The Human Library Project
This past week, I had the opportunity to be a book. That’s right, I said be a book, not read a book. I participated in the Human Library night at Cleveland Heights/University Heights Main Library, where my son Leo is a reference librarian.  

Black History Month

Advent and Waiting

It’s Advent. It’s not Christmas yet! I find myself telling myself, and my children, and maybe even some of you that this season as I struggle not to sing Christmas carols during worship and to spend time in quiet anticipation instead of joyous celebration

The Wider Connection

Although I have been here to worship with you every Sunday in October, I have traveled twice. From October 8-12 I was in Chicago, and I spent October 14-17 in Pittsburgh. Both of these trips were part of my connection to the wider church.

Eighty-five years ago, on October 30, 1938, the cornerstones from Bethany Methodist Church and West Park Methodist Church were laid in place in the new Christ Methodist Church building. Just over a year later, on November 26, 1939, the first services were held in the new sanctuary. At that time, the church records show 632 members.

Are you an anti-racist?
That might seem like an odd question to start a newsletter article. But it is a question that has been on my mind lately. The East Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church has taken a strong stand against racism, especially in the past four years. In 2020, the Bishop and the Extended Cabinet (including district superintendents and conference staff) issued an anti-racism commitment. The commitment included the following statement:

Back to School? Happy New Year!
When does the new year begin for you? Is it January 1, as we change from one calendar year to the next? Or is it another day entirely? For many United Methodist pastors and congregations, the new year begins on July 1, as pastors are appointed from July 1 to June 30 annually. And for those who either are students or who have students at home, another new year is the beginning of school. Here at the church, we celebrate the return of our children’s Sunday school and adult classes with Rally Day, this year to be held on September 10.

I have served as a United Methodist elder for 9 years without a renewal
leave. I plan to take a leave beginning June 17 through August 4. This leave was
approved by the Christ UMC SPRC on February 28 and has been submitted to the
district superintendents.

Covenants and Promises
We have been talking for the past several weeks about the concepts of covenant and promise. On New Year’s Eve, Al Naab shared a sermon on this topic and we prayed Wesley’s Covenant Prayer together. Many of our scriptures this Lent are about God’s covenant promises and humanity’s response to them.

This past month, I lost a dear friend and mentor when Ellie Cleary died after many years living with Alzheimer’s. Ellie and her husband Ken were the leaders of our high school youth group, or United Methodist Youth Fellowship, when I was growing up in the small town of Wilmington Massachusetts in the early 1980s. Their own kids were grown when I joined the youth group, and I wondered why a middle-aged couple would choose to spend every Sunday night and often another night during the week hanging out with a bunch of teenagers.