Kindred in Christ,

This past week, the Merger Exploration Team met for the first time (see above). As you may know, this is a team composed of a committee from Green Lake UMC and a committee from U Gathering UMC, which will explore a possible shared missional future for both communities, and will lead us in that discernment and all-community discussions (see below for more info). While we recognize that we are unsure if an official merger will work out, we are excited to open ourselves up to where the Spirit may lead. Pictured above from GLUMC: Sue Wolf, Pastor Willie Deuel, Dave Goddard, and Ross Wolf, and from UGUMC: Jemina Marasigan, Graham Whitehouse, Sharon Fisher, Larry Erickson, and Pastor Paul Ortiz. Not pictured, but also in attendance was Erica Mattingly (UGUMC), Clara Pang (GLUMC), and Heather Teegarden (GLUMC). 
Oftentimes as individuals and as a church we are tempted to wait and not act until we have every possible outcome figured out in our heads. This might grant us a sense of security. And while it is good to make informed decisions, there is also the danger of becoming stagnant because we are waiting for the perfect moment to act, which may never come. Indeed, this is the story of many declining congregations that refuse to change or try something new. I am proud that we are a community that continues to step out in faith, and discern together where God may be leading next. At our meeting we shared the dreams of the past and how that might fit into our evolving future as we build further relationships and seek to continue our mission to our surrounding neighborhoods. And that stepping out into the unknown, and being open to seeking God’s guidance in community, is what faith feels like in our lives.

Our Wesleyan/Methodist tradition has always insisted that faith and works go hand in hand. But often we think of those as two separate partners in tandem. But, as we will explore this Sunday, faith is the letting go of our need for certainty in our lives, our need to have it all figured out, which then frees us to step out and work for the common good in fresh ways that we might not have otherwise. I look forward to exploring this way of being with you in person or online as we conclude our series, Means of Grace.

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz

Kindred in Christ,

I was at a dinner party a few years ago. And I found myself sitting next to a guy who is a scholar in Buddhism. I got excited by that. I know a little bit about Buddhism and he has a PhD in it, so we launched into a conversation. He begins to share some interesting facts—as one does if you are a PhD in anything. And at one point of the conversation, we get into a particular aspect of enlightenment. And I ask him, “What does that feel like?” What does it feel like to subjectively undergo this particular part of the process of enlightenment? He responded, “Well, people usually describe it this way…” After hearing him explain to me a theory, I asked, “Is that what it felt like for you?” To which he clarified, “Oh, I actually don’t practice Buddhism, I only study it.”

And in my mind, that is totally cool. You can be an excellent and savvy scholar in something without being a practitioner. For example, you can be a legal expert in the constitution, and not be a practicing lawyer. I appreciate that.

But for those of us who are practitioners, for those of us at U Gathering that are trying to be consciously committed disciples of Jesus, and transformed by God’s grace—I wonder how many of us fall into a similar sentiment?

Many of us know a lot of facts about God that we have picked up from attending church or singing hymns. But when we are asked to talk about our own experience of blessed assurance or amazing grace, we may sometimes draw a little bit of a blank.

John Wesley (the founder of the 18^th century Methodist revival movement) talked a lot about the means of grace. This was a way of mapping out the experiences of our spiritual lives, which hold together works of piety for God and works of mercy for our neighbors. During the month of July, we will explore what this way of life might mean for us as a church in our present season, as individuals and as a collective.

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz

Kindred in Christ,

Happy and blessed Pride! I am excited to celebrate God’s inclusive love and the LGBTQIA+ community at our annual joint service this Sunday, 6/30, at First Church UMC of Seattle. As a reminder, we will not host our own individual service this Sunday, but rather will join with other Methodist congregations for this special and joyful occasion. And we will have the opportunity to watch the parade and join the festivities directly after the service. Please see below for more information regarding parking, and how to join in-person or online.

Last Sunday, we celebrated the Pride season with some fabulous rainbow bread for Communion! This was a beautiful and tasty reminder that we are all part of the queer Body of Christ—and it left our tongues colorful (see picture above). In our American society that centers individualism and independence, the idea that we are all one body, interdependent upon each other is truly countercultural and queer.

Each time we break and bless the elements we pray, “Because there is one loaf of bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.” (1 Corinthians 10:17). Wherever and however you find yourself this Pride season, may you trust that you are held within the diverse colors of the loving and living Body of Christ. And together, may we live out this relational vision with our neighbors as a church and as individuals.

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz

Kindred in Christ,

This past week our Lay Leader, Joey, and I (pictured above) attended the 2024 Annual Conference of our Pacific Northwest Conference of the United Methodist Church. It was four days of worshiping together, listening to ministry reports, participating in a fun run in the community, and voting for the future of our denomination with clergy and lay representatives from across our reginal area. For a recap of Annual Conference click HERE.

Our time together culminated in a worship service of commissioning and ordination. For this special service, all the clergy wear their robes and stoles (the one time a year I take out my robe from the closet) and celebrate those who are called to serving the church through formal pastoral ministry as Elders and Deacons.

Each one of us is called to be ministers of the gospel for God’s love and justice in the world through our everyday lives. By God’s Spirit, we are each formed and gifted to do this in the unique ways only we can. And some of us (like myself) live out this universal calling by pursing pastoral ministry and leading the life of a congregation. Commissioning and Ordination is a way for the larger church body to journey with, keep accountable, communally bless, and say “yes!” to those who have been called specifically to ordained ministry.

One of the things that made this service of commissioning and ordination extra special was that we had a candidate that was ordained who originally came to us through the Safe Harbor Program. This program allows queer candidates, who lived in other conferences where they would be discriminated against because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, to be fairly considered for ordained ministry by our conference. Thankfully our Annual Conference has been on the side of gospel inclusion for several years, even though our global denomination has just recently removed the harmful exclusive language from the United Methodist Book of Discipline.

This particular candidate told me that when she heard that the Safe Harbor Program existed, she had a feeling that welled up inside her that said, “God is with me, and nothing can hold me back.” I believe that experience comes from the Holy Spirit, even in the midst of our real-life struggles and disappointments. It is not a naïve feeling that ignores systemic inequalities and realities, but a deep spiritual knowledge that with God’s involvement we can work and move together towards God’s vision of greater beauty, inclusion, and love for all.

Join us this Sunday as we continue in our Pride series, God is Proud of You. We will consider the story of the Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8:26-40), who is named Qinaqis in many African traditions. As a eunuch and a sexual minority in his time, he experienced exclusion from the religious establishment. Yet, he too came to the realization that with God, nothing could hold him back!

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz