Greetings Westwood UMC Family, This week, the Claremont School of Theology is hosting its first in-person classes on their new Westwood Campus, on our church campus; they are hosting two inter-term classes on campus this week. The renovation projects that are preparing the lower level of...
Greetings Westwood UMC Family, I pray this message finds you all doing well and that the new year has gotten off to a good start. As I am sure you are aware, today is a National Holiday, a day when we celebrate the life and legacy...
Greetings Westwood Family, Like me, you may have read news articles about splits and division in the United Methodist Church in recent weeks and months. Last month, a New York Times story described what's been happening through the lens of a large church in Texas that's...
Greetings Westwood Family, I pray this message finds you all doing well and that your New Year is off to an excellent start. For some, the new year marks an opportunity to make a concerted effort to change and grow; we often refer to this as...
I will light candles this Christmas. Candles of joy, despite all the sadness. Candles of hope where despair keeps watch. Candles of courage where fear is ever present. Candles of peace for tempest-tossed days. Candles of grace to ease heavy burdens. Candles of love to inspire all of my living. Candles that...
Dear Friends, In Christ’s birth, God becomes present among us. The divine and the humble are all wrapped up together. A child is laid in a manger, and heaven and earth erupt into song–singing of hope, and peace on earth. This year, may we have courage...
Dear Friends, I pray this note finds you all doing well during this holiday season. Throughout Advent the Loft community has been wrestling with the question, how does a weary world rejoice. And so, even as I write words of hope and wellness, I recognize that...
Dear Westwood Family, There are three, interconnecting prayers on my mind, today: First, a prayer of gratitude for art that has been deepening my prayer practice this season. The collage posted here, made by Liberty Worth of our congregation, is one of several pieces that hangs in...
Dear Westwood Family, A friend of mine moved to Italy this year. Last week, she noted that although the Thanksgiving holiday was an ocean away, Black Friday found her in Rome. Here, in these days of Advent, we find ourselves pulled by the festive traditions and...
Dear Westwood Family, I hope this note finds you all doing well as we move ever closer to the holiday season. Although I missed worship last week, I have heard that both worship and the Thanksgiving lunch went really well. For those of you who didn't...