Be Praised—mural of Saints Francis and Clare on the side of the Center for Action and Contemplation by Dimitri Kadiev

Kindred in Christ,

This Sunday marks a new and sacred beginning for our two congregations as we step into a shared season of worship, serving, and seeking God’s direction. As we gather for the first time during our official discernment year, as two congregations worshiping together, we launch our summer series: Interwoven by Grace.

In a culture that prizes rugged independence, the Gospel invites us into something deeper—interdependence. From the earliest stories of scripture to Jesus sending his disciples out two by two (Luke 10:1-11), we see again and again that God doesn’t call us to walk alone. God calls us to walk together—not in uniformity, but in partnership, vulnerability, and trust.

Just a few weeks ago, I had the privilege of making a pilgrimage to Assisi, Italy, the hometown of Saint Francis and Saint Clare. I stood inside the basilicas where their legacy is held in fresco and stone. What struck me most was not just their individual holiness, but their friendship—a sacred companionship that shaped them both and renewed the church. Francis and Clare were not the same, but they were bound together by a shared vision of simplicity, love, and bold commitment to peacemaking. Their friendship became a force for transformation and renewal.

In many ways, their story mirrors our own moment. Two distinct communities—University Gathering UMC and Green Lake UMC—rooted in faith and friendship and shaped by different gifts—choosing to walk side by side. Not knowing exactly where the road will lead, but trusting the Spirit who goes ahead of us.

This summer, we’ll reflect on what it means to be “sent” like those early disciples—not alone, but two by two. We’ll explore scriptures that speak to shared mission, mutual care, and the courage it takes to be truly interwoven by God’s grace.

I hope you’ll join us this Sunday at 10:30 a.m. as we begin this journey together. Come with curiosity. Come with faith. Come ready to grow in grace, side by side.

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz

Love One Another by N.C. Callaway

Kindred in Christ,

As we come to the close of our Pride Month worship series, Unbounded Love: A Series on Pentecost and LGBTQIA+ Celebration, I want to take a moment to reflect with you on what we’ve experienced—and invite you into what’s next.

This month, we’ve been following the movement of the Holy Spirit through scripture and through our lives: the Spirit who unbinds us from fear and shame, who breaks down barriers that keep people apart, and who draws us together in beloved community. From jail cells flung open in Acts to Jesus’ prayer that we may all be one (John 17:21), we’ve seen again and again that God’s love is not boxed in by human boundaries. As Charles Wesley wrote in the hymn that inspired our series title: “Pure unbounded love Thou art.”

We’ve also been blessed this month by voices from our own community. I want to say a special thank you to Jeff and Steve Shamblin-Mullinix, who have each shared with us powerful, Spirit-filled words of grace, challenge, and affirmation. Their presence in our pulpit has been a true gift, helping us hear anew the call to live in God’s expansive love.

And that’s what Pride is about. It’s a celebration, yes, but it’s also a remembrance. We remember Stonewall—when LGBTQIA+ folks, many of them trans women of color, resisted harassment and violence and sparked a movement. Pride began not as a parade, but as an uprising. It was Spirit-led in its own way: a refusal to be bound by shame or silence any longer.

This coming Sunday, we get to honor that legacy and celebrate together Pride Sunday at First Church UMC at 10 AM. We’ll join with Methodist congregations from across Seattle for a joyful, inclusive, Spirit-filled service affirming the sacred worth of every person.

One of our own contributions to the service will be a creative pop-up pageant to bring the scripture to life—a playful, prayerful way to embody the Gospel with color and joy.

There will also be opportunities to participate in the Seattle Pride Parade—whether by marching, serving, cheering, or simply being present as a visible sign of Christ’s radical welcome. It’s a beautiful way to carry what we’ve experienced this month out into the streets. For more details about timing, parking, volunteer opportunities, and how to get connected, see the info below in the newsletter.

So, come. Bring your full self. Bring your family. Bring your joy. Let’s celebrate the God whose love is unbounded, and whose Spirit is still marching forward in justice and joy.

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz

Sacrament by Anna Strickland

Kindred in Christ,

This Sunday is a special one—and I hope you’ll be there to help us celebrate it in all its Spirit-filled, rainbow-splashed glory.

Pentecost is the day the Church was born—not through force or conformity, but through a surprising, multilingual, boundary-breaking outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-39). It’s a story that reminds us that God doesn’t flatten our differences—God fills them with holy fire. It’s about understanding one another across lines of language, culture, and identity. It’s about the miracle that happens when we listen deeply, speak boldly, and let love lead the way.

