An Online VBS Bible Study for youth and adults, part 3 Please read Esther 4-9 It is pretty obvious by the daily headlines and news stories that prejudice and hatred are still alive in our world. As we dig into the bible story where Queen Esther takes a stand, we can learn how boldly standing up for…

An online Vacation Bible School Study for Youth and Adults, part 2 Many space stories feature what we call alien life forms, but the word alien doesn't always mean a creature from a galaxy far, far away. It also refers to anyone in a place other than their home country, an outsider. In our first Bible story…

An online Vacation Bible School Study for Youth and Adults, part 1 In a couple weeks Aldersgate UMC will be filled with children, youth and adults during what I consider the best week of the year; Vacation Bible School. As we head into this incredible week there is a lot of decorating, planning and prepping to do,…

This Sunday is our first one-service Sunday of the summer. The service itself is both hopeful and a bit painful. It is hopeful because we have a new member or two joining the church. It is a bit painful because we have two departures both of which involve saying goodbye. One of the departures is the Hampson…

This week in worship, we will continue to celebrate the beginnings of the church at Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit to God's people. Just as at the first Pentecost, we'll watch for signs in our midst that God is making it possible to bridge divides between us. We'll pay attention for how God is…

In Brad and Laura's sermons of Eastertide, they have brought to us the twin ideas of Resurrection and Insurrection, how they are alike, how they differ and how they are embodied in Jesus' life. Brian McLaren's book, "We Make the Road by Walking" has chapters for this season with titles starting with 'Uprising.' Jesus Christ was to…

This week at Common Table, Jim Phillips, chair of the church’s Finance committee, explained the extent of our budget shortfalls. For our current fiscal year, we anticipate that our expenses will exceed our income. For the coming six-month period from July 1-December 31, 2019, we foresee another deficit. To make ends meet, we have borrowed from our…

This week, we'll celebrate the end of our mini-Stewardship campaign. We'll celebrate the ways we have been able to support our staff and our mission in this place through giving of our time and treasure and talents. Mostly though, we'll work with the connection between stewardship and love. For those who have been reading McLaren, we have…

This Sunday we continue the Easter theme of "Uprising." We continue to read Brian McLaren's book, "We Make a Road by Walking," and we continue to examine our role in that potential uprising. This Sunday is Mother's Day; a day set aside to celebrate our moms. Yet over time this Sunday has shifted from simply a day…

Our God is the God of liberation. We are partners in the work of the God of liberation! From the time of the Israelites in Egypt, to the time of Paul and Silas in prison in Phillipi, God has been liberating and setting free God's people. As we move forward together in this partnership with God, we…