It's now the middle of Holy Week. Tonight is the Maundy Thursday service; a service that reminds us of that Last Supper that Jesus spent with his closest friends. Tomorrow is Good Friday and with it comes another service; a service that helps us remember the darkness that filled the hearts of those who loved him the…

It was 182 in favor and 12 opposed. That was the count of the vote last Sunday regarding whether or not to become a Reconciling Congregation. At almost 94%, it was pretty overwhelming statement by almost 200 people who consider Aldersgate their church. Over these past few days I’ve looked back over the events of last Sunday.…

It's Wednesday and I've spent today traveling around visiting many of our more home bound folks. Within each of those visits I've given opportunities for each individual to vote about whether or not they feel we should become a part of the Reconciling Ministry Network. What has touched me is how deeply each cares about this decision.…

Frequently when the worship leaders gather just before worship begins at Aldersgate, we pray to be surprised by the Holy Spirit in worship that morning. It might seem like an odd thing for a pastor to pray for. It might seem counter-intuitive that once we've established an order of worship and a plan for the day, that…

This week is Mission Sunday! We will gather at 9:00 am to worship, sing, and praise God. We will then move into mission projects throughout the community. We do mission to be of service to others, but also because we are transformed in the process by meeting Christ in others. We are like lumps of clay, still…

One of the problems most often confronted by Christians is "Why do bad things happen to good people?" And, if we are to be honest with ourselves, there is the corollary "Why do good things happen to bad people?" The daily news is all too often filled with both. Psalm 73 addresses both of these and gives…

What a truly remarkable Sunday we shared last week. The sanctuary was packed, the choir and praise team worked together and it was a wonderful expression of music and praise. We heard from campers and about our four Methodist camps. Then, as we do each year, we celebrated the day with a scrumptious meal provided to us…

The work of the Special Session of the United Methodist Church's General Conference concluded a few hours ago. I watched almost all of it on a live stream. I witnessed the debates, the challenges, the worship and prayer, the attacks of one side to the other, and back again. I witnessed moments of overwhelming joy and love,…

In Brian McLaren's book, We Make the Road by Walking, we read Chapter 26 this week. In the chapter, McLaren relates a fictitious conversation between himself and one of Jesus' followers, a woman on the edges of the crowd. He asks her if she ever has doubts about Jesus' message. She replies, Sometimes I think his message…

This Sunday we read together Chapter 31 in Brian McLaren's book this week in which he explores Jesus' famous sermon and translates it into modern language. One line in McLaren's version, "Dare to be a nonconformist by being boldly different, like salt and light in the world. Demonstrate your differentness through works of generosity and beauty" calls…