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For the last two months, I haven’t been able to shake one scripture from my mind: Matthew 25:31–46. I think about daily. Take a moment and read it before you finish reading this blog.   It’s the moment when Jesus speaks of the final judgment—not of individuals, but of “all the nations.” That phrase matters. This is not just a personal reckoning. It’s a collective one. Jesus describes separating the sheep from the goats not just based on individual acts, but on how communities, societies, and yes—nations—respond to the most vulnerable among them. It’s a striking passage because Jesus doesn’t leave much room for interpretation.Read More →

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Something is happening at UMCG. It’s sneaky, but it’s real. We’re growing. Not in the way many of us might instinctively measure growth—not by packed pews or standing-room-only worship services—but in the way that reflects how church engagement has changed over time. For those who have been around church for generations, regular church attendance meant nearly every Sunday—48 weeks out of the year, give or take an illness or vacation. By 2010, that expectation had quietly shifted to about 1.9 times a month, or 18 Sundays a year. Then COVID changed everything. Now, regular attendance for many is once a month, or 12 Sundays aRead More →

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Editorial Note: Pastor Heather Connor is our new Minister of Formation and Outreach and will be joining us in Geneva in June. Click here to see our welcome email from December 2024. *Words in italics are adapted from a prayer by Rev. Sarah (Are) Speed / A Sanctified Art LLC, santifiedart.org Grief has a way of stopping time. Sometimes there are no words to ease the pain, no explanations that can make sense of injustices. I feel the weight of this each time I open social media or read the latest news, but nothing compares to how real it all became the day my bestRead More →

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Lately, I’ve been thinking about that moment a lot. I’ve been hearing the phrase “I wish I could do something” over and over again. Many are feeling powerless in the face of the political climate, the disinformation campaigns, and the sheer force of selfishly wielded power. That feeling of being overwhelmed is, in many ways, by design.Read More →

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This week we began the 40-day Lenten season with Ash Wednesday – it ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. The word Lent comes from the Anglo Saxon lencten, meaning spring. Lent is traditionally a time for repentance, self-reflection, and recalibrating ourselves spiritually. It is a time when we practice spiritual disciplines in an intentional and concerted effort to grow closer to God in our faith. Giving, fasting, and prayer are foundations of these practices. For Methodism’s founder, John Wesley, almsgiving or giving was an expression of our love for God and neighbor. He gave away all the coins in his pockets on theRead More →