I’ve thought a lot this week (our 11th week of the pandemic) of how the presence of God can be experienced during this unsettling season. We are all too aware of all that we have “lost,” but is it possible to name the continuing gifts of God that have been present to each of us? This week, I read a blog post that I would like to share with you today. Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, the day we remember the story of God’s gifts, given to those early believers. But God also offers remarkable gifts to each of us. A post by katyandtheword.wordpress.com, suggests some different and extraordinary gifts, given to us through the Holy Spirit. Hear her words today, offered in the form of a prayer entitled Pandemic Gifts of the Holy Spirit:
Lord God Almighty, I am on my knees,
with my arms outstretched to you,
because I am in need of all the gifts of the Holy Spirit
I need encouragement, as a parent of a child
who has been faking their online schooling for the last two weeks.
Patience, as I wait for more information,
so that my job can make the next decision
about how we are running things this week.
Courage, as I realize that every single person
has their own idea about what is and isn’t safe
and we have to navigate relationships together.
Inspiration, as I try to figure out how to connect
with the people in my lives in new and not discouraging/draining ways.
Hope, as death after death, sick after sick case comes in
and the solution seems no closer than it was two months ago.
Breath, as I am working too many hours of too many days
and don’t know when it’s all going to end.
Love, as all of my imperfections have been laid bare in this time
where self-examination is unavoidable
and all the things I’m carrying have been stuck in quarantine with me.
Lord remind me that I am more than my job or my role in my family or my material worth.
Lord, remind me that I am God-breathed, gifted by the Holy Spirit, and sibling of Jesus Christ.
In this time of crises–when every way I function is under a microscope
and every emotion I am having is magnified–
allow me to full discern and differentiate myself as a child of God.
And even if these aren’t exactly the things I need,
and I am too mired to know what it is I really need.
Please grant me the gifts of the Holy Spirit, I pray.
And if I can’t pray to the Holy Spirit, help me to breathe:
in
out
and in
and out again
until the Holy Spirit prays me, instead.
In Christ’s name I pray. Amen.
-Pastor Jane
May 20
We are fast approaching the end of the liturgical season of Eastertide – those 50 days from Easter to Pentecost. We have spent this time celebrating the resurrection and learning from a few of the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus. We have studied the early church and their practices which became benchmarks of a young faith. This Sunday is Ascension Sunday, the day we remember Jesus’ last words to his disciples before returning to be with God. What were his final, most important instructions? Go and tell! Jesus instructed them to share his words, his teachings, and his life with the entire world.
What does your world consist of? During these days of quarantine, it’s hard to know, isn’t it? We are mostly isolated – from our friends, from our family - and yet these words from Jesus still ring clear. Can we follow his command to go to the entire world, when our world is so small? Yes!! We can do this, even from the confines of our homes through phone calls, notes, driveway visitations, online groups. We have always known that our way of ministering “to the ends of the earth” is different than it was in the days of the early church. And now, we are learning a new way – a new “different” – even for us.
May our eyes, our ears, and our hearts be open to finding new ways to share the love of Jesus during these days of quarantine. If we can do that, we will be more like the early church than ever before!
-Pastor Jane
May 13
As we all have seen, there has been a great deal of disruption coming from COVID-19. Our children, teenagers, and teachers have experienced this in their education. One marker of this upheaval is the loss of significant milestones in the lives of graduating seniors. They have missed the final weeks of their time together, proms, end of year awards, a last walk through their elementary school, a spring sports season, and so much more. Their graduation has been relegated to being either virtual, postponed, or cancelled entirely.
We feel these losses especially hard this week. For you see, this Sunday is Graduate Sunday - a time we traditionally recognize our graduates in worship. If we were meeting in person, we would present them with gifts from the church, and then would have a special time of prayer for them as a church family. If we were meeting in person, we would move out of our seats in the pews and surround our graduates, laying our hands on them in prayer. But, we cannot physically do that on Sunday.
This Sunday we will still honor our graduates, but in a slightly different way. During our online service, you will see them receiving their senior Bible, and then I will ask you to reach your hands out toward whatever device you are using to watch worship. Together, with our hands outstretched, we will virtually lay hands on these precious seniors and pray for them. Will you join me in doing this?
Elsewhere in the Midweek you will see pictures of our graduates along with accompanying information about them. Please join with me in celebrating this great milestone in their lives! Congratulations Vivian, Jenna, and Thomas!
-Pastor Jane
May 6
Happy Wednesday, Union Friends -
You are in my heart so much these days. Like many of you, I'm sure, I miss seeing your faces in person, shaking your hands, and giving you a hug. As I'm writing this, it seems like these words are exactly what I wrote last week. But - the feelings are still there, and so I write.
As you know, each week, we are providing ways for you to connect with each other - through online worship, Bible studies, small group meetings and daily Bible readings. This week, we've added another touch. To go along with our daily Bible readings, we will be providing a Bible verse from that reading to use as a "wallpaper" for your phone. You can find this on our Facebook or Instagram accounts. Take it, and add it to your phones each week, as an additional help for Bible verse memorization.
This Sunday is Mother's Day and even though we can't celebrate our Union mothers in person, we can do it virtually. Please think with me about all the women who have "mothered" you. Those women who have taught you, prayed for you, given you guidance throughout your life. Take a moment this weekend and give thanks for them.
Faithful and True: A Mother's Day Prayer
God of grace, thank you for the gift of motherhood:
for the joy of giving birth, for the delight of loving a child,
for the unfolding of a relationship over time.
From mothers cradling babies, to adults caregiving for aging parents,
the relationship of mother and child is a gift from you!
Thank you for all who mother us,
biological or adoptive mothers, caregivers, relatives and friends;
women who have been there for us, who have made us who we are.
Thank you, God, that even though mothers may fail us, you never fail us
and that you mother us through your love.
We are not perfect people, and in our intimate relationships, we are imperfect.
For all the ways we have as mothers, disappointed or failed our children, forgive us.
For all the ways we have as children, disappointed or failed our mothers, forgive us.
Give us the grace to say, “I’m sorry,” and the wisdom to make amends
For mothers today we ask for patience, to allow our children to be children;
we ask for vision to see the long view, and the impact small parenting choices can make,
we ask for self-control, so that we may model gracefulness in stressful situations.
Above all these we ask for love, pressed down, shaken together, running over!
We ask this in the name of Jesus, who knew the love of a mother,
faithful and true to the end, Amen.
Prayer from: https://carolpenner.typepad.com/leadinginworship/2011/05/mothers-day-prayer-2.html
-Pastor Jane
April 29
We are now in our eighth week of remote/online worship, small groups, committee meetings, and other ministries. As I evaluate how we are doing during these days, I am thrilled with all that is happening. Many are learning new skills online, as they connect with each other with such delight. We are creating new worship each week, using tools that we have never utilized before. People are calling and checking on each other daily. In these actions, we are being church to each other.
The first thing I do each morning as I am drinking my first cup of coffee, is to look back at my memories on Facebook from that day. Facebook has a tool to show you the things you posted on a particular date for every year. As I am writing this article on Monday, the date is April 27. The first memories I saw was the year 2011, when tornadoes devastated North Alabama. Many of you have heard my retelling of those stories and how difficult those days were.
But, to balance out those hard posts, I also came upon my "call" day at Union. On April 27, 2014, I was called to be your pastor. I remember that day with such joy and anticipation. I've included a few pictures for fun! Looking back on that beginning, I am amazed at the things that have happened and all the ministries we have undertaken together. I give thanks to God for our shared ministry over these six years - a ministry has taken on a different look during these days.
Know of my deep love for you all. I leave you with a beautiful prayer by Rabbi David Wolpe. During these days of uncertainty, may his words speak to all of us today.
Merciful God
In a time of fear we pray for calm.
In a time of illness we pray for health.
In a time of isolation we pray for community.
As we worry about ourselves and those we love
Help us keep others in our minds and in our hearts:
The bereaved, the bereft, the workers, the healers.
May the night find us courageous and compassionate
And the dawn come soon.
-Pastor Jane
April 22
As we find ourselves in the seventh week of quarantine, it has become obvious that ministry and church as we have known it, has changed. While I find myself grieving over this fact, at the same time I am encouraged at the new ways we are finding to continue our worship, learning, and community. Just this week, six different small groups - two women's Bible studies, youth group, children, college students, and an all church meet and greet have met online. In addition, we have had the opportunity to worship together, share in our weekly scripture passage, and have a time of prayer together - all of these things done virtually. While we often bemoan technology, I am grateful for the many ways it is keeping us connected during this season. I encourage you to join in whenever you can.
