TEEN SEXUALITY AND THE CHURCH…8.31.09

by Steve

From our General Board of Discipleship…pass this on to parents and leaders of teenagers! sk
Sex and the church:
Adolescent sexuality
What every 21st-century parent needs to know
By the Rev. Debra Haffner
Parents and religious leaders have a responsibility to help adolescents and young adults achieve moral, spiritual and sexual health. Many religious traditions, including United Methodist, have [...]

WORSHIP SERVICE FROM 8.30.09

by Steve

Worship
Call to Worship: God Is Our Refuge and Strength, features Austin Harner on trumpet
Sermon: God’s Left Hand
Anthem: I Choose You

FROM BRIAN McLAREN….8.27.09

by Steve

“We should be seekers of truth, seekers of wisdom, not consumers (or purveyors) of propaganda — even if it comes from members of our own political party and people who quote a lot of Bible verses (often out of context).” Brian D. McLaren, from an open letter to conservative Christians on the healthcare debate. [...]

The Church of 80% Sincerity…8.27.09

by Steve

From one of my favorite writers…Anne Lamott
Sincere meditations | page 1, 2
That was a moment of true grace, and from this experience, he built a church inside of himself. There is no physical church but his own life: Both his performances and his work teaching people to tell their stories, their marvelous, screwed-up and [...]

PONDER THIS…8.26.09

by Steve

“The church that got us where we are today is not the church that will lead us where we need to go.”

PLASTIC JESUS….8.26.09

by Steve

Spend 5 Minutes Here and Change Your Life:

by Steve

In this short video, Marcus Borg explains that Christianity is a way of life, rather than a system of belief. I believe that this approach is what makes Union Grove UMC unique in our area, and this is the best explanation of what that means that I have found. SK

THE SEVEN LAST WORDS OF A DYING CHURCH…8.25.09

by Steve

WE NEVER DID IT THAT WAY BEFORE!

The United Methodist Church on Healthcare Reform…8.24.09

by Steve

140,000 join faith-based call on health care
3 United Methodist pastors featured
(UMNS) — Three United Methodist pastors joined other religious leaders and President Obama in a national conference call and webcast on faith-based health-care reform that attracted more than 140,000 listeners last week.
The call launched a “40 Days for Health Reform” campaign to ask people [...]

DOING WORSHIP “RIGHT” 8.19.09

by Steve

When asked by a colleague a few weeks ago what programs Broadway United
Methodist Church offers, Mike Mather, its pastor, answered “None.”
The inquirer was obviously flummoxed and asked again. Rev. Mather said, “We
don’t ‘do’ programs at Broadway. We worship God.”
What may seem a strange answer is actually a succinct description of the
vision and the ministries of [...]