cream, and enjoy the fireworks,
think about the freedom we have to worship and practice our beliefs as Christians. May each of
you have a safe and enjoyable holiday.
God bless you,
Gwynn Tyler
Gwynn Tyler