Learning together

- From the Mountain Sky Conference website:

Our faith and life journey is one of continual learning and practicing; discipleship. As we continue to journey together as the Mountain Sky Conference of the United Methodist Church, we would like to lift up a few resources for our joint learning, repentance, and work in dismantling racism. 

From Discipleship Ministries of the UMC:
How to Have a Courageous Conversation: Racism
 
From the Commission on Religion and Race of the UMC:
RESOURCE— Implicit Bias: Small Group Facilitator's Package
New resource serves as a supplement to the Implicit Bias online course.

NEW PODCAST — Expanding the Table
Episode 1& 2 are out. Episode 3 coming soon!

Virtual National United Methodist Men's gathering

The General Commission on United Methodist Men announces the 2021 Virtual National Men’s Gathering. The gathering will be held, Saturday, August 28. The event will begin at 9:00am and will end around 3:00pm. 

Registration for the gathering is required. You may register by going to bit.ly/umm21.

Dinner Circles are coming back!

We are beginning to connect socially at St. Paul's. amd Dinner Circles are one of the connectors we will be using to continue our growth. New Circle groups will be organized by late October and we are hoping the existing groups will have an opportunity to gather before then. 

Be creative, have fun, and enjoy Christian fellowship and food.

Questions? Contact Marcia H.

Global Ministries and UMCOR’s ongoing response to COVID-19

Global Ministries and UMCOR continue to work with partners in India and other countries to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 and treat patients who contract the virus.

Additional grants have been approved for “Vaccinate Vellore,” a project of Christian Medical College in Vellore, India, and to the Hyderabad Annual Conference of the Methodist Church of India to purchase an ambulance to transport those who are ill to an isolation center established by the church.

Partners in Sri Lanka and Nepal are receiving funds for information campaigns, PPE and the support of vulnerable children and others in lockdown.

Health boards in the Burundi, Central Congo, Mozambique, North Katanga, South Congo and Zimbabwe Episcopal Areas are receiving funds to assist their relief efforts.

Read more at this link.

Wednesday with the Wesleys

 

The Right to Vote Matters

We stand in a most critical moment in United States history. Democracy is threatened by the many attempts, at every level of government, to suppress the vote.

People of faith see fair representation, voting rights, and accountability for elected leaders as moral issues of utmost importance. Common sense reforms that modernize voter registration for all, provide for transparency in financing campaigns, and uphold ethics provisions will help us restore faith in election integrity. 

Our United Methodist positions say that a fair and inclusive democracy is about dignity for all. I ask that you support the passage of legislation that upholds and makes available free and transparent access for citizens to exercise their right to vote, works for real campaign finance reform, and restores integrity and standards for the work of public officials across all levels of government in the U.S.

Read more at this link.

This week @ St. Paul's UMC

 Wednesday:

9:00 a.m., Wednesday Weeders

10:00 a.m., Wednesday Virtual Fellowship

6:30 p.m., Virtual Mission u

Thursday:

3:00 p.m., Virtual Women's Book Group

6:30 p.m., Virtual Mission u

Saturday:

5:00 p.m., Facebook Live with Bishop Oliveto

Sunday:

9:00 a.m., Adult class

10:15 a.m., Worship

11:15 a.m., Fellowship

12:30 a.m., BBKC

Scripture lessons for August 1

As we continue through the summer months and the sermon series from the Apocrypha, our lessons will come from John 6:24-35 and Wisdom 1:1-16. 

July 25 @ St. Paul's UMC: Prayers

Joys:

+Marcia & Dennis H. have a copy of their son-in-law's new book, Healthcare Systems in the US available in the church library.

+Christopher W. has been promoted to lead instructor at 160 Driving Academy.

+Claudia M. is thankful that her granddaughters are here for a visit.

+Belinda A. gives thanks for the successful beginning to the on-line Mission u.

+We give thanks for our blog which posted entry #1,500 this past week.

+We pray for those involved in the Olympic movement and particularly those participating in the Tokyo games.

+We give thanks for this week's birthdays: Jerry B., Joyce B., and Skippy R.

+We were blessed this morning through the music of Lorie Courier (piano), Wally Cleaveland (saxophone), Tim Cook (adult class/trombone), and Ron Revier (soloist). We also give thanks for Belinda Alkula (video/Zoom); Jim Vander Vorste (usher); Rebecca Glancy (liturgist); Etta Levitt (Zoom usher); Pat Muckle (fellowship time). 

Concerns:

+We pray for those continuing to be impacted by the continuing ravages of the pandemic.

+Prayers are asked for those affected by the extremes of weather-related events including flooding, drought, and fire.

