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.
I’d like to share something a little different this month. Back in 2019, The Christian Century, a periodical to which I have subscribed since the 1990s, offered a writing prompt based on a single word, and accepted essays to be considered for publication. One of the first words was Promise. I wrote the following essay which was accepted for publication and is in the July 31, 2019 issue (https://www.christiancentury.org/article/readers-write/promise-essays-readers) Although it is a very personal essay, I hope that it will be helpful to some of you as it explores the concept of a marriage covenant and what happens when it is broken. If further conversation would be helpful, please reach out.
And remember
Fear Not
Pastor Dianne

We got married in the church where I was baptized and confirmed, and where we led the youth group every Sunday. It was my 23rd birthday. We promised “for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, until we are parted by death.” We had started dating the October of my freshman year. He was a senior physics major, worked on the school suicide hotline, lived in the same coed fraternity. We read Leo Buscaglia and Carl Rogers. We liked to golf and camp.
We got our degrees and moved to Chicago. I became a consulting engineer while he did his postdoc and then became an assistant professor. We joined a church, he sang in the choir, we went to Bible study together and worked with the youth.
We had three miscarriages, and then a stillborn baby boy. I discerned my call to ministry, and he brought me home an application for the University of Chicago Divinity School. Five high risk pregnancies later, we had three beautiful children. He made dinner and took care of the kids so I could complete my degree at Garrett Evangelical, just two miles from our house.

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.
It turned out Ken and Ellie didn’t just hang out with us. They changed our lives. Our weekly meetings became my lifeline as a self-conscious, shy and nerdy teen. At youth group, I wasn’t “the smartest kid in the class” or “the kid who came in last in the cross country meet again” I was, as Mr. C began to call me , Di. I became a leader in the group, participating in and then coordinating our weekly discussions and quarterly weekend retreats. I spent a ton of time at the C’s house with other kids who became my closest friends. And through the Clearys I learned the practices of empathetic listening and unconditional love.
My own ministry began when I was a sophomore in college and I came back to my home church every weekend to lead that very same youth group, using the same ideals and methods that the Clearys had taught us. I went on to lead youth groups in Chicago and Cleveland Heights, answering my call to full time pastoral ministry in 1997 with a strong emphasis on ministry with youth. Although I have not been able to spend as much time with youth here at Christ, I remain passionate about sharing the good news especially with vulnerable teens like I was.
How can we make our own church a haven like the one I found at Wilmington United Methodist back in the 1980s? How can we be the people with whom others feel safe and loved? How can we share the good news of God’s unconditional love with others?
All of us are called to serve. How is God calling you today? I hope you will consider the impact you can have when you share God’s great Good News!
Fear Not
Pastor Dianne

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.

To say that things have changed, of course, would be a huge understatement. The neighborhood of West Park, in those days, was a walking neighborhood with corner stores and factories just down the street. Church on Sundays, complete with fancy outfits (remember Sunday clothes?) was understood as part of weekly life. Many of the residents here were firefighters and police officers. Job security was high. And the church was filled with young families – there were 369 students in the Sunday school.

Our neighborhood looks different these days. Many of the factories have closed. Church attendance is down not just in this neighborhood but around the country. A “regular church attender” is now considered someone who goes to church once or twice a month, not once a week.

It might be easy for us to get discouraged thinking about the way things used to be. In a seminar I attended last week, we were reminded of the difference between “nostalgia” and “yearning”. Nostalgia can be defined as remembering things with fondness while looking toward the future. Yearning is more of a longing and wanting things to be the way they used to be, getting stuck in the past.

And yet, West Park is still a vibrant and exciting neighborhood, with great restaurants, wonderful community events, and diverse cultures. Our church now has 149 members on the rolls, and these folks support the community with a monthly community meal, a food pantry box, and plots at our community garden that have raised over 700 pounds of produce this year – all of it given away to any who have need.

Spiritually, the church not only has an ongoing and dedicated prayer ministry, but an active and faith focused choir. Next week we will begin a Disciple Bible study with 23 people signed up! That’s more than 25% of our average Sunday worship attendance.

So, what is next? Many of you contribute to this church in so many ways, through your prayers, your presence, your gifts, your service and your witness, as your membership vows state. How can we keep our presence here? How can we continue to be a strong presence in this community?

In the next weeks we will be commencing our annual stewardship campaign. It is necessary and important for us to consider how we are doing financially and how we will move forward in the future. As we look back with nostalgia, let us look forward with hope, and let us give of our resources as we are able, knowing it is God who has gifted us with all.

And of course
Fear Not
Dianne

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.

So, I’d like to offer you the chance to fulfill one of your New Year’s resolutions this fall. In our book study this summer, many of us expressed a desire to know more about the Bible, to understand the Scriptures better and to dig deep into the Word of God as found there.

Disciple Fast Track is a shortened version of the Disciple Bible study curriculum that was first presented in the early 1990s. In the class, we will spend 12 weeks studying the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament, and 12 weeks in the New Testament. We will meet on either Monday or Wednesday evenings, spread throughout the fall and into the spring of 2024. The class will be held in person, but a zoom option will be provided if you need to attend virtually for all of the class or just will be unable to make a class or two due to your schedule.

I can’t wait to dig into the Bible with you! If you’d like more information, please fill out the form in your bulletin or email me at pastordiannetc@gmail.com

And of course
Fear Not
Dianne

Christ UMC delegates to Annual Conference this year included our designated delegate from CUMC, Dee Dee Rencehausen, and North Coast District at-large delegates Kathy Motley, Gill Pongallo and Charis Macha. Barb Emery was also an at large delegate but was unable to attend due to illness. The Rev. Jared Gadomski Littleton and Pastor Dianne attended as clergy delegates.

“Our mission is yet alive,” declared Bishop Malone during her Episcopal Address. “Now is the time for us to focus forward. This is a time of remarkable opportunity in the life of The United Methodist Church.”

The 54th session of the East Ohio Annual Conference met June 8-10 at the John S. Knight Center in Akron. Annual Conference members:

• approved re-districting the East Ohio Conference from 10 districts to four districts effective January 1, 2024,

• approved a 5% increase across all pastoral minimum salary categories, • approved the 2024 Conference budget of $9,428,531, which is a reduction of 3.5% from the 2023 budget,

• approved the disaffiliation agreements of 237 churches effective the end of June 2023, and

• approved three resolutions.

The services and celebrations of Annual Conference 2023 commemorated 48 saints who joined the Church Triumphant since last year’s conference; commissioned five clergy as provisional members and ordained nine clergy as full members; and celebrated the ministries of 40 clergy who are retiring this year.

• View and download the AC 2023 recap video

• Read the AC 2023 recap article

If you have any questions regarding Annual Conference, please talk to one of the delegates! We are happy to tell you more. If you would like to attend a future conference, please let Pastor Dianne know so she can put your name forward to the District. Thank you to all the CUMC attendees!`

What is a Lighthouse Church? A Lighthouse Church is a United Methodist
congregation that is specifically trained in hospitality and welcoming those looking for a
church home. In areas where there are many churches who are disaffiliating from the
United Methodist Church, Lighthouse Churches may be the only churches in the area
that are remaining United Methodist. Here in the North Coast District, we only have one
church that is currently planning to disaffiliate. However, we may have any number of
folks who wonder what our theology is when they see we are a United Methodist
Church. Are we planning to leave the denomination? Are we traditional or progressive?

The answer to the first question, affirmed by church leadership, is a resounding NO.
Christ is a United Methodist congregation and is actually the only remaining United
Methodist Church on Cleveland’s West Side. There are other ministries and missions
nearby that are United Methodist, including Harbor and Bridge (a ministry of
Strongsville UMC), Story Church (part of Rocky River UMC) and outreach efforts by
Westlake UMC. But we have been here as a United Methodist congregation since 1938.

And the answer to the second question – are we traditional or progressive – is yes!
Many of you grew up in this church. Many of you are from this neighborhood. You have
other identifiers – age, ethnicity, education, faith background. You have many
similarities and many differences. But we are drawn together by the most important
thing – our faith in Jesus Christ as expressed through this church. We have agreed on a
statement of focus, strategies and goals. We have a statement of welcome. But maybe
the most important and concise statement of our beliefs is on every bulletin. “We are all
God’s children.” We. Are. All. God’s. Children. As long as we hold to that statement, as
long as we believe that, there is nothing that we cannot do together.

Because we are United Methodist, we have the opportunity to join with other
congregations around the conference and around the world. We can make connections
as far away as Cambodia – getting to know the leader of the Susannah Wesley House
and supporting the students there. We can take advantage of programs like the
Lighthouse program to increase our knowledge and learn from other United Methodists
who are in congregations like ours, or maybe a lot different than ours.

If you have concerns about where our church is headed, or my leadership, I invite you
always to come to me so that we may have a conversation. But let me assure you, we
are United Methodist. We live in a connectional system. Let’s claim that identity and
love all – siblings in Christ, the One who taught us to love.

And as always
Fear Not,
Pastor Dianne

What a wondrous time is spring/when all the trees are budding/the birds begin to
sing/the flowers start their blooming/that’s how it is with God’s love/once you’ve
experienced it/you want to sing/it’s fresh like spring/you want to pass it on…1
Do you remember these words from one of my favorite hymns? “Pass It On”
was one we sang a lot in my youth group back in Massachusetts in the early
1980s. For me it was a great reminder of the love I had come to know in that
group, a love I had never really experienced before – the love of God in Jesus
Christ manifested in a close knit group of Jesus followers.

