Supporting the people of Maui
Lahaina/Maui Fire Relief
United Methodists were among the many people affected by the devastating fire on Maui.
The historic Lahaina United Methodist Church (built in 1922) was among the many buildings which were destroyed in the fire. Ironically, the church sign survived. The pastor and family were displaced. The pastor reports that no members were killed but many are displaced. Several worshiped last Sunday at the UMC church in Kahului.
One way to support the United Methodists in Lahaina is with a financial donation. Donate to our church and the funds will be forwarded through the United Methodist connections. Visit our website or write a check with “Lahaina” or “Hawaii” in the memo line.
For more information about the church, visit
www.umnews/en/news/special-sanctuary-lost-in-Maui-fires
Last Sunday
On Sunday, I quoted two theologians Christine Valters Paintner and Walter Brueggemann, it’s entitled Blessing for Sabbath as Resistance.
“Multitasking is the drive to be more than we are, to control more than we do, to extend our power and our effectiveness. Such practice yields a divided self, with full attention given to nothing.”
“In our own contemporary context of the rat race of anxiety, the celebration of Sabbath is an act of both resistance and alternative. It is resistance because it is a visible insistence that our lives are not defined by the production and consumption of commodity goods.”
Here’s the poem from Christine Valters Paintner
Sanctifier of holy rest,
on the seventh day you paused,
laying
down
the work
of creation
and entered into sacred stillness.
Let us remember we were freed from slavery
in Egypt and you continue to call us
to be people of liberation.
Kindle in us the strength to say no
to a world of perpetual busyness.
Inspire us to set aside our plans
and goals to receive the lavish gift
of rest for ourselves,
to rediscover the Paradise within.Christine Valters Paintner. It’s entitled Blessing for Sabbath.
Sanctifier of holy rest,
on the seventh day you paused,
laying
down
the work
of creation
and entered into sacred stillness.
Let us remember we were freed from slavery
in Egypt and you continue to call us
to be people of liberation.
Kindle in us the strength to say no
to a world of perpetual busyness.
Inspire us to set aside our plans
and goals to receive the lavish gift
of rest for ourselves,
to rediscover the Paradise within.
This Sunday
This Sunday, we delve further into our sermon series, "Short Stories of Jesus," with a keen focus on Matthew 14:22-33. This poignant narrative recounts the awe-inspiring moment when Jesus strides upon the turbulent waters to join His disciples amidst a raging storm. While this miracle often spotlights Peter's audacious venture onto the waves, our attention this Sunday turns to the prelude of Jesus' repose and the profound implications that rest holds for us as ardent followers of His teachings.
As we gather to worship this approaching weekend, I invite you to contemplate the multifaceted essence of rest in the context of your faith journey. Reflect upon the intentional repose you seek as a means of nurturing your spiritual connection, and also ponder the significance of the solace you extend to others in their own faith quests.
Let us collectively unravel the layers of meaning entwined within this narrative, drawing parallels between the tranquility Jesus embraced and the sanctity of rest that we, too, can incorporate into the tapestry of our lives. In this pursuit, may we uncover newfound perspectives on rejuvenation, empathy, and the boundless grace that emanates from moments of profound stillness.
Last Sunday
I mentioned during worship Amy-Jill Levine’s book. I’m copying a picture of her book below. It’s well worth a read if you are interested in studying more of Jesus short stories.
Adventure Camp at Fusion starting August 14th!
Camp @ the Fusion Family Center - August 14 - 18, 9:30 - 1:30
We have been invited to partner with several churches in Federal Way to put together a week of day camp for the children living at the Fusion Family Center, which is an emergency family shelter in Federal Way. There will be many opportunities to volunteer to donate/ prepare/serve food, lead a small group, donate/prepare craft items or help lead an activity station. More specific information to come but I wanted to get it on your radar and your calendar! It's a mission trip right in our own backyard!!
Please contact Michelle Thompson if you would like to know more or want to volunteer. md.thompson@earthlink.net
To learn more about Fusion, you can visit their website or use this link.
Last Saturday
Our church was a sponsor of a local Pride event supporting our siblings in Christ. It was fun to visit Wayside UCC and see our church’s logo supporting LGBTQI+ persons. Here’s a photo I took from the August 5th event.
Annual Conference report from Ann M.
