Greater NW Area Blog - Greater Northwest Area of The United Methodist Church

The morning after…

Nov. 6, 2024 – On this morning after a contentious election cycle, GNW Area Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth shares this reminder of the people we are called to be in community.

Transcript

Hello all. I know for some this morning is hard, and it should be.

For some, there’s opportunities to revel and celebrate the elections in the United States. Our job, our call, our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. And in our disciple-making, and in our understanding of what it is to be disciples of Jesus Christ, that has and always will include caring for the immigrant, the stranger, the widow, those who sojourn with us, those we know and those we do not. We lead with love. We extend grace and practice acts of mercy, one with another.

This day is unlike a day that we’ve seen before, but it’s one that calls for us to dig deep in our spirituality, to rely on our Wesleyan heritage and to trust in and care for one another.

I want you to know that as your bishop, I am praying with each and every one of you. Your political persuasion does not matter to me. What matters is your commitment to Christ, your willingness to care for one another, your quest to be well and to follow the words of the text that says to “go and do likewise.”

Those cannot just be words on a page for us in this season and in those to come. We have to make the teachings of Christ center in our lives. We have to care for those who are most vulnerable in our midst. We have to get outside of our church walls and get to know our neighbors and our neighborhoods, speak truth to power, and never let go of this unending love that God extends to us.

May we share that love with one another. May we seek out those who are now very, very afraid. Offer prayer, offer food, offer shelter, support asylum, and continue to call for an end, a ceasefire to all wars in this land and in those around the world.

We’ll continue to be in conversation and in dialogue with one another as we continue to understand discipleship and live as disciples of Jesus Christ in this age so that there is an age to come.

God bless you, and let us continue being disciples of Jesus Christ and making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. This is not the time to rest. And I ask you, do not grow weary in well doing.

Amen.

Conference treasurers discuss new Benefits/HR position and collaborative vision

Wednesday, September 4, 2024 • Interview by Patrick Scriven

This week, the Greater Northwest Area announced a candidate search for a new Director of Benefits and Human Resources. The position is the first step toward a vision of shared administrative services across the area, following several years of intense planning and conversations. Once hired, the Director of Benefits and Human Resources will resource and support the Alaska (AK), Oregon-Idaho (OR-ID, and Pacific Northwest (PNW) Conferences of The United Methodist Church and its local churches and ministries.

I spoke with Sara Goetze, OR-ID Acting Treasurer and Controller, and Brant Henshaw, AK/PNW Treasurer and Director of Administrative Services, to better understand this position and how it fits their larger vision for the area. Our conversation has been edited for brevity and to provide clarity.

So, thank you, Brant and Sara, for taking the time to explore this new position and the idea of shared services with me. How did we get to this point?

Brant Henshaw (BH): In 2018, we began to discuss overlap and collaboration, particularly in finance and administration. Dan Wilson-Fey (OR-ID Treasurer and Benefits Officer who retired in 2022), Sandra Reinemer, and I compiled a spreadsheet of common tasks and differences across our three conferences. We also considered the distinct ways each conference handled benefits because of increased cross-conference appointments.

Examining the similarities in our administrative work helped us see the opportunity for more collaboration. The pandemic also forced us out of our silos as we pulled together to resource churches during a crisis moment. It also highlighted issues that can emerge when we aren’t aligned.

As conversations progressed, our focus has been on aligning our resourcing, not a merger. A merger may happen someday, but it is not part of our plans.

Sara Goetze (SG): And our bishop (Cedrick Bridgeforth) has been clear about that.

In our discussions, we have been working on talking the same language and trying to solve the same problems. This has also included shifts for each conference regarding platforms and procedures, with everyone contributing some discomfort to the cause. Other changes, like an adjustment to align the dates when local church statistics are due, were painless, with churches in OR-ID receiving a few additional weeks for reporting.

I imagine this continuity is helpful for staff and also less confusing for clergy serving in a cross-conference appointment.

SG: Correct.

Our conversations have continued over the past two years, moving beyond staff to engage other key stakeholders. Currently, an implementation team with representatives from the OR-ID and PNW Conferences is meeting regularly to discuss each conference’s needs, review potential positions, and ensure that the staff of any shared administrative office works with and is accountable to existing conference boards. We expect the full fruit of their work to come before members of each conference sometime over the next 12 months.