I do love this season of flowering trees and green showing up everywhere after
the grey and brown of winter. And that verse came to me this morning as I was
praying about Christ UMC and the many ministries we have going on inside and
outside the church. The 13th anniversary Community Meal is this Saturday. The
garden is blooming and all hands are needed as we enter another growing
season. Our music ministry is thriving. We welcomed three new members in
April and celebrated a baptism!

But all of it means nothing without God’s love shining through us. And none of it
can happen without each one of us living out our vows as members to support
the church through our prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness.
How are you sharing your gifts with the world? How can you support our
ongoing ministries and maybe even come up with some new ideas for sharing
God’s love? I’d love to hear from you, and even more, I’d love to see you at
worship, at our outreach events, and just around town, sharing the love of God
that you have received. It takes every one of us to make our ministries happen.
It takes God to make them flourish.

I wish for you my friend/this happiness that I’ve found/You can depend on him/it
matters not where you’re bound/I’ll shout it from the mountaintop (AMEN!)/I
want my world to know/the Lord of love/has come to me/I want to pass it on.

Let’s pass it on!
Fear Not
Pastor Dianne

Let us now proclaim that death has no power over us for Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed! This to me is the most powerful declaration we can make as Christians, one we will make again on Saturday, April 8 at our annual Easter Vigil service, as we usher in the amazing holiday of Easter.

What is saving your life today? This question, asked long ago by my first (now retired) spiritual director, is one I have been paying attention to lately. It might seem like a big and unwieldy question, but really, it is usually the little things that save us. Today, a Saturday, for me it was the gift of a good night’s sleep followed by a cold morning run with Josie, my dog. Some days it can just be the sunshine pouring through the windows.

What is saving your life today? It seems like it is a good question for us to ask ourselves during the 50-day season between Easter Day and Pentecost. I wonder what your answer would be, and how it might differ from day to day? I’ll have an easel up in the back of the sanctuary starting on Sunday, April 16 with some post it notes where you are

invited to share your responses.
Of course, our answer each and every day could be the same. We are saved by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because of Jesus, we have a God who knows what it means to be fully human. Because of Jesus, there is nothing in life we have to fear, because Jesus is wherever we are, and Jesus has experienced the full range of human emotions.

Because of Jesus, we know that nothing in neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39).

Happy Easter! Thanks be to God!
And as always
Fear Not
Pastor Dianne

What is the mission of Christ United Methodist Church?
What is our vision?
In late 2021, it became clear that our statements of mission and vision, which I had inherited when I became your pastor in 2017, were due for an update. An invitation was extended to the congregation, and a group of leaders volunteered to gather with the purpose of refining that mission and vision. We have met several times over the course of 15 months, with the partnership of Joy Fenton-Jones, our District Coordinator of New Ministry Development.

Our work began with a study of Transforming Power by Rev. Robert Linthicum. Early on, much time was spent discussing and understanding Linthicum’s assertion that Jesus came so that there would be no poor among us, based upon Luke 4:16-21:

16 When Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Using that scripture as our starting place, we developed an understanding of power and how it is used in communities. We came to realize that power, used with love and grace, enables us to become an unstoppable force for good in our neighborhood of Jefferson/West Park. This insight prompted efforts to get to know our neighbors better and ask them more about their reasons for living in the neighborhood as well as their needs. This process of “relational meetings” unfolded at our community meals, at the Jefferson Rocks craft tables, and continues as we are now meeting monthly at restaurants in the area and talking with their owners.

At our meeting in December 2022, we developed a framework through which we can focus our church’s energy and work in the community. Our team recognized that words like “mission” and “vision” can feel quite ambiguous and interchangeable, so we opted for words that are simple and clear. Our Purpose Statement now consists of an overarching goal, a focus that clarifies that goal, and three key strategies we will use to achieve our goal.

Purpose Statement
Goal: Grow in relationship with Jesus Christ in order to change the world around us, starting with our own community.
Focus: To achieve this goal, we will prioritize reaching out to our community as essential to our personal and congregational growth as Christians.

Strategies:

1. We will build meaningful relationships with the people in our community.
2. We will strive to listen and understand the needs of our community.
3. We will use our building and resources to meet those needs in a tangible way.
   In the coming months we will be digging into these strategies and learning how we can become a powerful voice for sharing God’s love through action in this neighborhood.

I am excited to share this Purpose Statement with you and to work with you as we grow toward our goals. What are your dreams and hopes for this neighborhood and for our congregation? Together, let us grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ in order that we might change the world around us, starting right here in West Park!

Fear Not,
Pastor Dianne