We have all heard about the recent order from the governor, allowing partial re-opening of certain businesses in our state. In that executive order, churches were named as one place that could reopen with certain restrictions. Church Council has been proactive in discussing what that might mean for Union and want you to know that for the foreseeable future, we will continue our practice of online worship. We feel a strong calling to be intentional and thoughtful as to when we might reopen and to base a decsion on what is best for the health and well-being of all of our members. Until we can meet again in person, I am grateful to everyone who has been joining us in worship each week.
I look forward to "seeing" you online later today as we begin hearing our scripture for the week, and again on Sunday as we worship God together. Don't forget to gather your communion elements as we will focus on a post-resurrection encounter with Jesus on the road to Emmaus. The story can be found in Luke 24:13-35. In verses 31-32, we read that they recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread. May we also recognize him as we gather for worship and the breaking of the bread this Sunday.
-Pastor Jane
April 15
Just a few days ago, we gathered together in what has become our new “normal” to celebrate the resurrection. We have walked through the forty days of Lent in ways we could have never imagined when it began, and now we find ourselves on the other side of Easter. What does God have for us in this new season?
Lent is over. Easter Day is over. But the season of Easter lasts for 50 days. I have often heard this season, the days beginning on Easter and ending on Pentecost, referred to as The Great Fifty Days. What does God have for us during these Great Fifty Days?
During our Sunday morning worship time, I will be attempting to answer this question using the image of building blocks. Do your remember those sturdy, wooden blocks that may have been found in your Sunday School room as a child? Or perhaps those larger blocks, made with cardboard that looked like bricks? Many children today use blocks like Lego that snap together. It is this image of building blocks that will guide our sermon and worship time during the Easter season.
What are our faith building blocks - those fundamentals of faith that can help us establish a strong foundation? The passages of scripture that we will explore during these 50 days will teach us valuable fundamentals for a life of faith. What foundational commitments are you willing make to build your own “house” of faith? What building blocks will guide our church?
These are the questions we will try to answer over these next days. Elsewhere in the Midweek, you will see an outline of sermons and worship themes. I hope you can join us each week as we build our own houses of faith.
-Pastor Jane
April 8
Union family,
We are in the middle of Holy Week. But it is such a different week than we could have ever imagined. We didn’t gather in the sanctuary to wave palms on Sunday. We are not gathering on Maundy Thursday to remember the night Jesus ate a last supper with his disciples, washed their feet, and was betrayed by one of his own. And now we are drawing close to Easter Sunday. We will miss the time at sunrise – around the fire, with the mist rising from the ground. We will miss greeting each other with the words, “He is risen. He is risen indeed.” We will miss our floral cross and the beautiful Easter music ringing from our sanctuary.
I truly think that we might experience what that first Easter must have been like for those early believers. They were not in a sanctuary filled with singing. Instead, they were locked in their homes, afraid, knowing of the danger that was just outside their doors.
What will Easter be like for us this year? I truly believe that it can be extraordinary if we let it. Whether we are quarantined at home or not, Jesus is still risen. The good news of that first Easter can still ring from our hearts and our homes. Can you offer the words, “He is risen. He is risen indeed!” when you get out of bed each morning? These words, often saved for Easter Sunday, can be spoken every day of the week. Why don’t we begin saying them today? In the midst of life like we’ve never known, these words remain the same, calling us to the hope that only Jesus can give.
-Pastor Jane
April 1
Union family,
My prayers are that you are all doing well today. If you are like me, you aren’t quite sure of which day of the week it is. As hard as this quarantine is, by sheltering in place, we can know that we are doing what is best for ourselves and all our neighbors. This action is perhaps the greatest ministry we can offer during these uncertain days.
Beginning this Sunday, we enter into Holy Week – a week like no other. And, this year, it will truly be that. I have asked myself so many questions about how we can have Holy Week without gathering, and to be honest, I’m still not sure of the answer. But, it is here, and I know God will speak to us, even in the uncertainty. With that said, here are the plans.