The 150th Pacific Northwest Annual Conference (PNWAC) session took place in Tacoma and online June13th, 14th, & 15th, 2023. (There were zoom focus sessions, and a live streamed area opening in the weeks
beforehand as well.)
It’s been 4 years since we had an in-person Annual Conference session, so it’s been a while since I’ve given you a report!
First, as you probably know, we have a new bishop. His name is Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth, and he is amazing. The theme he set for the Annual Conference season for the Greater Northwest Area (which includes Washington, Idaho, Oregon, & Alaska) was “Go and Do Likewise,” from the good Samaritan story in Luke 10: 30-37. In a series of messages beginning with his installation service on May 20th and ending with closing session on June 15th, Bishop Bridgeforth laid out a plan for ministry called MILE. He encouraged us to live it out by praying with our feet, healing with our words, and loving with our resources. He suggested our perspective depends on whether we are looking in a mirror or through a window. Looking in a mirror gives us a reflection of ourselves – a view of what’s familiar, and we see ourselves in relation to what is behind us. But a mirror blocks what is in front of us. Bishop Bridgeforth is encouraging us to look beyond the mirror, through the window, to see what is going on around and in front of us. He calls this “window work” versus “mirror talk.” He introduced the theme in the sermon at his installation service and opening of the Greater Northwest Area Annual Conference, and in each subsequent sermon, he stressed one of the letters in MILE. In the opening sermon for the Alaska Annual Conference, he explained that “M” is for Ministry that Matters, particularly in areas of housing and health. At the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference opening, he explained that the “I” stands for Itineration and location. At the PNW conference opening, he told us that the “L” is for lay ministry enhancement. And, at the closing, he talked about the “E”, which is elimination of racism. I would love to tell you more, but instead I strongly suggest you go to these sermons and take a listen. There are some repeats between them, but it’s well worth listening anyway!
Here’s the link: https://pnwumc.org/ac2023/
There were 17 petitions passed, as well as many ministry reports received during the session. 12 of the petitions were administrative, including the closing of two churches in the conference: Pe Ell UMC, and East Wenatchee Trinity UMC.
One petition, titled “Solidarity with the Filipino People,” urges our elected leaders to support the Philippines Human Rights Act, and pledges to “educate our members of our congregations on the existing conditions of the Filipino people, monitor the ongoing human rights crisis” and “advocate for a just and lasting peace” for the Filipino people. If you are interested in finding out more, click on the link to the petitions that I will put in at the end of this report.
We passed 4 petitions related to reducing our carbon footprint. Two of them were split and passed in two parts, so I will tell you about 6. (If you look up the link to the petitions, you will not see the splits!)
1. Directing the conference treasurer’s office to send a letter to the Faith Foundation Northwest
requesting they divest its funds and all funds held in trust from fossil fuels.
2. Inviting local churches to do an internal review of church investments, and invites churches to consider divesting all funds from fossil fuels
3. By the end of 2023, local churches are invited to begin to build relationships outside their local churches to hear stories of new practices of environmental justice, to better understand the expertise developed by those with lived experience of environmental harms. Local churches are
also invited to prioritize partnerships with environmental and climate justice organizations led by Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Women, and Youth, as well as those serving low-income communities.
4. A petition directing the conference to come up with a job description, and begin the hiring process for a full time Creation Justice Liaison was referred to the connectional table for further work, with instructions for them to come back with a report to the next AC session.
5. A petition asking for the conference secretary to write up a petition for the General Conference 2024, asking for “fossil Fuels” to be added to the investment screens in Paragraph 717 of the UMC book of Discipline.
6. Finally, a petition inviting the Conference to pledge to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040, and encourages local churches to pledge to increase their energy efficiency by 50% by 2030.
Here is a link to the original petitions as they were submitted: https://pnwumc.org/ac2023/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2023-Recommendations-revised-5-31-23.pdf
Ministry reports included more than I can list! (90 pages worth.) The link for these reports is here:
https://pnwumc.org/ac2023/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2023-Reports-6-1-23.pdf
We had several worship opportunities, including a retirement ceremony, a memorial service, ordination, as well as opening and closing worship. There’s so much I didn’t list here, and I’m happy to provide more
information to anyone interested! See a video of our conference secretary Shirley DeLarme giving a summary of the session here: https://pnwumc.org/ac2023/report-of-the-annual-conference-secretary-pnwac23/
Please let me know if you have questions or want more information!
In Christ,
Ann Mayer. Lay Member of Annual Conference
