I’m with the DJ | 12.7.22

Grace and peace to you this Advent season,

This week, we move into our third week of Advent. If you want to catch up on the first two weeks of worship, you can find them on our Youtube page. This is a season of preparation, anticipation and waiting for the birth of Jesus. The curriculum we are using this year is used with permission from the fine folks at Sanctified Art. Our theme this year is Generation to Generation. I hope you remember that we are providing an Advent online devotional can be found here. We also have printed devotional books lets available in the church office.

This Sunday, we will be taking a closer look at the life of Joseph. In preparation for worship, I want to encourage you to list all of the things you know about Jesus earthly father. If you want a refresher, please feel free to fill out our online poll. We will share the results during worship.

During worship, we have been sharing a few ways that you can join us in being generous to our community. Please take the time to stay after church or come early to learn about the many ways we can support those who could use a little extra support this season. We also recognize that this season can be especially a challenge for those grieving among us. It’s been about a year since my fathers death and I still grieve our loss. If you would like to join us for a special service on December 20th, we will hold a Longest Night service at our church at 6:30pm. That night is literally the longest night of the calendar year. Liturgically, we acknowledge the darkness of the evening and also remember that every night for the next year, the night will yield to the light. Though hope comes in the morning, it can be healthy to acknowledge moments of darkness.

Something I want to make sure you know is what’s happening on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. We are intentionally creating space for December 25th and January 1st in order to provide a healthy break for our staff and incredible volunteers that come early and stay late each Sunday morning (and more). I pray that you join us online for worship these sacred Sundays. You can join us here.

Next week will be my last weekly post for 2022. I have a couple special announcements to share and I hope you get a chance to read it.

Peace be with you,

Pastor DJ

I'm with the DJ | Park on gravel parking lot

Hello friends and family of Federal Way UMC, 

I pray that you and your loved ones are staying safe and warm. Our church paved parking lot has ice over it. While we will still provide in person and online worship tomorrow morning at 10am. If you decide to join us for in person worship, we recommend that you  park on the gravel parking lot only. Another option is that you can also get dropped off at our entranced, we have great volunteers shoveling our entrance as I type this message. As always, we will provide YouTube live worship. You can join us online for live worship tomorrow morning by using this link shorturl.at/bsDH7. To stay up to date regarding Sunday morning worship services and changing weather conditions, we will keep our church webpage up to date as well as send an email out like this. 

Peace be with you and stay safe,

Pastor DJ and the leadership of Federal Way UMC

I'm with the DJ | 11.23.22

Hello church friends,

This Sunday marks the beginning of Advent. This is a season of preparation, anticipation and waiting for the birth of Jesus. The curriculum we are using this year is used with permission from the fine folks at Sanctified Art. Our theme this year is Generation to Generation. We begin this Sunday by studying Matthew 1:1-17 and Isaiah 2:1-5. We will also be providing an online devotional. Advent online devotional can be found here. We will also have printed devotional books lets available in the church office. Each week, I’ll share some of the artwork that was created by Sanctified Art along with their artist statements. You can find them below.

Our Christmas Eve service will be live and online starting at 7pm. Christmas Day is a Sunday this year and we will be sharing a pre-recorded online only service sharing our Christmas pageant. Please note that December 25th and January 1st will be online only. We will provide an online service for January 1st in order to provide our church staff, leaders, and volunteers a chance to rest, recuperate and spend time with loved ones.

Artist Statement:

genealogy of christ

by Rev. Lauren Wright Pittman

Inspired by Matthew 1:1-17 | Digital painting

“While creating this image, I spent a lot of time with the women mentioned in Jesus’ genealogy because I had a resounding echo of shame in my body that I had received from engaging with these narratives in my childhood. Their stories held a heaviness of judgment. In my experience, it seemed the primary function of recounting their lives was to show how broken and sinful they were, and how, despite their brokenness, God was merciful enough to usethem.TheshameIfeltwasalsopersonal;alongtheway,Ihadinternalized the message that as a woman, this was my potential for being a part of God’s

story too. I had been handed some harmful, one-dimensional labels that immediately surfaced when I read their names, such as “harlot,” “prostitute,” “seductress,” and “adulterer,” just to name a few. Their importance was not found in the context and particularity of their narratives; instead, they were viewed as rough, oddly-shaped pieces to the puzzle of Jesus’ lineage. I had to do some work to unbind myself from the limitations my church had placed on these stories, and I tried to visit these women with a fresh mind and an open heart. What I realized was that these women—despite the loathsome, corrupt systems they were in—found a way to claim their voice and found enough power to survive.

I was inspired by the composition and movement of the From Generation to Generation... logo. In this image, I chose to represent Christ using a rose at the center of the composition. The women mentioned in the genealogy are imaged as foundational leaves building and upholding Christ. All of the women are looking at the viewer and holding objects to represent the fact that they took their life and survival into their own hands. They were catalysts who propelled the lineage forward.In the bottom left,Tamar holds her father-in-law’s insignia,which represents how she assumes his role as the leader of the tribe of Judah and continues its lineage.1 Moving counterclockwise, Rahab holds the red cord which she lowered to ensure the safety of her family after supplying Israelite spies enough information to achieve victory in Jericho. Next, Ruth holds the wheat that she gleaned from the field. She knows that she must marry again in order to be protected, and so she takes initiative with Boaz.

Bathesheba’s name isn’t even mentioned in Christ’s genealogy; she is referred to as the “wife of Uriah.” She withstands abuse from King David,survives the murder of her husband,and ensures that her son Solomon takes the throne. She takes matters into her own hands, becoming, as scholar Dr. Wil Gafney writes, “the queen mother of the united monarchy of Israel.”2 Finally,there is Mary who looks adoringly at the rose which represents her son.Here she holds the love and pride of a beautiful lineage that leads to the birth of her son, the Messiah.

These women only wanted to ensure safety for themselves and for their children; in the process they ensured the continuation of the lineage of Christ. Without their brilliance, passion, ingenuity, resourcefulness, creativity, and sacrifice, the lineage would have ended.”

—Lauren Wright Pittman

I'm with the DJ | 11.16.22

Grace and Peace to you all,

I pray that as you are reading this weekly post, that you are staying safe and warm.

Our church council is now finalizing our projected church budget for 2023. Starting this Sunday, you will see more detailed information regarding how many commitment cards we have received and how much is needed to balance our projected budget. If you haven’t done so, please click here to fill out your online giving form for 2023.

Did you know that each week, our church supports 16 families by providing backpacks full of food to help persons in need. If you would like to support this important ministry please contact our local outreach ministries chair Michelle T. md.thompson@earthlink.net.

As we prepare for worship this Sunday, I’d love to know what are some of the things that you are thankful for?

I’m with the DJ | 11.9.22 →

All of the following quotes is used from the Western Jurisdiction UMC website.

Church family and friends,

I have recently returned from Salt Lake City, Utah. There 99 other delegates and I prayed, discussed and worked very hard to elect 3 new Bishops for the Western Jursidiction. Beginning January 1, 2023 we our new Bishop will begin his service for the Greater Northwest area. Our conference covers all of Washington, Oregon, parts of Idaho and Alaska. I’ve had the privilege of knowing our Bishop for many years and experience him as a man of faith, integrity and excellence.

Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth is the first openly gay man to serve in the episcopal role. According to the Western Jurisdiction UMC “ He has been a local church pastor, district superintendent, professor and is an established author with the recent book “Alabama Grandson: A Black, Gay Minister’s Passage out of Hiding.” You can learn a lot more by clicking this link.

Bishop Carlo Rapanut has been elected from our conference. “Rapanut is the first Filipino-American to serve as a United Methodist bishop in the United States. He is also the first bishop ordained in a central conference who will serve in the U.S.” Bishop Dottie Escobedo-Frank is the final bishop we elected. You can learn a lot more by clicking this link.

This Sunday, I plan on sharing my personal experience as a voting delegate as we worship together. I look forward to seeing you in person or online!

Rev.DJ

I'm with the DJ | 10.20.22

Grace and Peace to you church family and friends,

There are so many exciting things happening in the life of our church! This weekend, after the service we will host a demonstration of turning guns into garden tools. To learn more, check out the photo I’m attaching to this post. Please note that the intention of this demonstration is to learn.

Isaiah 2:4 “He shall judge between the nations,
and shall decide disputes for many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore.”

The purpose of this presentation is not meant to force people to choose a side regarding gun control. As a diverse people, this is one great way of learning more together.

If you haven’t already made your pledge for 2023, you can learn more by clicking this video.

Coming up soon, you will have an opportunity to support our local community. Meredith Hill Cares gift card donation drive is something we have participated in the past several years.  Gift cards would need to be collected by Sunday, December 11th  in order for the group to distribute them before winter break.  Attached is a chart that shows how much specific dollar amounts provide to these families. There are many ways you can help at Meredith Hill.  These range from ongoing positions to one-time events.  People would need to complete a background check form before they could start. To learn more, contact the church office.

I'm with the DJ | 10.5.22

Church friends and family.

Last weekend we had a great time at worship. Just as importantly, we also hosted the Washington State descendants of Pakistani Physicians health fair at our church. For my weekly communication this week, I’d like to share about two things.

First, we are starting our generosity campaign. Our church leadership is praying, planning and working hard to be faithful stewards of our church resources. In order to properly forecast our budget, your pledge of financial resources is critical in our ministries. As always, we, as your church understand that jobs change and financial situations do too. You can fill out your online giving form here. If you, for any reason want or need to change your estimate of giving in 2023, please let us know by emailing generousfwumc@gmail.com.

Second, did you know that we have a new resource available for folks needing suicide and crisis help? You can call 988 anytime, day or night. This resources is available for you, or if you know someone else in need. Just like 911, 988 is a vital resource for people in need. If you or someone you know is in need, or you think might need help, please don’t hesitate to call 988. You could save a persons life.

I look forward to seeing you all in church or online very soon.

Peace be with you,

Pastor DJ

I’m with the DJ | 9.28.22

Grace and Peace to you,

I hope that you are enjoying the wonderful weather this week. We had a lovely time at worship last Sunday. If you want to catch up on the service, click here. In just a few days we will be celebrating World Communion Sunday. Since 1940, thanks to the World Council of Churches, the United Methodist Church has joined countless churches in celebrating World Communion together, on the first Sunday in October. We too will celebrate World Communion together this Sunday.

If you would like to participate in worship, I would love it if you please record yourself saying “May the Peace of God be with you”. You can say it in your own language or a language of your choosing. Please use this link to upload your videos by this Friday.

As a church, we are in a time of planning, praying and setting our budget for 2023. Your support is critical in our preparation. Please take some time to prayerfully decide how you would like to support our ministries. When you are ready to commit, please use this form.

Please also remember this this Saturday we will be hosing a health fair. I’m attaching the flier on this blog.

I'm with the DJ | 9.21.22

Church,

In the next few weeks, some exciting things are happening in our church community. On October 1st, we will be hosting a health fair which is free for any and all people. Please check out the attached digital flier for more information. On October 2nd, we will be celebrating world communion Sunday. In preparation for this time, I’d love for you to please consider sending a video to me saying the words “May the peace of God be with you”. You can share that in any language, the more languages the better!

After church on October 2nd, we will also be holding our next Membership class. The class will be held in my office from 11:15-12:45pm after worship. Please let us know if you are interested in learning more about officially joining our faith community. Speaking of faith community, if you haven’t yet, please remember to pick up one of our water bottle stickers to place on your reusable cups, phones or computers. It’s a great way to share your connection to our church.

This Sunday we will be studying Intentional Faith Development. It’ll be a chance for us to explore how we can grow in our faith individually and together. I look forward to seeing you all online and in person this weekend.

If you would like to listen to the podcast of the sermon from last Sunday. Click here.

Grace and Peace be with you,

Pastor DJ

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