Together we reflect on how our world needs more stories of people serving others, devoting their lives to the wellbeing of others, and taking action to care for people. There are a lot of stories of fear and worry—we can be messengers of hope and compassion in a world that desperately needs to hear it.
Our national parks are jewels of natural beauty and unmatched diversity. They can also speak to our faith as we reflect on God’s creation and marvel with wonder and awe at God’s work. Each week, we’ll look at a different national park and explore the holiness and wisdom that it gives us. From Yellowstone to Voyageurs, each place will offer a glimmer into the goodness and glory of God’s world.
We begin a new series that will feature not only my voice, but the voices of five congregation members. A strong value of our church is empowering one another and hearing each other’s voices. We will live into that in July and August as we experience a worship series that is shaped and molded by five others. I have been blessed to hear their perspectives and reflections on our theme and I know you will too.
We hear the messages out there that we should attend church. Many of us have been baptized, either as children or adults. We take the bread and the juice during Holy Communion. We feel within us a calling towards a certain way of life. Why do these things matter? How does the Holy Spirit work through them? What is the purpose of the sacraments? During the month of June, we'll explore the foundations of our faith and how they continue to shape us and bless us.
For the month of May we enjoy a special music Sunday with the theme of New Beginnings, focus on the themes of gifts and offerings, and how we can give to others in a variety of ways. On Pentecost hear the miraculous and strange story of how people were able to hear and speak in different languages, each understanding one another. We anticipate Pride Month and hear the familiar words from 1 Corinthians, “love is patient, love is kind.”
For the month of April we have several special services planned. We will hear Rev. Dr. Joretta Marshall preach on the story commonly referred to as “Doubting Thomas. EUMC's Environmental Justice Team leads us as we celebrate Earth Day with guest speaker Buff Grace. He will discuss the small things we can do to protect our world. Our interactive family worship is April 21 and we continue our Earth Day focus to explore how we can nurture good soil for seeds to sprout and grow. Finally we focus on the sower. What do we learn from a sower who wastes seeds on places unlikely to create growth and life? Is the sower meant to symbolize God, the disciples, us, or all of the above?
We have several meaningful events and worship services this week that we hope you join us for. Starting on Good Friday, we’ll remember the torture and death of Jesus through a traditional Tenebrae service. We hope you are able to join us this Sunday as we celebrate Easter and the resurrection of Jesus. Together, we will proclaim that love can conquer all through inspiring music, scripture, and an Easter meditation. God continues to surprise us, changing and shaping us so that our lives are overflowing with hope and love.
Disabled people are full members of the body of Christ. Unfortunately, this is not always the reality experienced in churches. Ableism, discrimination that favors able-bodied people, has taught us to view disability as brokenness instead of sacredness. Throughout Lent, we’ll be examining disability through a different lens: one that celebrates disability and values the gifts it brings to our faith community.
God made each of us in God’s image. Still, each of us are vastly different from each other. This teaches us that God values diversity and differences, and that they are sacred! Join us as we seek to celebrate the different gifts, experiences, and perspectives we bring to the table.
Life is full of tragedy, suffering, and natural disasters. Whenever this happens, we find ourselves asking God why. Where is God when suffering happens? Does God even listen to our desperate prayers? These honest questions are important to uncover together.
We live in a weary world filled with people who are exhausted. Tired from fighting, violence, anxiety, depression, poverty, and we aren't always sure what it means to be hopeful. As we await the birth of Jesus, we'll hear the words of the prophets speaking to a weary world thousands of years ago. Even amidst great turmoil and unrest, we can find a way to bring joy and hope into this world.
Jesus talked about money and possessions more than any other topic. For four weeks, we’ll dive into how we can continue to invest our money into the values that we hold most dear. Why did Jesus care about money so much? What is the connection between our attitudes towards money and our spiritual life with God? What does it look like to use our money and possessions as tools to help build community, serve others, and stand for justice? We’ll hear Jesus’ teachings together and spend time reflecting on what we are each called to do in response.