This Sunday, April 5, Palm Sunday – we will meet on Facebook at 10:30 to celebrate and remember Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. In this article you will see a link to a Palm Frond. If you are able, print this attachment, cut the palm frond out and color it. There will be a point in our online service where we will all wave out fronds together, much like we would do if we were in the sanctuary. Also, come to the online service with your Bible and your own communion elements.
Each day during Holy Week, Monday-Saturday, April 6-11 – we will do something we’ve never done. At 3:00 each afternoon, I will be on Facebook Live, reading the Holy Week stories. What did Jesus do each day between Palm Sunday and Easter? Have you ever wondered? Each day, we will hear from the gospel of Matthew as he tells the story. I invite you to take a few minutes out of your day, Monday-Saturday, and hear the words that will guide our journey during the week. If you cannot watch at 3:00, the videos will remain up to view at any time that is convenient. We will also post these videos on the church website. www.unionchristianchurch.net.
Even though this will be a different Holy Week that we’ve been used to, it can be a meaningful and holy time for us all. I encourage you to take advantage of these offerings. May God’s love surround you this week.
Download the Palm Frond HERE.
-Pastor Jane
March 25
My dear Union family – I miss you!! It is so hard to be separated during these days. Do know that I am praying for each of you by name.
I’m writing this week to share some information with you about how we are proceeding as a church during these uncertain days and answer some questions.
When will we be back in the building? The answer is: we don’t know. We had previously shared information that the building would be closed through the end of March. We are extending that time indefinitely and will let you know when it is safe to come back to the building. Whatever Sunday that is, we will celebrate Easter!!
How will we worship together in the meantime? Each Sunday morning at 11:00, we will share a time of worship on Facebook. This time will be different than our normal in person service. We will hear some beautiful music, and I will share a short message with you. In addition, we will all share in communion. Even though we are not together physically, we will be together spiritually. When you gather for worship, bring a drink and a bite that can be used for communion. Remember, Jesus took what was on the table and used that. Let’s do the same. Also, have your Bible ready. If you do not use Facebook, the service will be available on our church website on Monday. www.unionchristianchurch.net.
Are we still doing mission work?
Right now, we are participating in a new project. Gina McKinney and Joyce Beckwith are leading the charge to make masks for our medical professionals. If you would like to help, contact Gina at 706-207-3509 or ginaamck@gmail.com or Joyce 706-338-4475 or jjbeck3@bellsouth.net.
ACTS has offered the following update: ACTS will be operating on our regular schedule being open on Tuesday and Friday from 9 until 1 until further notice. We will not be accepting new clients for now so we can continue to serve our current clients. If our volunteers are staying home to isolate themselves, we understand and ask you to notify us by email, call, or text message so we can adjust the way we serve our clients. email, randyd@uga.edu phone or text to 706-540-3695.
Family Promise has moved their May fundraising event to this week. You might have already seen information about it on Facebook or via email. We will be using the GiveGab online platform March 25-April 1 to try to raise $25,000.00 to both cover our increased costs during this crisis and to increase the possibility of matching funds through a variety of sources. Starting on March 25 folks can go the GiveGab site to donate directly. Here's the link: https://www.fpgives.org/organizations/family-promise-of-athens.
In addition to weekly worship, how else can we say connected?
Monday nights at 7:00 – Women’s Bible Study will meet via Zoom
Wednesday mornings at 9:30 – Women’s Bible Study will meet via Zoom
Saturday mornings at 10:00 – a prayer time will be offered via freeconferencecall.com. Call 706-548-9071 to talk with other Union members and share prayer requests. These requests will be published on the church prayer list. If you have additional requests, please let me know.
Sunday nights at 7:00 – Youth will meet via Zoom with Miss Holly and Garrett
College students will meet via Zoom – time TBD
Beginning next week, we will also offer a church-wide Bible study via Zoom - time TBD
How can I give my offering? There are several ways you can make sure your offering gets to Union. These are uncertain financial times for everyone. Your continuing generous gifts enable Union to honor our ministry and missions.
You can mail a check to the church 1130 Union Church Road Watkinsville, GA 30621.
You can notify your bank to send a check to the church.
We are also working on providing an online option as another way to give.
