Dear Siblings in Christ,Are there scripture passages, even chapters in the Bible that you find troubling, or confusing – out-of-date or, you may think simply ‘no longer apply’ to contemporary culture? Do you wonder how to respond when others bring up those scriptures and want, or ‘expect’ you to explain? Maybe you want to better understand those scriptures for your own growing relationship with God in Christ. You would not be alone. Many people, including clergy, find some scripture challenging to understand or interpret into contemporary life, even life we hope for when we pray ‘your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’ Are there contemporary social behaviors, social mores, economic or political activities, or familial relationships or actions that you wonder … [Read more...]
Holy Week
Please do join us for worship throughout Holy Week! Palm-Passion Sunday, March 24, 10:30 am worship We remember the procession of Jesus into Jerusalem to palm branches waving branches and cloaks thrown before the donkey upon which he rode, even as political and religious zealots were plotting his arrest, conviction, and death. Good Friday, March 29, at 7 pm, we remember the unlawful conviction and death of our Lord, Jesus the Christ. Grieved we leave in silence to await God’s work. Easter Sunday, March 31, 10:30 am worship, we come to the tomb, surprised, and filled with joy that not only is the cross empty, so is the tomb and our Lord is risen!! And, of course, we welcome kids from all walks of life to an Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt, learning the journey of Jesus from his … [Read more...]
Easter 2024
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in faith so that you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13 (CEB) Greetings Siblings in Christ,A blessed and joyful Easter Season to you! Each year before I begin my Easter letter, I pray and think ‘what can I share about the amazing gift of Resurrection Sunday?’ As my faith grows, deepens, transforms continually, I always see something differently about God’s gift of the resurrection. This year is hope. We hear that we are living in an unprecedented time of upheaval in politics, in social relationships, in economy. I don’t know if this is fact as I, nor I am guessing most of us, have not experienced humanity’s acts since its inception. It is, we can say, a time of … [Read more...]
New Directory of Members and Friends
It's time to update our directory; let's keep in touch with each other! Please fill out this form by 3/17. The goal is to distribute a new directory on Easter, 3/31If you have a current photo of yourself and/or family you would like to include, please email it to Jill. Or see Jill Israels on Sunday to snap a photo. … [Read more...]
Lenten Bible Study
https://youtu.be/6VMgPtlAv_8 Register here <<<---CLICK HERE TO REGISTER for Dr. Chai's Spiritual Gifts study … [Read more...]
SAD Guided Journal for January/Feb Sermon series
click here to download https://bmuc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/SAD-Guided-Journal-Simple.pdf … [Read more...]
Pastor’s Letter 2023 December
As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the shepherds talked it over. “Let’s get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.” They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Luke 2:15-18 (Msg) Greetings and Blessings Dear Siblings in Christ, It is an awesome thing that God determined to come and live among the humans that they created in their image. We might wonder what possessed God to decide to leave a place of security, of love, of justice and mercy, of kindness and compassion to live with humans – flawed, oftentimes more emotionally driven than spiritually led, sometimes overly confident, sometimes completely insecure, yet hungry for love and learning and, sometimes, a willingness to become something … [Read more...]
Pastor’s Letter 2023 July
Greetings from Annual Conference Session (ACS) Lay Members to ACS Paul Iwahashi, Olivia Iwahashi, & Rev. Pam We are writing to you post-2023 Annual Conference Session (ACS). We want to share with you some of the highlights we witnessed and experienced One of the newest items to come out of ASC this year was a vision statement for the Cal-Nevada UMC developed by the CORE team. The CORE team, comprised of four main areas, oversees the implementation of the mission and vision of the annual conference, and follows up on decisions made at the annual conference session. The vision statement developed is Follow Jesus; Thrive in Community; Healing the World. Bishop Dyck said, “A vision statement can help us in our daily living, decision making, behavior and witness… … [Read more...]
Pastor’s Letter 2023 May
Grace and Peace my siblings in Christ, I write to you from our Palestine Holy Land Pilgrimage. We have just begun our pilgrimage in Bethlehem, West Bank, entering one of the many Palestinian refugee camps and along the Barricade Wall (called also The Separation Wall). I am reminded that it is still the Easter season, the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus, a Palestinian Jew. Having to go through the military checkpoint to enter and leave Bethlehem, I am reminded as the Gospel of Luke shared, Joseph with a very pregnant Mary, walked from Nazareth to Bethlehem, around a two week walk. If this were today, they would have had to go through a military checkpoint, having to explain what right they had to go in or to leave. This day … [Read more...]
Easter Letter 2023 April
Easter, 2023 A Blessed and Happy Easter Dear Siblings in Christ, Happy Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord! Jesus has risen from the dead! This announcement resounds in the church throughout the world, together with singing ‘Christ, the Lord is Risen Today. Alleluia!’ This Good News has been lit like a new flame in the hearts of believers, even in the face of the challenges in our world due to climate change, war, and increased restrictions on individual rights and liberties. We can be so grateful and joy-filled to gather as an open and inclusive community of faith in the Lord’s resurrection, when many do not welcome people because of who they love, how they identify, and how they worship the Creator of all. This gratitude and joy grown in the love of God in … [Read more...]
