Beauty can emerge even from ugly things

Dear Friends and Family in Faith,

When difficult and terrible things happen, I often hear people say, “Everything happens for a reason” or “God won’t give me more than I can handle.” I understand the intent of those statements, however they make a faulty assumption that God sends bad things into our lives on purpose. I resonate with Linda Douty who writes, “I’m unwilling to believe that God engineers the pain in our lives, but I am willing to affirm that ‘all things work together for good for those who love God.’ (Romans 8:28). No matter what the circumstances or how they came about, the Spirit invites us into the task of picking up the broken shards of our lives and, with the power of divine grace, shaping them into a unique mosaic of greater love for God and compassion for God’s people.” That is the beauty of our God of redemption. By the power and grace of God, beauty can emerge even from ugly things. And in the process our capacity for love and compassion increases. We can allow the ugly things in our lives to make us bitter OR we can trust in the God of redemption to walk with us through the pain and one day make all things beautiful, even broken things. The choice is ours.

Worship
·       May 8th & 15th Worship will be in-person at 8/Grace, 9:30/Pine Creek, 11:00/Holbrook, or on Zoom at 9:30 Meeting ID #794 678 137   Passcode: hopelives
·       May 22nd will be Paint and Praise. We will all gather in Sacajawea Park at the Gazebo for painting, singing, and lunch. We are painting, inside and out, the newer restrooms and also a white storage building right next door to the restrooms. The City will provide the paint. Bring a brush! For those who can’t paint, bring lunch and beverages.
o   Come as you can:
o   9:30 Paint Shift 1
o   Noon – potluck lunch, singing, and prayers
o   1:30 Paint Shift 2
·    
May 29th Our Worship Beyond the Walls will be a time for Stories and Remembrances at the Mountain View Cemetery at 1:00. Bring a chair. We will host a time for the community to gather and remember the people buried in the cemetery. There are lots of special people and characters there. Let’s gather and honor their memory. Bring your friends!
 
Hymns and Prayers
This week we will gather for hymns and prayers Thursday at 7 pm on Zoom. We connect to God and one another through scripture, hymns, and prayers. As we draw close to God, God draws close to us, even though our screens. Zoom info: Meeting ID# 889 9872 6182 Passcode: hopelives
 
Ukrainian humanitarian relief donation information
Last week we focused our prayers on Ukraine. I have attached the handout with a selection of prayers. It includes updates from UMCOR, who is in the region providing aid and resources.
Gifts to support the people of Ukraine can be made in the following ways:
·       Online at https://umcmission.org/advance-project/982450
·       By toll-free telephone: 888-252-6174
·       By check with “Advance #982450-Ukraine” written on the memo line, either mailed and addressed to Global Ministries/UMCOR, GPO, P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY, 10087-9068 or given at or through any United Methodist church
One hundred percent of all contributions go to help the people of Ukraine.
 
Current Small Group opportunities:
·       Men’s Group All are welcome to join this lively gathering of men who discuss books and topics of the day. Join on Wednesdays at noon at Grace UMC.
·       Women’s Small Group meets on Wednesday afternoons at 1:30 at Holbrook. Note the time change.
 
May the Lord bless you and keep you,
Pastor Patti