Mosaic-St Francis Praises the Creation at the University of Lourdes

Kindred in Christ,

This Sunday we begin a new worship series called All Creation Sings. Inspired by Saint Francis of Assisi, who taught us to see the sun, moon, and all creatures as our siblings, and by John Wesley, who spoke of creation as a living witness to God’s glory, we’ll explore an eco-spirituality that draws us into connection with all things. Wesley believed that the “book of nature” speaks alongside Scripture, revealing God’s wisdom and love through every part of the created world. Together, we are invited to rediscover creation not as scenery but as kin—woven into God’s song of life.

It is also World Communion Sunday, a day when Christians across the globe gather at Christ’s table. In sharing bread and cup, we remember that God’s love knows no borders or barriers. Following the vision of Francis and Wesley, we can imagine that the whole creation is gathered here with us—human and more-than-human neighbors alike—called into God’s circle of grace. Communion is not only solidarity across nations and languages, but also a reminder of our deep kinship with the earth itself.

After worship, we’ll continue in fellowship with a potluck lunch, and then lace up our walking shoes for the CROP Hunger Walk around Green Lake (see more information below). This walk is more than exercise—it’s a way of putting our faith into action by raising funds to end hunger, both in our own community and around the world.

Come ready to worship, to share a meal, and to walk together in hope and love. I’m looking forward to being with you as we begin this season of All Creation Sings.

Alongside you,

Pastor Paul Ortiz

Advent Study Group 2025

When: Thursdays at 7:00pm via Zoom
Dates: November 6 (in-person optional), November 20, December 4, December 11, and December 18
Led by: Nancy Goddard

This Advent, you are invited to join a 5-session study group exploring On the Way to Bethlehem: An Advent Study by United Methodist Pastor Rob Fuquay.

About the Study

Fuquay’s book invites us to walk alongside Mary, Joseph, and others on the journey to Jesus’ birth. Together, we will explore the geographical and political realities of the time—what it meant to live under Roman occupation, how ordinary people encountered God’s promises, and how the journey to Bethlehem was as much about hope and faith as it was about place and power.

As we follow this story, we’ll reflect on how Advent is not only about preparing our hearts for Christ’s birth, but also about preparing the world for Christ’s justice and peace. We’ll ask: What does it mean to live as disciples who carry the light of Bethlehem into today’s struggles and longings?

Click HERE to watch promo video.

Gathering Format

• Zoom Sessions: All sessions will meet via Zoom at 7:00pm.
• Optional Potluck Kickoff: For our first session (Nov. 6), we’d love to gather in-person with a potluck as we dive into the study. Please indicate if this is something you could make, or if you prefer online only.

Sign Up

To sign up email Nancy Goddard at bngoddard@davespc.net
When registering, please indicate whether you’d like to join the Nov. 6th in-person potluck (starting at 6PM), or attend all sessions only online via Zoom.

Kindred in Christ,

When I was a kid, one of my favorite things to do was build a fort out of chairs and a blanket. I’d turn off the lights, crawl inside with a flashlight, and read my comic books. Looking back, I know those forts didn’t provide much security—anyone could pull the blanket away—but inside, they felt like a little oasis. A place where the disappointments of school or the uncertainties of family life seemed lighter.

Maybe you had a hideout too—a treehouse, under the bed, or your own makeshift fort. None of these spaces were truly secure, yet they gave us something deeply human: a sense of refuge.

As an adult, I’ve seen how that same longing for refuge shows up in starker ways. Many of our unhoused neighbors live in tents, makeshift shelters, or camps tucked under bridges or behind buildings. A few tarps stretched over poles may not keep out all the wind or rain, but they create enough shelter to survive another night. Like our childhood forts, these fragile spaces reveal a deep human desire for safety, protection, and dignity.

Our Scriptures this week speak into that longing. Psalm 91 declares, “God is our refuge and fortress.” Yet in Luke’s Gospel we meet Lazarus, a poor man who longed for safety at the gate of a wealthy neighbor and found none. Together, these readings show us that God is not only our refuge, but also found in those who seek refuge—the neighbor at the gate, the unhoused, the refugee.

This Sunday we conclude our Costly Grace series, remembering Bonhoeffer’s witness that grace must cost us something for the sake of others. We’ll reflect on what it means to take shelter in God, and what it means to embody that refuge for those who cry out for safety today.

So we invite you to come, bring your questions, your longings, and your hopes. Come and be renewed in the One who is our refuge—and who sends us out to be a refuge for others. Together we will pray, sing, and imagine what God’s costly grace looks like in our lives and in our city.

Alongside you,

Pastor Paul Ortiz

Kindred in Christ,

Have you ever stumbled on something so beautiful, so unexpected, that it changed everything? That’s how Jesus describes the kin-dom of heaven in Matthew 13:44–46—a hidden treasure, a pearl worth giving everything for. On Homecoming Sunday, September 21 at 10:30am, we’ll gather to celebrate that kind of joy: the joy of being found, claimed, and treasured by God. And I can’t wait to celebrate with you!

Psalm 113 reminds us that the Lord is above all nations—not captive to any one flag or power—and yet stoops down to lift up the poor and the lowly. That’s the opposite of Christian nationalism, which twists faith into a tool for domination. Instead, God’s kingdom is a community where grace is the center and where all are lifted up.

Homecoming is our chance to celebrate that vision together: to remember that we belong, to rejoice in the love that binds us, and to invite others into the joy of community. After worship, we’ll share a potluck meal and explore a Memory Lane photo wall—celebrating our congregations’ histories, adding your significant dates from the past, and beginning new stories together.

This is a Sunday to come home, to bring a friend, and to discover again that God’s treasure is here among us in community. Don’t miss it!

Alongside you,

Pastor Paul Ortiz

Kindred in Christ,

When my child was about two years old, they had a favorite new phrase: “I believe in you.” For months, it was everywhere. They said it to baristas, neighbors, dog walkers—anyone who crossed their path. It was their way of trusting, connecting, and sprinkling a little love into the world. The phrase carried a weight far beyond their years.

One night, I was exhausted—balancing seminary, work, parenting, and life—and I sighed at the kitchen table, staring at my computer. My child looked at me, placed their little hand on my arm, and said: “I believe in you.”

In that moment, the phrase landed differently. It wasn’t just a catchphrase or something repeated without thought. It was a lifeline—a deep and tender reminder that belief is never abstract. Belief is lived, relational, and powerful.

This Sunday, we continue our series Costly Grace: Following Jesus in the Face of Empire. We’ll explore what it means to believe in Jesus through a sermon titled Costly Belief, based on 1 Corinthians 1:18–24 and John 3:13–17. These passages invite us to see faith not as a set of doctrines or rules, but as trust and relationship—something that asks something of us.

True belief in Jesus is costly because it moves us beyond comfort, beyond self-interest, and into a life of solidarity, care, and hope. It’s the kind of belief that transforms communities, challenges empires, and turns the logic of the world upside down. It’s the kind of belief that says mercy is stronger than vengeance, love is stronger than fear, and care for the outcast is more faithful than seeking status or dominance.

Just as my child’s words reminded me of what really matters, our faith can transform the world when we live it in this way. Believing in God is inseparable from believing in one another—in those whom the world forgets or dismisses, and in the possibilities of love over hate.

Come ready to be believed in—and to believe in others.

Alongside you,

Pastor Paul Ortiz