BH: So, it’s kind of a stay-tuned moment. For now, let me say that more collaboration would allow us to offer more specialization and resiliency, meaning local churches would have access to more expertise and better service without an increase in apportionments.

Still, even if we move toward a shared office or team offering administrative services, we will continue to operate out of the existing conference offices with staff in both locations. For this new position, we are open to them working out of the office in Portland or Des Moines.

Brant, earlier, you mentioned Dan Wilson-Fey, who retired in 2022. I know there have been several other retirements and transitions since 2018. How have these impacted your strategizing for more collaboration and planning for this new position?

BH: Any change in staffing can be an opportunity to adjust and consider what is different and how an organizational shift might be practical to meet the moment better.

Director of Benefits and Human Resources

The Greater Northwest Area (GNW) of The United Methodist Church is actively seeking a Director of Benefits and Human Resources to oversee all aspects of the GNW’s Benefits and Human Resources Department. This role is responsible for benefit administration and programming for GNW active and retired clergy, Conference and Board of Camp and Retreat Ministries staff; budget coordination; cash, investment, and trust management. The ideal candidate will also be responsible for administering the GNW human resource policies in collaboration with the Area Human Resources Personnel Committee.

The deadline for receiving applications is October 1, 2024. If you know of someone who might be interested, please have them: Click Here to Apply.

GNW is an Equal Opportunity Employer and actively seeks and encourages applications from minorities, women, and individuals with disabilities. All offers of employment are subject to the applicant successfully completing background, reference, and other applicable checks.

Dan’s retirement and other experienced and foreseeable transitions have been part of our conversations. Over the past few years, both the OR-ID and PNW Conferences have had several impactful staff transitions. It isn’t coincidental that I submitted the first formal proposal for a shared office in 2022, the same year Dan and PNW Assistant Treasurer Rik Jamieson retired.

As we have been having earnest conversations about shared services in finance, administration, and benefits, we have been trying to make space, including leaving some positions empty, for the possibility of shared services to become a reality.

Another big retirement looming for the Alaska and PNW Conference was announced at our (PNW) Annual Conference, long-serving PNW Benefits Officer Bruce Galvin. How does this relate to that?

BH: Bruce’s plan to retire in 2026 goes a long way toward explaining why we are hiring for this position now rather than waiting for the completion of other ongoing conversations. Both conferences have some existing needs that are already unfilled that this position will cover, but right now, we also have an opportunity for overlap. We aim to provide continuity and avoid any disruption that might impact services.

SG: In the OR-ID office, our need for a benefits officer is more pressing as benefits have gotten more complicated with the adoption of the Compass Retirement Plan by General Conference. There is a need for more direct communication with clergy about that plan and for managing the three legacy plans. Some of the human resourcing elements of the position are more pressing for the Alaska and PNW Conferences. Moving forward now is a win-win for the area.

How are you going about this hiring process, and when do you expect whoever is hired to come online?

SG: We are working with GCFA (the denomination’s General Council on Finance and Administration) for the hiring process. Our goal is to have someone in place by the end of October or early November. GCFA will help advertise the position inside and outside the connection and support the interview process.

It is valuable to us to hire someone who can speak United Methodist if possible. Working with GCFA will help, as recruiting in this area with the Church is really hard.

How is this position going to be financed?

BH: The Director of Benefits and Human Resources will be funded by existing resources under the care of conference pensions boards, with no new apportioned dollars required. This is a blessing from the excellent stewarding work of our shared resources in the past.

How do this hiring and the efforts toward shared services relate to Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth’s conversations with each conference around setting ministry priorities?

BH: As we mentioned, these conversations around shared services have been ongoing for a long time. Of course, we will be respectful and responsive to what emerges from those conversations and are eager to see the results of those efforts.

That said, this new benefits/HR position will meet needs that exist today and will exist tomorrow, regardless of the ministry priorities each conference identifies.

Any last thoughts or hopes to share?