+We join with people across the USA in mourning the deaths of 309 due to gun violence.

July 25 @ St. Paul's UMC: Announcements

 

+Ways to donate to St. Paul’s: You can leave a check or cash in the collection plate at the back of the sanctuary; you can use our online giving link to make a safe and secure onetime or recurring donation by going to this link; or you can text to give (but not during Pastor Charles’s sermon!) by texting the amount you’d like to give to 720-740-3664. First-time givers will be prompted to provide their payment method via a secure web page. We appreciate your steadfast devotion and stewardship to our church! 

+Zoom in on Sunday mornings! Church members and friends can join our live in-person worship services via Zoom. Whether you prefer to worship at home or are on the road, join us or invite a friend. The link is sent by email every Friday. Please notify the office if you want to add a friend to the mailing list. 

+Ladies Lunch Bunch will meet Thursday, August 5, at BJ’s in Boulder at 11:45 a.m. Please let Joan Cooper know you are coming by August 3 (303-898-8034).

+Each week, Pastor Charles provides a lesson from The Wired Word, an adult study that connects events from the week's headlines with lessons from the scriptures. If you would like to receive the weekly lesson from The Wired Word, please contact the church office or Pastor Charles.

+Larry Esposito has an article, "An up close and personal insight to the rings of Saturn" on the Innovation News Network website.

July 25 @ St. Paul's UMC: Worship

9th Sunday after Pentecost

Today’s Meditation Verse: “I ask that you’ll know the love of Christ that is beyond knowledge so that you will be filled entirely with the fullness of God.” —Ephesians 3:19 

Welcome...Pastor Charles 

Prelude…Lorie Courier / “Brethren, We Have Met to Worship” 

Call to Worship (Psalm 14:2 & 7 CEB)...Rebecca Glancy  

The Lord looks down from heaven on humans to see if anyone is wise, to see if anyone seeks God, Let Israel’s salvation come out of Zion! When the Lord changes the people’s circumstances for the better, Jacob will rejoice; Israel will celebrate! 

Hymn…“When Morning Gilds the Skies” (UMH #185) 

Litany from the Inside*...Rebecca Glancy 

Love me from the inside out God. Take the thoughts I hide deep inside and burn them with Your purifying fire. Love me from the inside out, God. Take the root of my mistrust and deaden their hold on my life. Love me from the inside out, God. Take the thoughts that run freely in my mind and trap them in Your grace. Love me from the inside out, God. Take the hope You have planted in me and nourish it with the support of the church. Love me from the inside out, God. Take the gift of the Spirit living in me and ignite Your love to lead me to Your service. Love me from the inside out, God. Take Your love in me and let it infuse my living. Love me from the inside out, God.

Reprinted by permission of the publisher from Before the Amen, eds. Maria I. Tirabassi and Maren C. Tirabassi. © 2007 The Pilgrim Press

Offering/Doxology 

Community prayer requests, concerns, and celebrations... Pastor Charles will read prayer requests written on index cards. If you have a prayer request to share aloud, please hand your index card to the usher. 

Moment of Silence and Reflection Pastoral Prayer / The Lord’s Prayer...Pastor Charles 

Gospel Lesson: John 6:1-13 ...Rebecca Glancy 

Special Music...Lorie Courier & Ron Revier / “Be Thou My Vision” 

Second Lesson: Sirach 51:1-5, 13-30...Pastor Charles                                                            Pastor: This is the Word of God for the people of God. People: Thanks be to God. 

Sermon...Pastor Charles / “How much does wisdom cost?” 

Hymn for the Journey...“Spirit Song” (UMH #347) 

Words for the Journey...Pastor Charles 

Postlude...Lorie Courier / “When We All Get to Heaven”                             

A Litany of Praise from Sirach

After Sirach 51:12, the Hebrew text gives the litany of praise contained below. It is similar to Psalm 136. Though not found in any version, and therefore of doubtful authenticity, the litany seems from internal evidence to go back to the time of Ben Sira.

Give praise to the LORD, for the Lord is good, for God’s love endures forever;

Give praise to the God of glory, for God’s love endures forever;

Give praise to the Guardian of Israel, for God’s love endures forever;

Give praise to the creator of all things, for God’s love endures forever;

Give praise to the redeemer of Israel, for God’s love endures forever;

Give praise to God who gathers the dispersed of Israel, for God’s love endures forever;

Give praise to God who builds the city and sanctuary, for God’s love endures  forever;

Give praise to God who makes a horn sprout forth for the house of David, for God’s love endures forever;

Give praise to God who has chosen the sons of Zadok as priests, for God’s love endures forever;

Give praise to the Shield of Abraham, for God’s love endures forever;

Give praise to the Rock of Isaac, for God’s love endures forever;

Give praise to the Mighty One of Jacob, for God’s love endures forever;

Give praise to God who has chosen Zion, for God’s love endures forever;

Give praise to the King, the king of kings, for God’s love endures forever.

