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

Homecoming Sunday – September 21st

As summer winds down and we return to familiar rhythms, we invite you to join us for Homecoming Sunday! Bring friends and family for a joyful day featuring welcoming new members, special music, an interactive “memory lane” celebrating the histories of our congregations, and a potluck following worship. Also, our new District Superintendent, Rev. Elizabeth Ingram Schindler will be joining us for the service and helping lead worship. 

Send Photos for the Interactive Memory Lane

As part of Homecoming Sunday, we’re creating an interactive timeline collage celebrating the histories of Green Lake UMC and U Gathering/Temple UMC. We invite you to submit photos from the past 100 years to office@ugathering.org by September 18th to be included. Alongside the photos, there will be space for you to add significant events and memories. Together, we’ll reflect on our rich histories as we look with hope toward the future!

Kindred in Christ,

When nationalism hijacks faith, the Gospel calls us somewhere deeper—into Costly Grace. This September we begin a new worship series by that name, where we’ll confront shallow religion and the lure of easy answers, and instead follow Jesus into love that disrupts, heals, and transforms.

We’ll draw on the witness of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who resisted Hitler’s regime, and James Cone, who proclaimed the cross as God’s solidarity with the oppressed. Their voices remind us what’s at stake when grace is costly. Bonhoeffer once wrote, “grace is free, but it will cost you your life.” Real grace—the kind that transforms us—calls us deeper. It asks us to let go of what gives us false security and to trust the abundant life God offers.

This week’s message, “The Call into the Deep” (Luke 14:25–33; Psalm 1), will invite us to move beyond surface-level faith. Jesus’ shocking words about family, life, and the cross remind us that discipleship means diving into waters deeper than wealth, patriarchy, nation, or status. Together, we follow Jesus—who calls us into the deep.

We will also share in a Back-to-School Blessing during worship. We’ll pray for students, teachers, administrators, and all connected to schools as a new year begins. Bring your backpacks, your energy, and your hopes for the year ahead—we want to bless you as a community of faith!

Come ready to be stretched, encouraged, and blessed as we begin this new season together.

Alongside you,

Pastor Paul Ortiz