Blog

Kindred in Christ,

I’ve been carrying a quiet excitement this week as I look ahead to being with you.  I’m truly grateful—and genuinely excited—to walk with you over these next two months. Already, I sense the heart of this community: open, thoughtful, and deeply committed to love in action. It is a gift to step into this shared journey together.

We also celebrate joyful news—Pastor Paul and Kim’s daughter, Zoe, arrived on Wednesday April 29^th . What a beautiful sign of new life in this Easter season! What a gift it is to welcome her into the world, and what a tender reminder that even in changing seasons, life continues to unfold among us.

This Sunday, we’ll reflect on Jesus’ words in John 14:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled… I am the way.”

In uncertain or in-between times, Jesus doesn’t give us all the answers but invites us into a way of living—rooted in love, compassion, and presence. Perhaps this is where we find ourselves now, learning to trust the way, together.

Wherever you find yourself this week—in joy, in grief, or somewhere in between—you are invited to come. Come as you are. Come to be held in community. Come to listen for what God may be placing into your hands.

And don’t miss the upcoming Printmaking Pop-Up on May 16^th —a creative and meaningful way to connect with our neighbors. We’d love your help in making it happen.

I’m truly glad to be here with you.

We are in this together.

Pastor Anna

The Good Shepherd icon by Kelly Latimore

Kindred in Christ,

There are so many voices around us right now, and it is not always easy to tell which ones to trust.

This Sunday, we turn to John 10:1–10, where Jesus offers us a different image. He names himself as the shepherd, the one whose voice calls out to the sheep:
“My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.”

Jesus names himself as the shepherd, a voice we have heard before, the One who leads beside still waters and restores our soul. A voice we learn to recognize not in the noise, but in the quiet places of trust.

It is a gentle image, but it carries a deep invitation:

Whose voice are we listening to?

Not every voice leads to life. Some stir up fear or pull us away from one another. But the voice of Christ calls us toward love, toward justice, toward a deeper belonging with God and each other. It is often subtle, more like a steady presence than a shout, which means following Jesus asks us to slow down, to listen closely, to pay attention to what is life-giving.

This is also an invitation to loosen our grip on planning alone, and to live in a deeper attentiveness, where listening becomes the way we discern and respond to the voice of God.

I am grateful that Nancy Goddard will be preaching this Sunday. She brings a thoughtful, grounded presence, and I am thankful for her willingness to share the word with us.

Kim and I are also deeply grateful for your prayers as we draw near to welcoming our baby. We feel held by this community. I am hoping to be in worship this Sunday, unless our little one decides it is time to arrive first.

As you move through the week, I invite you to listen beneath the noise. Notice what voices are shaping your heart, and where you hear the quiet, steady call that leads to life.

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz

New Church Name Suggestions

• Kindred UMC
  • Communicates warmth and belonging. Suggests chosen family- not just membership. Faith as a connection, not just belief. Echoes ‘Kin-dom of God.”
• Open Heart UMC
• Common Table UMC
  • Communicates radical hospitality, shared life, equity. Everyone gathers at the same table- no hierarchy. Everyday sacredness. Inspired by Jesus’ table practice, Acts 2 early church holding all things in common and breaking bread. Communion.
• Hope UMC of Seattle or Hope and Joy UMC
  • Hope United Methodist Church of Seattle
    If Hope UMC is already in use, then: Hope and Joy United Methodist Church
    “…Put your hope in God…” Psalm 42:5b
    “Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.” Psalm 62:5
    Reasoning: People are looking for hope, not only during these difficult times in our country, but in their personal lives – the dreaded diagnosis, severed relationships, disasters, both natural and human-made – all of this and more gnaws at people’s hope. This is especially true of the unchurched, and it is the unchurched that we want to reach.
    We live in a world that desperately longs for hope. May our church be that place where people come to know the hope that God provides.
    “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31
• Christ Church UMC
• Hope, Love, and Faith UMC
• Gathering UMC (x2)
  • “Communicates action, fellowship, openness, invitation, and action. Just using “Gathering” without specific neighborhood allows us to minister in multiple neighborhoods; Green Lake, U District, and beyond.
• Open Hearts Church
• By the Way Church
• Your/Our Church by the Lake
• Our Church
• “Keep UMC in the name. Avoid name that is neighborhood specific.”
  • “I do not have a name suggestion at this time. But I do want us to keep “United Methodist Church” at the end of our new name. Denominational affiliation is important. I also think we should avoid a name that is neighborhood-specific, as we want to do ministry in both Green Lake and the U District.”
• Lakeside Community UMC
• University Green UMC
• Green Lake Gathering UMC
• New Beginnings UMC
  • “This is a day of new beginnings, time to remember and move on, time to believe what love
    is bringing, laying to rest the pain that’s gone.” Verse 1 of “This Is a Day of New Beginnings”
    UMH #383
    “Christ is alive and goes before us to show and share what love can do. This is a day of new beginnings; our God is making all things new.” Verse 4 of “This Is a Day of New Beginnings” UMH #383
    Yes, this is a time of new beginnings for our two congregations, but more importantly, I hope our church – our fellowship of believers, our community of faith — can be a new beginning for those who are searching, for those who want to leave their past behind, for those who have been hurt or are hurting by society, by a former church, by broken relationships.
    Every day is a “new beginning” for all of us – believer and non-believer alike. Every day is a new opportunity to share Christ’s love, grace, forgiveness, peace, kindness…
    “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
    faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23a
• Beacon of Light UMC
  • “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5
    “[Jesus] said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness,
    but will have the light of life.” John 8:12
    “You are the light of the world.” Matthew 5:14a
    Reasoning: Jesus brings light and life. May those who are searching come to our
    community of faith as we share God’s love, Christ’s grace, and the Holy Spirit’s power.
    Through our welcome, our witness, our sharing of the Word, may others come to see Christ
    as their “Beacon of Light.”
    “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living i n the land of deep
    darkness a light has dawned.” Isaiah 9:2
    “Your word is a lamp for my feet, and a light for my path.” Psalm 119:105
• Seattle Evangelical Community