Speaking of money, what about the Benevolence Offering? This Sunday is a fifth Sunday, the time for an “extra” offering that goes toward Benevolence ministry. You can send your benevolence offering in the same way as your regular offering. (see above) Please make a note of its designation.
These are uncertain times for us all. During these days, I encourage you to be gentle with yourself. Many of you are working from home, parenting, and homeschooling. Instead of trying to do everything, take time to call your friends, send a card, spend some time in quiet contemplation, and listen for the voice of God. The building may be closed, but the church isn’t. We’re just out, sharing God’s good news.
-Pastor Jane
A Note From Pastor Jane
Dear Union Family,
Just yesterday, you received an email about our church’s response to the coronavirus. But, as I said in that email, things are changing rapidly. Because of the many updates in less than 24 hours, I have spoken with several of our church leaders, and out of precaution and love for those in our community, we have made the decision to cancel all church activities in our building, beginning Sunday, March 15, for one week. This will include Sunday School, worship, Cool Kids, youth, Women’s Craft Group, Wednesday night Soup and Bible study, and Church Council. A decision on future weeks has not been made yet.
This decision has not come lightly, and only after much prayer, but we feel it is the right thing to do.
I will share a Facebook Live message at 11:00 this Sunday on the church Facebook Page. This message can also be accessed afterwards on our church website. By being on the website, those that are not on Facebook will have the opportunity to view it.
Please feel free to email or call me if you have any questions or concerns. janehull54@gmail.com
or 256-426-8011.
Finally, know that we do all of this not out of fear, but out of love – love for God, and love for those in our community whose health and well-being are among the most vulnerable.
This morning I read words from author Shauna Niequist that I would like to share with you.
“Anxiety and fear are powerful. But love is infinitely more powerful. Love gets us out of our cocoons and reminds us of the truth that we’re all connected, that we need each other, that our actions can make a difference in other peoples’ lives.”
She then offered this suggestion:
“Let’s think of ways we can love well right now – love our families, love our neighbors, love our global human family, love the most vulnerable among us. Even with school closings, even with social distancing, what are the big and little acts of love that can make a difference right now?”
What does love look like right now?
Email me some of your answers, and I will post them on Facebook.
With much love,
Pastor Jane
March 4
As we all know, the Coronavirus is making an impact all around our world. From limited travel, to unusual safety precautions, to the wildly fluctuating stock market, we have all been touched by it in some way. Various denominational groups have developed guidelines for how churches can offer enhanced safety precautions, while still meeting together for Bible study and worship. This situation is very fluid and things change daily, but I want to inform you of several ways you can help as we gather this Sunday.
Wash your hands – often! CDC instructions are to wash your hands for a minimum of 20 seconds, washing carefully between fingers and under fingernails. Some even suggest also using hand sanitizer after washing. The guidelines also remind us to not touch our faces.
I would like to suggest some changes during our Meet and Greet time. Currently, we often shake hands and give hugs, expressing a warm welcome with physical touch, often skin to skin. There are several options on alternative ways we can still greet. You can do a fist bump, or an elbow bump. Or, you could look at a friend and offer the words, “The peace of Christ be with you.” The response, “And also with you.”
Also, beginning this Sunday, as I greet you after worship, I will join you in doing this instead of our usual hugs. Sometimes this is called “social distancing,” which for many of us seems the opposite of Christian affection. But, I do think that each of us being mindful of protecting each other, does show our affection.
The blankets that are usually located at the ends of the pews have all been laundered this week. Instead of being in the pews, they will now be located in large baskets in the Gathering Space. If you need a blanket, please take one and use it as usual. At the end of the service, leave it in your pew and it will be laundered again before next Sunday. We continue to follow this practice until further notice. We have also placed small tissue packages at both ends of the pews. They are there for your use, if needed.
Additional bottles of hand sanitizer will be located around the church. Please use them.
Beginning this Sunday, we will make a change in how we partake of communion – the center of our faith. If you are able, please come forward. The first stop will be a hand sanitation station. From there you will move to the bread station. Hold out your cupped hands and a gloved elder will drop the bread into your hands. Moving to the other side of the communion table, another gloved elder will hand you an individual cup. After eating and drinking, there will then be a trash basket for you to deposit your used cups. I will fully explain this again on Sunday morning. This change will remain in effect until the threat has disappeared.
-Pastor Jane
February 26
Today is Ash Wednesday – the beginning of the season of Lent. We will join with Christians world-wide as we gather tonight for a time of worship to mark this important beginning. Ash Wednesday is a time for us to reflect on the frailty and shortness of life. We will utter the words – “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you will return.” These words will remind us that death is as basic as birth. It is a somber thought and our service tonight will be a somber service. But this time together will offer us a moment to take stock of our lives and reflect on whether we are making the most our of God’s gift of life.
I hope you will join us in the sanctuary tonight at 6:00 as we gather for this time of reflection.
February 19
We are fast approaching the season of Lent. Each year, on the Wednesday nights of Lent, we have had the practice of meeting together for a time of soup fellowship and Bible study. Even though we are still two weeks out, I would like to give you a “heads up” on our Lenten Bible Study this year. We will be studying a new book called The Walk: Five Essential Practices of the Christian Life, written by Adam Hamilton. This book explores five essential Christian practices we can engage in to help us as we walk through our daily lives. Each of these practices find their foundation in Jesus’ own walk and will help us grow together as a people of God.
Hear some words from the introduction:
“In Matthew 4, Jesus walked along the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee. He came to Simon Peter and Andrew and gave them this simple invitation, “Come, follow me.” A few steps later he called James and John to do the same. Sometime later he saw a tax collector named Matthew and said to him, “Follow me.” These followers became known as disciples – ones who follow, learn from, and emulate their master. And the word “to follow” in Greek is akoloutheo, which means to accompany on a journey or to walk with someone down a road.”
Elsewhere in the Midweek you can find links to order your study book. I encourage you to do so and begin reading. I look forward to walking with you and Jesus during Lent.
Soup and Bible Study
The Walk: Five Essential Practices of the Christian Life by Adam Hamilton
March 4 - Worship and Prayer
p. 17-40
March 11 - Study
p. 41-64
March 18 - Serve
p. 65-86
March 25 - Give
p. 87-112
April 1 - Share
p. 113-138
February 12
The Gifts That Keep On Giving. During Epiphany, we have had the opportunity to explore seven of these extraordinary gifts. I hope you have loved seeing a new gift appear before us each Sunday as much as I have.
This week, we come to our final gift - The Gift of Outrageous Grace. Have you every known God to be outrageous? When we hear that word, we often think of something bigger than life; an outrageous comment; an outrageous car; an outrageous hairstyle….the list could go on and on. But, this week you may be surprised. Why? Because we will find outrageous grace in the story from Jesus about how to mend fences with those you disagree.
Is it even possible to follow Jesus’ guidance found in Matthew 5:21-37 and extend grace to those who have wronged us; to those who have made us angry? I wonder if the lesson from Jesus’ words could somehow help extend grace into our world – a place where it is so often absent these days. May we all be examples of God’s grace.
-Pastor Jane
February 5
David and I have been doing some Spring Cleaning lately – mainly going through boxes that have been unopened in our storeroom for a long time. Many of these boxes came from his parents’ home after their death, with the idea that “someday” we would go through them. Well, the “someday” has come!
This past Saturday, we found a box that was filled with newspaper clippings of the many times his father, Bill, had been invited to preach in a town. The local newspapers would often write an article about his visit. We had such fun looking back over all these years. But in the midst of clippings about him, we found one that took our breath away. It was a full 1 ½ page article about his mother from the Greensboro, NC paper, with the headline, “Dean’s Wife Is Cooking Scholar.” You see, David’ mother, Wylodine, was well-known as an amazing cook. Because of Bill’s work, they often entertained in their home, and she spent hours creating unique and tasty dishes for their guests. “Cooking Scholar?” We has such fun with that headline.
I thought of her this week as I have been studying. This Sunday, we will continue in Matthew, looking at Jesus’ words, “You are the salt of the earth.” What did he mean by that image? His words made me think of Wylodine. The seasonings she added to her meals are what made them so special. It was because of her, that, as a young bride, I learned how to use those seasonings and learned that the true taste of the meal was enhanced by those added spices. I learned about peppercorns and mint, anise and marjoram, and so many more. She taught me how to take food from plain to extraordinary.
Could Jesus have been telling us the same thing? How we, as his followers, have the tools to share our extraordinary lives, lives lived with him, with our neighbor? What “spice” has Jesus added to your life? Are you using it to help share the Good News? Let’s talk about those questions this Sunday. “You are the salt of the earth.” Matthew 5:13.
-Pastor Jane
January 29
In 2016 - from the Sunday after Easter, through the Sunday before Thanksgiving - all of us at Union were in the midst of an emphasis called The Story. Adults, children, and youth walked through the entire Bible together, in both sermons and Sunday school lessons. We were reminded once again the stories of our faith, this time told in chronological order, and pieced together from the various biblical passages in which the stories were located.
That September, we found ourselves at Jesus’ greatest teaching, The Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew 5-7. If you were in worship that day, you may remember that the sermon consisted of a reading of the entire Sermon on the Mount from The Message translation. Hearing Jesus’ words in contemporary language was jarring at times, but that day, we were reminded once again that Jesus’ words are always current.
This Sunday we will return to the Sermon on the Mount, focusing this time on a smaller portion called The Beatitudes, found in Matthew 5:1-12. These words tell us that blessedness will come to those who practice the ethics of the kingdom. I hope you will join us as we learn what those kingdom ethics are and how we can become people whose lives are more closely aligned with God.
And what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8
-Pastor Jane
January 22
In 2014, a new book by author David Platt was named a “Christian Retailing Best” award finalist. In this book, he offered the statement that millions of people around the world culturally think they are Christians yet biblically are not followers of Christ. This was a bold statement! How did he come to this conclusion?
His premise was that for years and years people have been told that becoming a follower of Jesus simply involves believing certain truths or saying certain words, and that as a result, churches are filled with people who believe they are Christians….but aren’t. According to Platt, “we want to be disciples as long as doing so doesn’t intrude on our lifestyles, preferences, comforts, and even religion.”
Needless to say, this book was met with both praise and scorn. This Sunday, we will continue in the series Gifts That Keep On Giving, by digging deeply into Jesus’ words, “follow me.” What do these words truly mean? If we can understand the answer to this question, we will learn what it means to truly live for Christ.
-Pastor Jane
January 15
We are nearing the end of our renovation process. For several months our contractors have been working hard to make the classrooms, offices, and back hallway functional and beautiful. When you have the opportunity to walk the back hall over the next few weeks you will see new flooring, new lights, new paint, walls and ceilings that have been repaired, updates in the baptistery, and so much more. With the completion of this renovation, Union has now renovated all of our building space over the past few years. About six years ago, you renovated the sanctuary and added much needed space with a new Fellowship Hall and Gathering Space. Just four years ago, we completely renovated the basement area into a beautiful youth and children’s space. And now, the oldest part of the building is “new” again.
I know you join me in expressing extraordinary gratitude to our Building Committee that has guided this process. Earl Elsner, Patti Clark, Susan Elsner, Joyce Beckwith, Julian Beckwith, Gary Wall, and Harry Maxey have worked tirelessly making this renovation a reality.
Now we need your help once again. This weekend, we will begin the process of moving everything back into the rooms. Over these past few months, items have been stored in the Fellowship Hall, side hallway, and basement. On Saturday, we will begin moving them back into the classrooms and offices. The most needed help will involve setting the rooms back up. If you are available for a little time, please come and help. We will begin this Saturday morning, around 9:30, and will work until we are done.
Thank you to all who have had a part in this exciting, much-needed project.
-Pastor Jane
January 8
As we continue in our sermon series on Gifts That Keep on Giving, we move this week to the story of Jesus’ baptism in Matthew 3. This Sunday is Baptism of the Lord Sunday, another special day in the liturgical year where we remember an important milestone.
Do you remember your own baptism? What images come to mind as you reflect on its importance in your life. Some of the most important gifts that can emerge from your own baptism is the knowledge of God who loves and forgives more than you can imagine, and the support of a committed community of believers – Christ’s family. No Christian community is perfect, but this loving community becomes a family; a family who brings food – food that does more than just feed you, but also can soothe a hunger in your soul; a family who is there to pray for you, to answer those deep questions that are hard to speak aloud.
On this Baptism of the Lord Sunday, we will remember the commitment that people of faith have to members of the community. We will remember that we are called to care for and love all people.
-Pastor Jane