Posts with the category “pastors-notebook”

Dear church,This year we celebrated thirty years in our building on the corner of Hanley and Ramsey. We benefit from previous generations who saved and planned and labored for the building we currently have. It is sacred ground for our congregation, the physical place where we gather to connect with each other and God. It is also an important gathering place for our neighbors! Every week we share ...  Read More

Opportunity knockedThe last month has presented innumerable topics for this newsletter, for example, the election of two new bishops and President Biden's decision to withdraw from the presidential election campaign (there are parallels). And my article about dandelions is still someplace on a back burner. But when I realized how badly I had missed answering the door when opportunity knocked, I kn...  Read More

This week members and guests of the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference will meet online and in person at Central Church in Richland, WA, June 13 to June 16 for its 151st regular session. A successful Clergy Session was held on May 29, and members gathered to discuss legislation this last weekend at Focus Sessions held online Friday and Saturday. Pastor Amanda will be attending the conference in-p...  Read More

Defining MomentsAn acquaintance of mine, for whom I have a measure of respect, posits that there is a “defining moment” for every generation.I suspect there is a nugget of truth in that idea. And with the corollary that institutions and individuals are further defined by events or “moments”.  Reflecting upon those ideas and the events of the last month, I thought about defining moments. Some are f...  Read More

Hello, Community UMC! The 2024 (postponed-2020) General Conference of The United Methodist Church has concluded its work. This was a historic conference for several reasons. Below are several links to view summaries of the overall conference, the major legislative actions taken, a pastoral message from our Western Jurisdiction bishops, and information about changes to our episcopal leadership in t...  Read More

I got to wash windows. I know, the phrase “I don’t do windows” has been around for a long time. It’s even part of song lyrics.But I got to do windows. And that was a big deal. The relatively small town where my family lived had one gas station when we moved there. Burk’s Sinclair was owned by the Burk brothers, John and Morry. A few years later, Art Tidwell opened a Texaco station. My parents spli...  Read More

Day one of our 2023 Pacific Northwest Annual Conference Sessions was bookended with worshipful experiences with thoughtful messages. During the opening worship service, Bishop Cedrick D. Bridgeforth continued a series of messages he has offered to the conferences of the Greater Northwest Area. We then shared communion and took a short break. Laity session: The Bishop opened up with his brief histo...  Read More

As part of the Resilient Church Project, we are privileged to host a Whitworth University student for the summer! Courtney Haupt just finished her junior year and will join us on Sunday, June 4. She will be observing and participating in all aspects of our faith community - worship, small groups, discipleship, mission, pastoral care, and administration - while also taking field notes that will for...  Read More

On May 8-11, Pastor Amanda, Sherry Graham, and Fred Asher attended a retreat/workshop at Camp Spalding in Washington to launch our participation in the Resilient Church Project.The purpose of the workshop was to meet and discuss with several other churches (small and large) and from different areas of the country the future of the local church and its sustainability as a means of sharing the Gospe...  Read More

Dear Church,In John 17, Jesus prays to the Father for his disciples and all believers to be "one as we are one" (v. 12). This verse is part of Jesus' Farewell Discourse as he prepared for his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. Jesus was preparing his followers to receive their mission of being his body on earth after he ascended to be with the Father. The unity of that body is part of our w...  Read More

Dear church,We have exciting news to share and celebrate! In November, Community UMC submitted an application to the Resilient Church Project at Whitworth University, a program that gathers churches together to explore what it means to be resilient in the midst of our changing culture...and we have been accepted!This is tremendous news for our church. Here's why: The religious landscape in our cou...  Read More

One of the marks of a resilient church is the ability to adapt to changing needs and contexts. Community UMC has a growing need for a visitation ministry focused on extending our church's hospitality and care to homebound members, building connections with visitors/new members, and responding to emergency care requests in the church and community. To help meet that need, we are pleased to announce...  Read More

Today is the twelfth day of Christmas and the day before the Epiphany (January 6). In the Eastern Christian tradition (and all Christianity traces its roots to the ancient Near East), Epiphany Day is known as Theophany Day. A theophany is God's self-revelation. The burning bush that spoke to Moses was a theophany. So was the pillar of cloud and fire that led the Israelites out of Egypt, and the sh...  Read More

Dear Church,Eight years ago, I took up the practice of choosing a word to guide me spiritually in the new year. The first word I chose was “wellness.” I was working with a spiritual director on healing from a period of intense disappointment, and I wanted to spend that year focused on my physical, emotional, and spiritual health. So, I chose “wellness” to focus my intention. That was 2015, the yea...  Read More

Dear Church,This Sunday marks the beginning of Advent and the beginning of a new year in the church calendar. Once more, in the midst of our holiday preparations and activities, we are invited to still our hearts and enter into the ancient story of God made flesh in the birth of Jesus Christ. The stories, scriptures, and traditions of the Christmas season have been passed down to us throughout the...  Read More

This Sunday we begin our fall worship series, Gifted for More. Every person is a gift from God with gifts to share! In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul wrote that our gifts exist for the benefit of others rather than for only ourselves: “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’ so that there should be no division in the body, b...  Read More

As of this week, I have been serving among you for ten weeks. Many of you have inquired how I have been settling in. Thank you for asking! My apartment is mostly unpacked, though I am always slow to get pictures hung on the walls. The same goes for my office. It takes time to learn the rhythms of a church, but because so many of those rhythms were interrupted by COVID and most of your church staff...  Read More

Two Sundays ago I preached on the importance of setting aside time to pray and be still before God. God has placed upon my heart the invitation to start a prayer ministry at CUMC. This ministry will gather on Mondays at 9 am in the Chapel for a half hour to pray for the mission and ministries of our church, attend to the presence of God in our midst, and listen for the guidance of the Holy Spirit ...  Read More

“For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven” (Eccl 3:1, NRSVUE). During seasons of change and transition, this small line from Scripture always gives me comfort. It reminds me that change is part of God’s providential plan for creation. With every change comes an opportunity to listen carefully to the Holy Spirit and pay attention to what God is doing....  Read More

While the global church celebrates a new year in the church calendar at the beginning of every Advent, in Methodism we celebrate a second, unofficial new year at the beginning of July. This is when the appointment year turns over and local churches receive new pastors. My clergy colleagues and I joyfully wished each other a "Happy Methodist New Year" on July 1st as we entered into new ministry set...  Read More