Dear Westwood Church Family, Today, October 4, is St. Francis Day - celebrated in many parts of the Christian church for the ways Francis of Assisi shaped our understanding of our relationship to our world and all its inhabitants. Born into wealth in late 12th Century...
Dear Westwood Church Family, I've been pondering this image over the past week, of a seedling and its roots. On the surface, a tiny tree is visible. Beneath the surface, a delicate and extensive web of networked roots connects that visible plant to its home. These...
Dear Westwood Church Family, When we became a Reconciling United Methodist Church, we adopted the following statement: In an address aimed toward the whole United Methodist Church, the President of our Council of Bishops, Tom Bickerton, challenged us to “be the architects of a renewed, revived and...
Dear Westwood Church Family, When we became a Reconciling United Methodist Church, we adopted the following statement: "We, the faith community of Westwood Church, affirm that a God-filled perspective understands and embraces diversity and radical inclusivity; for that reason we embrace and affirm the full inclusion of...
Dear Westwood Church Family, I've had "Home" from The Wiz stuck in my head all day: "When I think of home, I think of a place where there's love overflowing...
Dear Westwood Church Family, I was recently asked, “Do you believe in a higher power?” Uh. Yes. But then I had to explain it (somewhat). So this is what I wrote: DO YOU BELIEVE IN A HIGHER POWER? Yes. I love the second story of creation in the Book...
Dear Westwood Church Family, This past Saturday, many of our Westwood UMC staff members met up for a day of visioning together. In the busyness of our lives and shared ministry, it's a rare and lovely gift to have time to dream together. It helped me notice...
Dear Westwood Church Family, On vacation in France this month, we stopped in a beautiful hillside village near the Gorges du Verdon, called Moustiers-Sainte-Marie. Above the winding streets of the village, we walked up worn stairs to visit the 12th century church above; since long before...
Dear Westwood family, I am very pleased to welcome Everest Harvey to our church staff, as Director of Youth and Social Justice; Everest officially begins this work tomorrow, and we will have the chance to welcome them on Sunday in worship in The Sanctuary and The...
Dear Westwood family, This coming Sunday August 6th, Pastor Diana and I will be speaking in The Loft about the role and importance of creating a community where all people - including our children - feel like they belong. In my preparation for this Sunday I...