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