Updated: Jul 26, 2021
Pastor's Book Challenge
We have all been deeply affected by the disturbing events that were triggered by the murder of George Floyd.
While I have been concerned about the violence and looting, my concern doesn't even begin to match how moved I have been by the passion of the peaceful protestors, who have included people from all races and walks of life. The police chiefs of both Duncanville and Cedar Hill have issued statements condemning George Floyd's murder. I have watched with pride as I have seen police officers kneel down in front of protestors in both my hometown of Fort Worth and my current home of Denton. And I was moved to tears to see video of George Floyd's young daughter, perhaps too young to understand that he will never be coming back, shouting out, "My daddy changed the world!" Yes he did. And so can we. The first step is to educate ourselves. As I reminded you last Sunday, two months ago I challenged every person in our congregation to read at least one book this year on racism. Here are some recommendations. If you have read little or nothing on racism, these two books are good places to begin: White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism, Robin Diangelo So You Want to Talk About Race, Ijeoma Oluo If you want to go a little deeper: Anxious to Talk About It: Helping White Christians Talk Faithfully about Racism, Carolyn B. Helsel White Awake: An Honest Look at What It Means to be White, Daniel Hill How to Be an Antiracist, Ibram X. Kendi Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?: And Other Conversations About Race, Beverly Daniel Tatum And, finally, the Discipleship Team hopes to offer a class on this book soon. It will probably be the next book I read: Reconstructing the Gospel: Finding Freedom from Slaveholder Religion, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove
Prayerfully consider which book might be the one for you. I would be curious to hear your thoughts and feelings about what you are reading. Peace in Christ, Pastor Jane
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Church Updates
We have no date set for the reopening of the church building at this time. It will be July 5 at the earliest. Sorry we cannot be more specific. The bishop is determining this date. The thief who burglarized our building has been arrested on a different charge and sits in the Dallas County jail. At this point we don't anticipate recovering anymore of our stolen equipment. We expect an insurance settlement check soon.
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What's the Latest on The United Methodist Church as a whole?
During this time of pandemic you may be wondering what is happening in the larger world of our United Methodist denomination. The General Conference had been scheduled to begin May 5, but it had to be postponed because of the threat of the virus and the breakdown of international travel. Many of us had been hoping that the General Conference would lead to a long-term solution to our current impasse over ministry with LGBTQ persons. The General Conference has been rescheduled for next year on Aug. 29-Sept. 7 in Minneapolis. This article from the Religion News Service is a helpful summery of what is going on now in The UMC:
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Calendar of Events
Weekly Recurring:
Sunday: Sunday Worship at 11am (CST) on Facebook Live
Wednesday: Pastor's Bible Study via Zoom at 7pm
Dates to Know:
2020:
Sept. 18-19, 2020- North Texas Conference Annual Conference at St. Andrew UMC in Plano
2021:
Aug. 29-Sept. 7, 2021- United Methodist General Conference in Minneapolis, MN (final)
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