Supper at Emmaus by the Chinese artist He Qi

Kindred in Christ,

“When have you said, we had hoped…?”

This Sunday, we continue our Eastertide series, Signs of New Life, as we step onto the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13–35), a road marked by grief, confusion, and dashed hopes. And yet it is precisely there that the risen Christ draws near. At first unrecognized, he walks alongside, opens their eyes, and reveals new life in the breaking of bread.

There is a striking detail in the story. When Cleopas, one of the disciples, speaks to Jesus, Luke’s Gospel uses the Greek word παροικεῖς (paroikeis), a word that carries the sense of being a foreigner, an outsider, one who does not fully belong. Jesus is addressed as the stranger in their midst. And yet it is precisely as the one treated as outside that Christ is revealed, reminding us how often resurrection appears among those who are pushed to the margins or made to feel as though they do not belong.

This opens a deeper invitation for us. If Christ meets us in the outsider, then we are also called to recognize Christ in those whom our world treats as outsiders today, including migrants, refugees, and those who live with the vulnerability of being undocumented. Resurrection is not only something we witness, but something we participate in through how we welcome, protect, and stand in solidarity with those whom society too often overlooks.

Alongside Peter’s bold words in Acts 2, we will reflect on what it means to turn away from systems of harm. We will consider not only where hope has faded, but also where we are invited into transformation, justice, and participation in God’s unfolding new creation.

This is resurrection work. It is learning to see again, to trust again, and to notice the signs of new life already stirring among us.

I am also excited that Pastor Anna Shin will be with us in worship this Sunday. She will serve as our Interim Pastor while I am on paternity leave in May and June. This will be a wonderful opportunity to begin getting to know her. She will be staying after the service, and I encourage you to take a moment to say hello and offer a warm welcome.

I hope you will join us this Sunday as we continue the journey together on the road to something new.

Alongside you,
Pastor Paul

Christ Appears to Thomas, mosaic by Rowan and Irene LeCompte in the Resurrection Chapel, Washington National Cathedral

Kindred in Christ,

What a joy it was to celebrate Easter Sunday together. Thank you to everyone who showed up, served, sang, brought food, welcomed others, and helped create such a meaningful and energy-filled day. It truly felt like a glimpse of resurrection life in our midst.

This Sunday, we begin a new Eastertide series called Signs of New Life. Together we will explore how resurrection is not just something we celebrate once a year, but something we learn to notice and live every day. We notice the signs of new life around us and join in God’s work of justice, healing, and change-making in the world.

We’ll begin with John 20:19–31 and 1 Peter 1:3–9. In the Gospel reading, the disciples are behind locked doors and Thomas wrestles with what feels impossible to believe. It is a story about fear, questions, and the surprising ways Christ meets us right where we are.

As we begin this journey, the invitation is simple and profound. To become people who stay open to the signs of new life around us. To trust that God is still at work. And to grow together into a resurrection people who embody hope, courage, and love in the world.

May we open ourselves to new life together this season!

Alongside you,

Pastor Paul Ortiz