Hymn for Trinity Sunday

Fountain of life divine

The Three in One we know,

The Father, Son, and Spirit join

To quicken all below; a

Each Person of the Three

The breath of lives inspires;

And then we rise our God to see,

And do what he requires.

Spiritual life t’ impart

The Father’s power we feel;

The Son doth the same power exert

And quickens whom he will:

The quick’ning Spirit stirs

Infusing his own grace;

And the whole Trinity concurs,

Me from the dead to raise.

~ Charles Wesley

Worship with us tomorrow

Illustration of the Hospitality of Abraham.

Join us Sunday for worship at 10:15 a.m. in person or online at this link. We will celebrate communion. If you are participating at home, please provide yourself with bread or crackers (any type) and juice (any kind). 

Preview Sunday's bulletin at this link.

Pilot Prayer Partner Project

So many things are happening in the world, and for a time like this, we must go back to the basics of discipleship. Jesus often prayed.

“And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray.” (Matthew 14:23a, NRSV)

The essential spiritual practice of discipleship will bring you closer to Christ through encountering God’s grace in prayer. 

Pre-registration is available now! The Pilot Prayer Partner Project launches in September 2023. In the meantime, you and your partner can start the prayer project at any time. A first instructional email will be sent out at the end of August. Beginning in September, you will get a biweekly Prayer Toolbox email with prayer partner questions/activities, resources such as books, and complimentary webinars on prayer by The Upper Room staff.

Click the link below to pre-register for the Pilot Prayer Partner Project and learn more as soon as it becomes available: Pre-Register Today!

June's Ladies Lunch Bunch

The June gathering of the Ladies Lunch Bunch was a lively encounter with eleven turning out on an overcast day at Murphy's in Louisville.

The next gathering will take place on July 6th at Parma Trattoria, 1132 W. Dillon Blvd. in Louisville. Please let hostess Judy W. know if you plan to attend. 🧡

Today in Methodist History

On this day in 1751 John Wesley resigns his fellowship at Lincoln College [Oxford University].

Elected in 1726, John Wesley was most active as a Fellow of the College in the late 1720s and early 1730s. Though he was increasingly absent with his travels and preaching, he returned to Lincoln to give sermons and participate in College business. Wesley formally resigned his fellowship upon his marriage.

A prayer for Pride Month

 

GCAH kicks off Pride Month with collection, initiatives

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Madison, N.J. – In recognition of Pride Month that begins today to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, Dr. Ashley Boggan, general secretary of the Commission on Archives and History, announces a number of special initiatives, including the acquisition of documents from the Rev. Karen Dammann, who in 2003 became the first United Methodist clergyperson to be put on trial for “practices incompatible with Christian teaching” after she disclosed that she was a lesbian. The personal papers, court documents and journals will be housed as part of GCAH’s permanent collection.

The collection will be on display at the United Methodist Archives and History Center on the campus of Drew University.

“We are honored to add the historic documents associated with Rev. Dammann’s trial to the GCAH repository,” Boggan says. “Part of our emphasis is to intentionally collect and preserve the stories of LGBTQ+ Methodists.”

In addition to the news about the Dammann documents, GCAH also announces a new grant to support research projects that relate to LGBTQ+ Methodist history. The $1,000 grant is named in memory of the Rev. Dr. Ken Rowe, who served as GCAH’s Methodist Librarian for 32 years.

“Ken was a pioneer in expanding the narrative of Methodists, specifically to include LGBTQ+ Methodists,” Boggan says. “He had a brilliant way of rethinking and reshaping Methodist histories that allow our pasts to truly speak to and even shape United Methodism today.”

Applications for the grant, which is funded by a private and anonymous donor, can be made by sending a research proposal, budget narrative, two letters of recommendation and a CV to Boggan at aboggan@gcah.org and Michelle Merkel-Brunskill at mmerkel@gcah.org. Deadline for applications is July 31, 2023. Learn more.

Later this month, GCAH will release a research guide intended to aid in LGBTQ+-specific research for Drew University and GCAH’s respective collections. Rose Sharon, a PhD student studying Theological and Philosophical Studies in Religion at Drew University and a graduate intern at GCAH, developed the guide.

“Constructing this guide was an exciting adventure for me not only as a scholar, but also as a queer and trans person of faith,” Sharon says. “Digging through the GCAH archives and learning about the history of LGBTQ+ concerns in relation to The UMC was both thrilling and shocking. As I explored the passionate, scandalous moments of this history — from the implementation of the ‘incompatibility clause’ to the current season of disaffilation within The UMC -- I came to have a deeper appreciation not only for queer resistance, but also for the adaptive nature of our faith structures. By wrestling with contemporary social issues, we begin the process of celebrating our many differences as a holy community and welcoming all people into the sacred doors of the church.”

To further support the LGBTQ+ community, a special episode of “Un-Tied Methodism” will air on July 20. This conversation between Dammann and the Rev. Bob Ward was recorded in March 2023 on the 20^th anniversary of Dammann’s trial. Ward served as Dammann’s clergy counsel during the trial.