God has lifted up the horn of the people! Let this be the praise from all the faithful,

From Israel, the people near to God. Hallelujah! 

Gun Violence Prevention

All forms of violence are detestable. God deplores violence. Jesus calls us to be peacemakers.

Guns make violence more deadly and more frequent. For example, domestic violence turns more deadly when guns are involved. Firearms are the most common method of suicide in countries where guns are prevalent in private households, according to data collected by the World Health Organization.

Data collected from the Small Arms Survey show armed violence contributes to crime, human trafficking, drug trafficking, gender-based violence, racial and ethnic conflicts, systemic economic inequities, persistent unemployment, and human rights abuses among other social problems.

According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, 70 percent of the guns used in crimes in Mexico were illegally trafficked from the United States. Similarly, 90 percent of all illegal rifles seized in 2013 in the Philippines were from the United States according to the Small Arms Survey. The Arms Trade Treaty, passed by the United Nations in 2013, if ratified and enforced, would help prevent arms from being traded across international borders into dangerous areas.

If we hope to end the scourge of gun violence, we need to have a cultural shift as well as a policy shift.

Read more at this link.

Sewing and reaping: the 70th anniversary of the US-2 program

God plants seeds every year as new classes of young adult missionaries are commissioned by Global Ministries and sent out to their assignments. US-2 missionaries, who serve in the U.S. outside their home communities, have been commissioned each year since the founding of the program in 1951.

It is difficult to keep track of where the individuals go after they leave the two-year program, what they end up doing and how their mission experience influences the rest of their lives. Reflection on those years of service often changes throughout the participants’ lives depending on their ages and which dormant seeds have sent out new shoots of possibilities.

Read more at this link.

Global Hunger & Poverty

There are 836 million people living in extreme poverty. Children and elderly are particularly at risk, and nearly half of all deaths in children under five are attributable to under-nutrition.

At the same time, we know that enough food is produced globally to feed everyone. And the wealth of the eight richest people in the world is now equal to that of the poorest 3.6 billion people combined.

These people struggling with poverty and hunger are across the world from us and right next-door. They are United Methodists sitting in pews and those that United Methodists serve through ministries.

Jesus’ own concern for human need in his ministry is a model for the Church’s concern. We must not become indifferent to the plight of those suffering hunger and poverty. The United Methodist Church has called upon its members to repent for the existence of human hunger and for an increased commitment to end world hunger and poverty.

Read more at this link.

Words to guide us

From the United Church of Canada

 This is our 1,500th blog post!

Wednesday with the Wesleys

 

Spiritual Pilgrimage to Heart Mountain WWII Japanese American Confinement Site

The Racial Justice Movement and Ministries Task Force (RJMM) of the Mountain Sky Conference will host a Spiritual Pilgrimage to the Heart Mountain WWII Japanese American Confinement Site on Saturday, September 18th, 2021. The intent of this trip is to learn both the history and what it means for us today; as community members and as disciples of Jesus Christ, practicing how to be anti-racist and together build beloved community.

We will be meeting at the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center at 1 pm MT. We will be there for about 3 hours.

Our time together will continue at Cody UMC, for additional learning, conversation, prayer, communal reflection, and dinner.
 
Registration Cost is $30.
 
Lodging Options: Special lodging prices are available until August 17th, 2021.

Please call the hotel directly to book your room. When making your reservation, please say it is with the “Mountain Sky Conference UMC” Group.
 
Comfort Inn – 307-587-5556
$179.00 plus 11% tax per room/per night. 1-4 persons per room. 5 rooms are available.
 
Buffalo Bill (Cabin) Village – 307-587-5544
$169.00 plus 11% tax per room/per night. 1-4 person per room
20 rooms are available. Rooms at this rate are available for the nights of September 17 - 19.
 
If you would like to lodge with others, you are encouraged to make those arrangements (who you are lodging with) and secure the hotel reservation directly with the hotel. If you are not sure who to lodge with and would like 1 roommate, please indicate this on the online registration form and you will be assigned a roommate. In addition, please indicate which nights you will be staying. The cost per night will be $84.50 plus tax.
 
If you are interested in attending and would like to carpool or would like a ride, please contact the Rev. Bich Thy (Betty) Nguyen. We will try our best to make arrangements and/or connections.

 
Online Registration will be made available soon.
 
Please contact Rev. Nguyen if you have any questions at bnguyen@mtnskyumc.org.

Prayers for the on-going fire season

As wildfires in the western United States show signs of yet another devastating season ahead, UMCOR is in prayer for those who have already experienced the danger of wildfires this year, for those that will be in the path of wildfires as they spread, and also for communities that are still in the process of rebuilding from previous fires.

We’re thankful for the hard work and dedication of conference disaster response coordinators and continue our support of their preparedness efforts.

Learn more at this link.

This week @ St. Paul's UMC

Wednesday

10:00 a.m. Midweek Zoom fellowship

6:30 p.m. Virtual Mission u

Thursday 

3:00 p.m. Women’s book group 

6:30 p.m. Virtual Mission u

Saturday:

5:00 p.m., Facebook Live with Bishop Oliveto

Sunday

9:00 a.m. Adult discussion group 

10:15 a.m. Worship service 

11:30 a.m. Fellowship time 

12:30 p.m. BBKC worship service

Scripture lessons for July 25

Monarch Butterfly migration - Iraan, Texas 2011

We are moving through July at a steady clip but before we turn the page on the calendar we will be reading John 6:1-13 and Sirach 51:1-5, 13-30.

July 18 @ St. Paul's UMC: Prayers

Joys:

+Sally & Harry O. give thanks for the arrival of a new baby in the family, Chase, to their nephew Chris.                                                                                                                   +We give thanks for the friends participating in worship via Zoom.                               +We celebrate this week's birthdays: Steve B., Austin C., Marcia H., and Alex W.     +Our thanks and appreciation to Belinda Alkula (recording/Zoom); Martha Batch/Molly Nunnery (Counters); the Bishop family (flowers); Wally Cleaveland (saxophone); Louise Cook (pianist); Tim Cook (adult class/trombone); Austin Cooper (usher); Rebecca Glancy (liturgist); Fellowship Committee (fellowship).

Concerns:

+We lift in prayer all those who are worried or overwhelmed.                                           +We lift up in prayer all those affected by the on-going wildfires in the western US and those affected by the flooding in Europe.                                                                       +We join with people across the United States in mourning the deaths of 254 in gun violence this past week.                                                                                                    +We lift up in our prayers those being affected by the increasing number of Covid-19 infections in Boulder County.

July 18 @ St. Paul's UMC: Announcements

+Ways to donate to St. Paul’s: You can leave a check or cash in the collection plate at the back of the sanctuary; you can use our online giving link to make a safe and secure onetime or recurring donation by going to this link; or you can text to give (but not during Pastor Charles’s sermon!) by texting the amount you’d like to give to 720-740-3664. First time givers will be prompted to provide their payment method via a secure web page. We appreciate your steadfast devotion and stewardship to our church! 

+Zoom in on Sunday mornings! Thanks to the dedication of Belinda and Pastor Charles, church members and friends can join our live in-person worship services via Zoom. Whether you prefer to worship at home or are on the road, join us or invite a friend. The link is sent by email every Friday. Please notify the office if you want to add a friend to the mailing list.

+Have you registered for the next "Raise Up Your Voice Against Racism" webinar? This is one that you won't want to miss! "Racism and the Latinx Community" July 20 at 6:00 pm. Register now at this link.

July 18 @ St. Paul's UMC: Worship

Wally, Tim, and Louise share their musical gifts

Fellowship time!

8th Sunday after Pentecost

Today’s Meditation Verse “Christ is our peace. He made both Jews and Gentiles into one group. With His body, He broke down the barrier of hatred that divided us.”                             —Ephesians 2:14 

Welcome...Pastor Charles 

Prelude…Louise Cook 

Call to Worship...Rebecca Glancy 

Praise be to God who reigns above the heavens. Praise be to God who dwells with our hearts. Let the majesty of creation worship in reverence. Let everyone pray in faith. Praise be to God.  —Reprinted by permission, Touch Holiness, Ruth C. Duck and Maren C. Tirabassi, eds. © 1990 The Pilgrim Press. 

Praise Hymn…“O Worship the King” (UMH #73) 

Litany of Fullness...Rebecca Glancy                                                                    

For God says, “I do not speak in vain. My words do not fall on unyielding ground and shall not return to me empty. I speak with confidence. My Word will return to me full of fruit. My voice waters the earth, and my breath gives it life. You who despair look up in hope. I speak with power. My Word will return to me full of fruit. My will is abundance; my intention for you is courage and healing and grace. I speak with compassion. My Word will return to me full of fruit. You shall go out with joy and be led back in peace. All of creation will join in the dance of your celebration! We are the fruit of Your Word, and we return to You full. —Reprinted by permission, Before the Amen, Maren C. Tirabassi and Maria I. Tirabassi, eds. © 2007 The Pilgrim Press. 

