I’m Back!
Greetings LUMC Family,
I'm back! - not as staff, but as a semi-regular contributor to the LUMC Weekly Update. Call it our "Social Holiness Corner" (unless and until I come up with a catchier name!). As United Methodists, one of our core values centers on how we balance "personal holiness" (things like prayer, worship, study of scripture) with what our founder John Wesley referred to as "social holiness." What does that mean, you ask?
"The United Methodist Church believes God's love for the world is an active and engaged love, a love seeking justice and liberty. We cannot just be observers. So we care enough about people's lives to risk interpreting God's love, to take a stand, to call each of us into a response, no matter how controversial or complex. The church helps us think and act out of a faith perspective, not just respond to all the other 'mind-makers-up' that exist in our society." - Excerpt from The Book of Resolutions of The United Methodist Church 2020/2024.
If you are looking for ways to engage in more social holiness these days, here are several opportunities:
1. Lakewood UMC "House Meeting" for Together Colorado on Sunday, April 27th, 5:00pm-7:00pm in the Genesis Gallery
Join Becky David Hensley and Maddie Nichols for a gathering of justice-minded people from LUMC and our local community to connect with one another and begin discerning what we can do to ensure that our values are at the heart of Colorado politics in coming months and years. And, there will be FOOD! Come meet some neighbors and share dinner and conversation about the issues that most concern you as you think about our current reality and the future you dream of for yourself, your children, and your grandchildren. Questions? Reach out to Becky or Maddie. Please RSVP to: becky@lumc.net by April 24th.
2. Did you know that the United Methodist Church has its very own agency dedicated entirely to promoting the Social Principles of our denomination? It's called the General Board of Church and Society, and they often send out "Action Alerts" inviting United Methodists to urge their legislators to uphold our UMC values. Signing onto pre-written letters (e-mail) is a quick and easy way to show your support for or against legislative items coming before congress. Here are a few that you can sign onto NOW:
3. Looking to do some more reading about how our faith compels us to take a stand for justice and equality in our world? I've recently joined a cadre of Christian pastors, scholars, and activists writing monthly op-eds for an ecumenical online resource called Good Faith Media. If you enjoy their content, I encourage you to sign up for their daily newsletter. You can access my latest article here: Candles and Bombs (I hope it inspires all of us to do more to name and protest the genocide our tax dollars are funding in Gaza.)
Look for more opportunities to learn and engage in social holiness in future editions of the Weekly Update!
Until justice rolls down,
Rev. Becky David Hensley