Friends,

This Sunday, we’ll celebrate All Saints Sunday and Día de los Muertos, making space to remember our dear ones who have gone before us, give thanks for the love they shared, and honor the ways their lives continue to shape ours.

Together, we’ll reflect on the power of remembrance, the sacredness of grief, and the promise that we are held in God’s eternal embrace. Death does not erase the love, stories, and legacies that remain with us.

You’re invited to bring a photo or small memento of someone you love who has died to add to our community ofrenda, a shared space of remembrance and gratitude. Whether you’re remembering someone who passed recently or someone you’ve carried in your heart for many years, there is room for your story.

Come as you are, with your memories, your grief, your gratitude, and your hope. Let’s remember together and carry the love we’ve received into the world.

Alongside you,

Pastor Paul

Friends,

This Sunday, we’re excited to welcome Rev. Amy Roon as our guest preacher! Amy will share about her ministry with incarcerated youth and their families, reminding us how God’s love reaches people and places that society too often overlooks.

In Matthew 22:34–46, Jesus brings faith back to its heart: love God with all that we are and love our neighbors as ourselves. These aren’t just words to believe. They’re an invitation to live differently, to see one another with compassion, and to recognize the sacred worth of every person.

What might it look like to love our neighbors when they’re behind walls, separated from their families, or too often forgotten? How might our faith move us beyond judgment and toward compassion, justice, and restoration?

Come hear Amy’s story, be inspired by her ministry, and discover how Christ’s call to love is still transforming lives today. Join us this Sunday as we gather to worship, learn from Rev. Amy’s ministry, and discover together what it means to be a church shaped by love that reaches beyond every wall.

Alongside you,

Pastor Paul

Roman Silver Denarius of Emperor Tiberius Caesar, c. AD 18–35 (“Tribute Penny”)

Friends,

Jesus holds up a coin bearing Caesar’s image and asks, “Whose image does this coin bear?” It seems like a simple question, but it opens the door to something much deeper: While the coin bears Caesar’s image, what does it mean for us to bear the image of God?

As we continue our sermon series, The Garden We All Share, this Sunday we’ll explore Matthew 22:15–22 and reflect on what makes us human in a world where artificial intelligence can increasingly imitate human abilities. What if our humanity is about more than what we know or produce? What if it is revealed in how we love, build relationships, care for creation, and nurture the garden we share?

I’m excited to explore these questions together and consider how we can live more fully into the divine image we all bear. I hope you’ll join us Sunday!

Alongside you,

Pastor Paul

Friends,

When the clouds part here in the Pacific Northwest and Mount Rainier, or Tahoma, comes into view, it’s hard not to stop and look up. There’s a local saying: “Live like the mountain is out.” Pay attention. Take in the beauty. Remember that the world is bigger than whatever is right in front of you.

And Tahoma is more than a beautiful landmark. For Indigenous peoples who have lived on and cared for this land since time immemorial, the mountain holds deep cultural, spiritual, and ancestral significance. Its presence reminds us that this land has stories and relationships that reach far beyond our own.

This Sunday, we’ll explore Isaiah’s vision of a mountain where God prepares a feast for all people, wipes away every tear, and reveals a world transformed by love and justice (Isaiah 25:1-9). And this vision raises a question: What if faith isn’t about escaping the world, but seeing the world as God dreams it to be, and then moving toward that vision together?

Last Sunday, we celebrated an exciting step in that direction: our proposed mission and vision statements passed!

Mission
To lead with love, embody justice, and serve with compassion in the way of Jesus.

Vision
To become a diverse and inclusive community that experiences God’s transforming love, grace, and forgiveness that empowers people to serve all.

These words give us a shared picture of who we are becoming and the kind of community we hope to build together. Now comes the fun part: living into that vision!

Join us Sunday as we continue our series The Garden We All Share, lift our eyes toward what’s possible, and live like the mountain is out together!

Alongside you,
Pastor Paul

Friends,

This month, we begin a new sermon series, The Garden We All Share, exploring what Jesus has to teach us about creation, abundance, justice, and our life together.

We’ll begin with Jesus’ parable of the vineyard in Matthew 21. The vineyard is not ours to own. It is a gift entrusted to us. That simple idea invites a deeper question: What does it mean to live as caretakers of a world we did not create, but that we all share?

And on our first Sunday of the series, we’ll have an important opportunity to practice shared discernment in our own community. We’ll vote on adopting our new Mission and Vision statements, helping us name who we are becoming and how we hope to participate in God’s work in the world.

After worship and the vote, we’ll put our faith into action with CROP Hunger Walk, joining others in our community to help end hunger and support neighbors experiencing food insecurity.

A garden we all share. A mission we share. A world we’re called to tend together. I hope you’ll join us!

Alongside you,

Pastor Paul