29 Jun Looking Forward

Dear Westwood Church family,

I had an incredible experience last week, with young people from our church participating in the Sierra Service Project on the Navajo Nation in northeastern Arizona. I’m inspired by our Grapplers, who showed commitment and compassion during the experience.

On our way home, we stopped by the Grand Canyon. Looking across that great chasm–from rim to rim it averages 10 miles across–it’s easy to lose track of the scale of it all. “You should preach a sermon about that,” one of our Grapplers told me.

Earlier in the week, we visited Canyon de Chelly, a National Monument near where we were staying on the Navajo Nation. We were there just before sunset, when the light is so spectacular; we were guided through several stations for personal reflection and communal support. We stayed there as the sun went behind the hills, on a long day just after the summer solstice. I was moved by the beauty of this canyon–immense enough that it invited me to stop in awe, but not as incomprehensibly large as the Grand Canyon.

There’s something to be said for things that happen at a scale that is relatable at a human level: months and years rather than eons and millenia. Meters wide, rather than miles across. While I find grace in stepping back to consider how this moment fits into the many centuries of the story of our faith, I am also glad for annual occasions.

All of which is relevant this week, as I prepare to begin my fifth year as Senior Pastor here at Westwood UMC on July 1st. I’m excited about this moment in the life of our congregation, grateful to have clergy partners in ministry like Christopher Carter and Diana Holbert. I’m inspired by lay leaders in the church, volunteers and those on our staff. I’m ready to celebrate what we’ve come through these past years, and to joyously move onward into God’s vision for our future.

grace and peace,
Pastor Molly

On Sunday, we’ll have a Potluck Picnic on the Courtyard at 12noon! This is an opportunity for our whole congregation to come together for fellowship and food. Bring a side dish to share when you come to worship, and leave it in the courtyard kitchen so it can be set out for lunch after The Loft and after our Wisdom at Westwood class. Sign up here to help or to tell us what you’re bringing.