ProFuture Faith
8 week series of DVD & Discussion
by Michael Dowd
“Ecology is the heart of theology.”
Sunday, June 16th
Week 1
Un-Trivializing God:
Reality as Thou
10:30 am in the Celebration Center
We can re-imagine our relationship to the divine and to our environment by seeing God as primary reality, not a separate being, not magical but imbued in all of Nature.
A Progressive United Methodist Church
A Word From Our Pastor
October Message
There is so much to be grateful for at Saint Francis, and this month we will be celebrating many of our blessings.
The first Sunday in October we will celebrate “World Communion Sunday,” a day when all the United Methodist Churches around the world join with a few other protestant denominations to mark the Great Thanksgiving with gratitude for our differences in this common expression of faith. This is also the day when we will celebrate Saint Francis (the actual saint), as well as the beginning of our church, Saint Francis in the Foothills United Methodist Church. On the second Sunday in October, we will celebrate the national “Coming Out/Be Yourself” Sunday with a special commentary from one of our former associate pastors, Reverend Susan Morgan. The third Sunday of the month, October 20th, we will include a "Blessing of the Animals", and the fourth Sunday, October 27th, we are planning a special celebration of our elders. Yes, we have many reasons to be grateful.
Gratitude is a powerful emotion that can help us live life more fully. When we make a point of focusing on the positive aspects of our lives that bring us joy, we can feel more confident, energized, and inspired.
We remember that we can affect positive change in the world, and our lives seem less dark and depressing. Of course, we don’t want to ignore real problems or turn a blind eye to injustices, but purposefully counting our blessings can be a good antidote to the bombardment of negativity we sometimes experience in news reports and campaign ads.
I hope you can find the time each day to consider what is going well in your life, and I hope it brings you authentic joy. For myself, I’m truly grateful for the opportunity to serve at Saint Francis in the Foothills UMC.
Peace and blessings,
Pastor Mike