Offering/Doxology Community prayer requests, concerns, and celebrations                                Pastoral Prayer / The Lord’s Prayer...Pastor Charles 

Hymn of Response…“Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us” (UMH #381) 

Gospel Lesson: Mark 6:30-34, 53-56...Rebecca Glancy 

Special Music...Louise Cook / “I Love to Tell the Story” 

Second Lesson: Baruch 5:1-9...Pastor Charles 

This is the Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. 

Sermon...Pastor Charles / “The glory of God’s worship” 

Hymn for the Journey...“Go, Make of All Disciples” (UMH #571)

Words for the Journey...Pastor Charles 

Postlude...Louise Cook / “On Eagle’s Wings” (UMH #143) 

What we're all about

Good Samaritan window - Chartres Cathedral

"Let us renounce that bigotry and party-zeal which would contract our hearts into an insensibility for all the human race, but a small number whose sentiments and practices are so much our own, that our love to them us but self-love reflected. With an honest openness of mind, let us always remember that happy instinct whereby, in the original constitution of our nature, God has strongly bound us to each other."

John Wesley's Notes on the New Testament, Luke 10:37

Western Jurisdiction Meeting

 Hello Mountain Sky Conference,

The Western Jurisdiction is gathering for a Special Session on Saturday, July 17, 2021. Tune in at 11:00 AM Mountain:

• YouTube at https://youtu.be/h9g1CSdurSg,
• Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/wjumc, or the
• Western Jurisdiction website at https://westernjurisdictionumc.org/special-session/ to watch the virtual Zoom session.

Bishop Robert Hoshibata The retirement of the Phoenix Area Episcopal Leader, Bishop Robert T. Hoshibata, is the only item scheduled for the legislative session. Other things to take place are: Worship. A celebration of Bishop Hoshibata's ministry. Reporting from the Five Work Teams from the 2016 Western Jurisdiction Conference. Small-group conversations for the delegates.

Visit https://westernjurisdictionumc.org to find the preliminary written reports from the Five Work Teams and find recent news from the Western Jurisdiction.

We look forward to the honoring of our colleague, Bishop Hoshibata, (albeit virtually), worship, and additional presentations tomorrow.

UMCOR at work

In response to May’s violent conflict in Israel and Palestine, UMCOR’s support of regional partner Anera is providing critical relief for hundreds of internally displaced families.

Locally sourced items, assembled into hygiene kits, have been distributed to the most affected families in Gaza City and north Gaza. Water and toiletries are meeting basic needs, while cleaning supplies and hand sanitizer are helping to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as families stay in displacement centers or with friends and family members.

Wednesday with the Wesleys

 

Climate justice is everyone's business

Climate Vigil at GC2016 - Portland, Oregon

As revealed through the creation story of the Bible, humankind has struggled from our earliest days to live in right relationship with the created world, with each other and with God. God’s vision of shalom invites all of creation to know wholeness and harmony and yet too often we have treated creation simply as a resource for humankind’s use.

“All creation is the Lord’s, and we are responsible for the ways in which we use and abuse it. Water, air, soil, minerals, energy resources, plants, animal life, and space are to be valued and conserved because they are God’s creation and not solely because they are useful to human beings.”

• — United Methodist Social Principles, ¶160

Today, we understand more deeply than ever before, the profound consequences of our failure to serve as caretakers of God’s creation. Ecological crises and extreme poverty are a reflection of our inability to share the abundance God has entrusted to our care. Ever-expanding scientific knowledge helps us better understand and informs our response to challenges ranging from the health impacts of environmental toxins to the threats posed by climate change.

United Methodists are called to a ministry of reconciliation between God, humankind and creation. In and alongside frontline communities experiencing environmental injustices, we are participating in God’s healing of creation. Through acts of personal, social and civic righteousness, United Methodists are modeling a new lifestyle and advocating for God’s people and God’s planet so that all God’s children can share in the goodness of Creation.

Read more at this link.

This week @ St. Paul's UMC

                                    

Wednesday   

9:00 a.m., Wednesday Weeders

10:00 a.m., Boulder/Baseline Circuit (pastor)

                                                    10:00 a.m., Zoom fellowship                                                                                 

Thursday 

3:00 p.m., Women’s Summer Book Group 

Saturday

5:00 p.m., Bishop Oliveto on Facebook Live

Sunday  

9:00 a.m., Adult discussion group 

10:15 a.m., Worship Service 

11:30 a.m., Fellowship Time 

 12:30 p.m. BBKC worship service