Dear friends in faith,
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I am working with the leaders of our churches on an assessment of where we are and where we want to go. In the second chapter of Revelation there is a series of letters voiced by Jesus to various churches. In each letter Jesus affirms the church for their strengths and points out their weaknesses. This is the letter to the church in Ephesus (Rev. 2:1-7):

Dear friends in faith,
Our Easter worship services were beautiful. The Spirit of God is alive in all of our churches! My Easter sermon is attached, if you want to read or share it.

This week, I am on vacation enjoying the sights of St. George, Utah. I’ve been hiking and encountering desert wildlife; Mojave Desert Tortoise, Roadrunner, Spadefoot Toad, and lots of lizards. And I’m warming up my heart and soul at the poolside. Thursday I head to Zion National Park! God’s creation is so amazing! As I have been hiking the beautiful desert flowers have caught my eye. The pops of bright color amidst the browns, creams, and reds of the desert. I found this verse of Isaiah, that links the Utah spring with the Montana spring. Isaiah 35:1-2 says:

Dear friends in faith,

Steve Garnaas-Holmes posted on Facebook this week: “Jesus wasn’t starting a new religion, or even criticizing an old one. He was teaching a spiritual practice: the practice of radical kindness and trust in God. That is all. That’s it. That’s Jesus’ teaching and ministry in a nutshell. Sounds nice and benign, huh? But if you practice radical kindness to everybody, including the poor, sick, outcast, foreigners, incarcerated, sinners, enemies, EVERYBODY – well, it will overturn all of society. So, yeah. Religious and political authorities had reason to get rid of Jesus. Holy Week reminds us that love is powerful, and love is revolutionary, and people with worldly power will resist it. But love will win. Love will win.”

Dear Methodists of Park County and beyond,
 
The past month my life has taken an unexpected turn. I will be moving to Colorado to serve a church there, Smoky Hill UMC in southeastern Aurora, in late June. My dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s last Fall and I struggle being so far away. These last few months he has been noticeably declining. So, mid-March I asked the Bishop if there was a church within an hour of my parents where I could serve and there was. My heart needs to be closer to my parents as we make this journey together. But it is bittersweet because I love being here in Livingston. God is at work amongst us and these churches and I enjoy the work I have been doing with the clergy and churches across the state of Montana. I have come to love you and this amazing place. And so it is hard to leave, but I am so grateful for the opportunity to be close to my family. I am still here for 2+ months and will work hard with you to make a smooth transition to your next pastoral leader. May God continue to bless all of us as we walk faithfully each day.

Dear Methodists of Park County and beyond,

As war continues in Ukraine we need to continue to pray. Today the UMC put out a new hymn written by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette in response to the war in Ukraine. It is sung to the tune of “This Is my Song.” May it be a guide for us to pray.