Kindred in Christ,

On the first stop on my recent pilgrimage was the baptistery of St. Lydia in Philippi (Φίλιπποι), Greece. Near the ancient, archaeological site of the market (agora) of Philippi is the river that is believed to be the site where Lydia was baptized by the Apostle Paul (Acts 16). On the bank of the river there is an open baptistery in the form of a cross like those preserved in early Christian basilicas. There is also a chapel in honor of St. Lydia near the river. It was quite an experience to receive water and a blessing on our foreheads as we remembered our own baptisms and sank a little deeper into the abundant grace that drew St. Lydia to become a significant part of the early church movement.

St. Lydia, as we will explore further this Sunday, was a self-made woman in a patriarchal world. Commentators tell us that she likely started on the bottom of society and worked her way up from a life of slavery by hustling in the purple textile industry of that time—purple fabrics and clothing were highly sought after by upper society in that time and culture. Along with her financial success, she was also a spiritual seeker. She was drawn to a divine love and grace that she did not have to earn and fight for—unlike everything else in her life. After baptism, St. Lydia opens her home in hospitality for the growing movement in the way of Jesus.

Join us this Sunday, as we explore the story of St. Lydia further and continue in our series, A New Way of Being Human. We will also baptize three people from our own community into the waters of God’s grace! And plan to stick around for a special celebration lunch and cake after service!

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz

Kindred in Christ,

After an inspiring pilgrimage following the footsteps of the Apostle Paul through Greece and Turkey, I am looking forward to being back with you this Sunday! Along with visiting the lovely Greek islands, numerous monasteries, and ancient churches, a significant portion of our journey was visiting the ruins of Ephesus, Philippi, and Corinth (all three pictured above). As you may be familiar, the Apostle Paul spent significant time in each of these cities planting new communities in the way of Jesus. And he wrote several pastoral letters to each of these early churches, a few of which are preserved in the New Testament.

As our tour guide waked us through what used to be the markets (agoras) of these cities, she explained that it was common for philosophers and thinkers to stand in public and share their new ideas to the gathering crowds. In fact, in an age before social media, people went to the agoras to hear new ideas from these visiting, street performing philosophers.

As a Wesleyan who loves our history of John Wesley proclaiming a new way of doing church and being community out in the streets of England during the 18^th century revival movement known as Methodism, I deeply appreciated seeing the places where the Apostle Paul would have stood and preached to the gathering crowds about a new way of being alive in God.

The Apostle Paul and the people of The Way [what the early Christians called themselves] proclaimed “a new way of being human” (N. T. Wright) that viewed everyone as equal and valuable in God. This message was in sharp contrast to the Roman Empire which relied heavily on a strict social hierarchy and colonization.

Join us this Sunday as we kick off our new series, A New Way of Being Human. We will explore together how we are being invited into new ways of being fully alive in our present!

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz

Mary Magdalene Proclaims the Resurrection by Laura James

Kindred in Christ,

This year, Easter Sunday comes a little earlier than usual, and lands on the last day of Women’s History Month! This is totally appropriate, especially considering that the first evangelists and preachers of the resurrection were women (Luke 23:55-24:12). As depicted above, Mary Magdalene, and the other women disciples were not only the first ones to encounter the wonder of the empty tomb but were also the first to boldly proclaim to others that Christ is risen from the dead. Yet the male disciples did not believe them and regarded their statements as an “idle tail.”

The biblical Greek word translated into “idle tail” is lēros. Biblical scholars suggest that a saltier innuendo is meant by the word lēros. And in fact, the term is equal to calling something total BS!

Perhaps the other disciples were too sexist to trust the testimony of women. Perhaps the story was too bizarre to accept at first glance. Perhaps it seemed too good to be true. Like me, you may relate to all of these when first encountering the hope of the resurrection in our lives.

Rev. Dr. Thomas G. Long suggests that perhaps the other disciples’ initial resistance to the resurrection was because it would ask something big of them, and that freaks them out!

Long writes, “If they don’t accept the message, they can just call themselves alumni of Jesus’ school of religion. They can just call themselves students of an inspiring, moral, ethical teacher who had a tragic death. But if they accept the story that he is risen, then the story is far from over. In fact, it is just beginning, and their lives will change. And they will be sent out. And they will have to carry the message too. And there are some mixed feelings about that!”

Join us this Sunday at our new site, or on Facebook Live, as we encounter the beautiful and bizarre story of the resurrection and explore how it is calling us to share this message of hope with others!

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz

Kindred in Christ,

I am thrilled to be able to gather again as one large group for worship this Sunday at our new location, and just in time for Holy Week! Like you, I have many hopeful anticipations of what this next chapter will be like for us as a congregation. Yet, as Palm Sunday reminds us, Jesus’ procession is a countercultural parade that is meant to challenge our preconceived notions of how we assume things should be and what success looks like.

Historically, the story we read on Palm Sunday (Luke 19:28-40), is referred to as “Jesus’ Triumphal Entry.” Yet I think we often miss the kind of triumph Jesus is inviting us into. We often want Jesus to pluck us out of the difficult and painful circumstances of our lives. Yet that is not what he does. Instead, he offers himself; all that he is and all that he has. He holds nothing back. Jesus redefines triumph through the life he lived and the death he offered. Where triumph for us might look like escaping vulnerability, risk, and suffering, triumph for Jesus means embodying a God who undergoes the risk, vulnerability, and suffering of a real human life. In Jesus, God enters the very places we would avoid and reveals God’s transformative presence, healing, and love.

So, as we celebrate our new site, and the new ministry opportunities with our host congregation, Green Lake UMC, may we also celebrate the God that is with us during all the changes and uncertainties along the way, as well. May we open ourselves up to following Jesus’ counter-cultural parade, which leads us through both the cross and resurrection, and reveals that we are never alone.

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz

We are excited to announce that beginning Palm Sunday, 3/24, Green Lake UMC’s building will be the new gathering site of U Gathering UMC! 
New Gathering times:
10:30 AM joint coffee hour with GLUMC
11:30 AM Worship 
We are excited for this strategic move that will allow us more building space, and usage throughout the week for community events and creative ministry. We are near enough to the U District to continue working with our longtime community partners, as well as make new connections within the Green Lake neighborhood. The congregation of Green Lake UMC is thrilled to welcome us, and explore intersections in our ministry work. See below a picture of both our trustee chairs signing the lease agreement!

Pictured: Jemina Marasigan, Larry Erickson, Pastor Paul Ortiz, and Ross Wolf