With Love from Pat

Moving Forward from General Conference

Yesterday (Thursday) even as the Colorado Civil Union Act moved out of the House Judiciary Committee with bipartisan support, the General Conference of the United Methodist Church defeated all changes that would remove from The Book of Discipline the discriminatory and hateful language that declares that homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching, that self-avowed practicing homosexuals cannot be ordained, that United Methodist pastors cannot officiate at same sex marriages or even bless holy unions, and that such services cannot be held in our church buildings.

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Hope and Rainbows

I would like to share a couple of things today. First, the opening week of the General Conference of the United Methodist Church ends tomorrow. General Conference began with major speeches from the Council of Bishops, Laity and Young United Methodists. The Young United Methodist presentation featured Krin Ali, a member of Park Hill United Methodist Church in Denver.

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Thoughts on General Conference

Every four years 1000 delegates from United Methodist conferences around the world meet to discern the priorities of our denomination, to develop the policies that shape our life-together, to allocate the dollars that fund ministry and mission, and to shape the organization that supports ministry in mission around the world. These decisions are found in The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church, which is updated and published following each General Conference.

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Hosanna! Hosanna!

I find myself wondering what the people were looking for two thousand years ago on that first Palm Sunday. What unmet needs, what profound longings and what unfilled desires were caught up in those words “Hosanna! Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of God!”

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What’s Important to God?

I wonder if we could take some time in these last few weeks before Easter and think about what might be important to God. I wonder if we might ponder what God invites us to embrace as anchors of meaning and purpose in our lives. I wonder if we might consider the ways that God wants us to live together in this world. Are there ways to know? Do we have any hints? Are there any clues? These are really good questions.

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Pat’s Apology

Last Sunday, March 4th, we celebrated the 15th Anniversary of our becoming a Reconciling Congregation of the United Methodist Church. On March 4th, 1997 we made the decision to intentionally reach out to our sisters and brothers who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer, questioning and allies (LGBTQA) and to fully welcome LGBTQA persons into the life of our church family. We did this because we want to follow the teachings of Jesus: all people are beloved children of God and are our precious sisters and brothers.

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Anniversary Celebration this Sunday!

First United Methodist Church of Boulder welcomes everyone. We believe that diversity is a gift from God and that our intentional efforts to grow an increasingly diverse and inclusive faith community makes God happy. Jesus not only embraced those marginalized by the dominant culture of the time but also, those who were condemned by the mainline religious culture. We are blessed to follow in the walk of Jesus.

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The Season of Lent and Getting Honest with God

This Sunday is the first Sunday of Lent. The word Lent itself is derived from the old Anglo-Saxon word lencten which simply means “spring”. In the context of numerous and varied Christian traditions, Lent has waxed and waned in its significance, meaning and purpose. Most often these Lenten days have focused on introspection, repentance and new resolve to live in more life-affirming ways. These are sometimes called Lenten disciplines.

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Ash Wednesday

On Ash Wednesday we will have two special worship services. The first will be at noon in our church parlor. The second service is at 6 pm and will be held on our labyrinth. Both services will offer the opportunity to receive ashes and to hear the words “dust you are and to dust you will return” as ashes are placed on our foreheads. The act of receiving ashes and hearing those powerful words symbolize the idea that accepting our mortality, and embracing our finitude, are fundamental to our creating lives that are filled with meaning and purpose.

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UMW Sunday

This coming Sunday is United Methodist Women (UMW) Sunday. Judy Hill will be our guest preacher and lead both our 9:00am. Adult Forum and an after-worship conversation about the upcoming General Conference of the United Methodist Church. Judy is the Lay Leader of our Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) of the United Methodist Church and heads the RMC delegation to General Conference. You won’t want to miss this Sunday. Let me tell you why:

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Spiritual but not Religious

LabyrinthWe believe that human beings experience longing for meaning, purpose, connection to others and a desire for transcendence beyond oneself. From early in the history of humanity, religions emerged and evolved in response to that longing. But we also know that while the institutions spawned by religion have had many positive influences, they also at times have inflicted great pain...

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