We’ll be continuing our worship series, Unbounded Love: A series on Pentecost and LGBTQIA+ Celebration, and I’ll be preaching a sermon about what happens when the Spirit breaks binaries—linguistic, cultural, theological, even personal. I’ll share a bit of my own story growing up in a bilingual Cuban immigrant home, and how that experience has shaped my understanding of the Spirit’s work in bringing people together not by making us the same, but by helping us truly hear one another.

This Sunday is also special because we’ll be welcoming Green Lake UMC to join us for worship at our regular service time. And as we continue in the discernment of two congregations coming together, this Pentecost moment offers a beautiful invitation: to resist the urge to dominate or assimilate, and instead to open ourselves to the possibility of something new being born in community.

So come.
Come ready to celebrate.
Come wearing red, rainbow, or whatever helps you sparkle as your authentic, Spirit-filled self.
Come ready to sing, to pray, to listen, and to imagine the church being reborn again.

I can’t wait to see you there.

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz

Kindred in Christ,

Happy Pride Month!

This June, I’m thrilled to invite you into a new worship series:
Unbounded Love: A Series on Pentecost and LGBTQIA+ Celebration.

Rooted in the powerful imagery of Pentecost—the Spirit moving freely, breaking down walls, and drawing people together across language, culture, and difference—this series celebrates the holy work of liberation, authenticity, and beloved community. We’ll explore how the Spirit continues to set people free, how love cannot be contained or confined, and how God’s desire for us is not conformity, but courageous, diverse unity.

In a world that too often tries to bind people with shame or fear, especially our LGBTQIA+ siblings and selves, this is a time to proclaim loudly and clearly: God’s love is unbounded. It is expansive, freeing, and for everyone.

The title for this series is drawn from the beloved hymn Love Divine, All Loves Excelling, which describes Jesus as “pure unbounded love.” In early Wesleyan theology, that phrase was a way of expressing the radical idea that in Christ, God’s love had broken every barrier and come fully into the human experience. That same unbounded love continues to move among us, inviting us to become more free, more compassionate, and more deeply connected to God and each other.

Each Sunday, we’ll dive into stories of liberation and connection. This week, we begin with the story of Paul and Silas in prison (Acts 16:16–34) and Jesus’ prayer that all may be one (John 17:20–26). We’ll reflect on how the Spirit breaks chains, opens hearts, and brings new life, even in the darkest places. We’ll also look at how Jesus’ prayer for unity is not about sameness, but about love that honors diversity—and how that shapes the kind of church we are called to be.

And there’s more to celebrate! On Wednesday, June 4, we’ll be hosting a Drag Story Time for the neighborhood, featuring the renowned, Filipina, drag queen and activist Aleksa Manila. Aleksa brings joy, creativity, and bold advocacy to every space she enters, and we’re honored to welcome her as part of our Pride Month festivities.

Wherever you are on your journey of faith or identity, you are welcome here. Whether you’re a longtime member or visiting for the first time, I hope you’ll join us for this series—and bring a friend! Let’s continue building an inclusive, Spirit-led, justice-loving community where every person is embraced as God’s own.

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz

Rainbow at Camp Indianola

Kindred in Christ,

This weekend marks a meaningful moment in the life of our church. As many of us gather for our Vision Retreat at Camp Indianola—a time of prayer, listening, and discernment—we step into a season of reflection on who we are and who God is calling us to become. Whether or not you are attending the retreat this weekend, the journey we are on is a shared one, and there will be more ways to participate soon. All of us are part of this unfolding story.

On Sunday, we’ll continue our Eastertide sermon series, Signs of New Creation, by exploring a story of holy disruption and unexpected transformation. In Acts 11, Peter finds himself drawn into a new vision—one that stretches his imagination, challenges old boundaries, and ultimately opens the door for God’s Spirit to move in surprising ways. He doesn’t get there easily. His vision has to change. And when it does, the church is never the same.

We’ll reflect on what it means to be a community of vision and surprise—a people shaped not just by what we’ve always known, but by the ever-expanding love of Christ. Jesus’ final commandment to his disciples, “Love one another as I have loved you,” becomes not just a rule, but a radical vision for life together (John 13). It is that love that still invites us to grow, to risk, and to welcome.

Whether or not you are part of the retreat this weekend, I hope you’ll join us for worship on Sunday as we ask: Where is the Spirit surprising us now? What new vision might be taking shape among us? And how might God be calling us to love more deeply, more boldly, more like Christ?

See you Sunday. Come ready for surprise.

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz