'inclusive' Tagged Posts (Page 4)
Retreat
May 1, 2024A Note from Pastor Jon Dear Friends, As I write this Letter of Encouragement I am just over a month from having been appointed the Associate Pastor here at HUMC for five years. In that time we endured a global pandemic, became an official Reconciling Congregation, grieved the loss of dear friends through death or who moved on from this faith community, and relaunched worship in Warehouse 839, among MANY other things. These five years have been some…
Help with youth house plant project
Are you a gardener who loves indoor plants? Do you have some plants already growing in your home that could easily be propagated? In the first couple of weeks of August, we will be inviting folks in the congregation to bring a few of their houseplants to the church and assist our youth in learning how to take the leaves and stems and grow new plants. The youth will then watch as new roots begin to grow, and eventually pot…
Youth Mental Health
April 24, 2024A Note from Max Andrick Hey Friends! I have volunteered and walked beside youth and their families for a while now, and I believe that there is a greater need now more than ever for us to share in this journey. Proverbs 22:6 says Train up a child in the way they should go,and when they are old, they will not depart from it. Psalm 139:14 This scripture makes it seem so simple. Train the child up in…
Plants and More Plants
April 17, 2024A Note from Pastor April & April Andrick Dear Friends, Today’s letter is a tag team from the Aprils — Pastor April and April Andrick, our Director of Youth Ministry. April Blaine: While I had always enjoyed outdoor gardening, it wasn’t until the pandemic that I ventured into indoor houseplants. They seemed to require a lot more attention and care than I had time for. How much water to give them? How much sunlight did they need? House…
My Passion for Music
April 10, 2024A Note from Jeff Rone Dear Friends, Music has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember. My mom likes to tell the story of when two-year-old Jeff would toddle around the house singing his ten-year-old sister’s piano recital music. This kind of thing is how my mind works. I can’t tell you what I had for lunch yesterday, but I can still sing you music that I learned when I was nine in…
Seeing Resurrection Everywhere
April 3, 2024A Note from Pastor April Dear Friends, My friend Christelle and I were having lunch at my house on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. “What is the deal with the Easter Bunny and all the eggs?” she asked. Christelle is from Peru, and their Easter celebrations don’t involve egg hunts or bunnies or anything of the sort. We talked about the ways different cultures both create and then sometimes export their beloved rituals and celebrations, until sometimes…
Life, Death, & Resurrection
March 27, 2024A Note from Abby Que Dear Friends, On September 28, 2015, the world ended. Well, that’s what it felt like for me. My first husband, high school sweetheart, and best friend, Kevin Schranz, had taken his life. I was in a state of disbelief and numbness for almost a year. This was a person I felt deeply connected to spiritually, physically, emotionally, and mentally. Reflecting now with time, experience, knowledge, and internal resources I didn’t have at the…
Does God Love Me Any Less Because…?
March 20, 2024A Note from Beth Palmer Beloved Friends, My husband Frank and I have lovely neighbors in our building, a brother and sister pair in their 60s, John and Patty. They both always have a smile for us and time for a friendly chat. One time John and I were both walking in at the same time, and John was carrying another case of Natural Light beer. He apologized to me for that, said something about feeling bad that…
What Does It Mean to be Saved?
March 13, 2024A Note from Pastor Jon Dear Friends, Can I be honest with you for a few minutes? I mean it… really honest… One of our core values at HUMC is that Authentic Relationships Matter. Being honest and vulnerable help to build those relationships. Honesty and vulnerability are ways of building trust. Having an authentic relationship means that I can tell you what I’m genuinely thinking and feeling, not seeking sympathy and trusting not to be taken advantage of,…
Romans 8: People of the Spirit
March 6, 2024A Note from Pastor April Dear Friends, There are a couple of things that might just cause your Lead Pastor to start doing cartwheels around the church in excitement… A teenager showing up to a Bible study on Romans chapter 8. Young adults discussing the Lenten sermons to such a degree that they reach out over email to get clarity on their confusion. (Can you tell that both of these things have happened in the last week?) Paul’s…
To Those at Rest on Park Benches
February 28, 2024A Note from Pastor April & Cole Arthur Riley Dearly Beloved, On a week when there might have been (just for a February moment) some space to take in the beauty around us outside, I invite you to consider how your Lenten practices might bring you not only in connection with God and yourself, but also with that life-giving power of wonder and awe. As we finish up Black History Month, I leave you with this beautiful letter…
The Intrepid Divas
February 21, 2024A Note from Di Huey Dear Friends, Some years ago, a group of women — some, long time acquaintances, and some newly met — gathered in a meeting room off the kitchen in the Warehouse 839 building. Their purpose? To form a small share group using the Wesley model. We were called to be responsible for each other, to hold each other accountable, and to lift each other up on those days when we could not stand alone…