BH: We have learned that collaboration isn’t easy. Getting to this point has taken a lot of work, but we are starting to see the other side. While this work has asked a lot from us and a lot from those who have been having honest and direct conversations about our commonalities and differences, we know it will be a real benefit for those we are called to serve.

SG: Collaboration is the best path to sustainably resourcing our local churches and ministries and honoring our obligations. We see this position and the shared services office as an opportunity to provide more value while keeping costs neutral and saving money down the road.

In the short run, it would be easier to work in our silos. However, one of the strengths of United Methodism is our connectionalism. Why would we turn away from that?

Patrick Scriven serves as director of communications for the Pacific Northwest Conference of The United Methodist Church.

Bishop Bridgeforth previews next ‘Setting Ministry Priorities’ Conversation focused on exploring the purpose of our ministry

Conversations about mission, ministry, possible collaboration, and funding continue this week. All United Methodists in the GNW are encouraged to participate.

Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth invites all laity and clergy across the Greater Northwest (GNW) Area to a series of discussions to uncover each conference’s ministry priorities and staffing needs and our openness to more collaboration. In a new video,Bishop Cedrick previews the next conversations taking place this week.

Upcoming Conversation 5 will delve into our ‘Why,’ helping us to discuss the rationale that defines our purpose and drives our ministry so that there is always room for all to live as Jesus lived. This session will draw on resources from Rev. Dr. Lovett H. Weems Jr., a retired Methodist educator and theologian, and Simon Sinek, an author and inspirational speaker on business leadership.

Conversation #5 will take place on the following dates/times (each approximately 75 min.):

Oregon-Idaho Conference on August 7 at 6 p.m. PT
Alaska Conference on August 7 at 6:30 p.m. AKT
Pacific Northwest Conference on August 8 at 6 p.m. PT

Learn more and register for these and future online conversations at https://gnw-reg.brtapp.com/ministrypriorities

Attendees are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the following resources before attending:

All United Methodists in the GNW Area are encouraged to participate. Consider inviting every member of your congregation and ministry to attend this session or one of the future opportunities. Each conversation in this open process will build upon the previous ones; you can attend as many as you like.

We will begin sharing some of the ideas and data points that emerged from the previous sessions sometime next week. Recordings of Conversations 5, 6, and 7 will also be made available after they occur.

These conversations will inform each annual conference when members meet in a special session later this year to approve a 2025 budget for their conference that moves us closer toward aligning our funding with our ministry, staffing, programmatic, and budget priorities.

With General Conference over, our work begins now

A pastoral message from Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth

Bishop Cedrick D. Bridgeforth offers an informative and inspiring message for United Methodists in the Greater Northwest, highlighting several legislative accomplishments of a historic General Conference. His message connects the work of the delegates to the upcoming annual conference season, changes to the episcopacy in the jurisdiction, and our ongoing ministry in the Greater Northwest Area.

Watch Now

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A pastoral letter from Bishop Cedrick on the eve of the scheduled execution in Idaho of Thomas E. Creech

*Thomas Creech is a prisoner at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution outside of Boise and is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on Wednesday, February 28, 2024 at 10 a.m., local time.*

Thomas Eugene Creech is a child of God who was created in the image and likeness of God.

Life is a gift and blessing from our Creator. Life is not ours to take nor end. Even as the state determines it has the power to end a life, that does not mean it has the right, nor does that make it right. We have power and how much more powerful is life and love than damnation and death?

I have not met or spoken with Mr. Creech, but I have a bishop colleague who has met and engaged him in conversation. This bishop shared with me the humility and humanity he witnessed and felt in the presence of Mr. Creech. I imagine when one is aware that their life rests in the hands of a system that finds it easiest and more just to kill than extend clemency, humility is all that’s left alongside despair.

Mr. Creech’s execution is scheduled for 10 a.m. Mountain Standard Time tomorrow. I invite you all to be in prayer with me as we lament this action being taken by the State of Idaho. If you feel called, in an act of solidarity with other churches, please do ring your church bells at 10 a.m. MST to offer a physical manifestation of our collective grief.

May we work to end the death penalty, express humility, extend mercy, and expect grace in the face of the loveless acts that we now await and expect. God created each of us in God’s own image and likeness. We are all made of the same sinew and possibility as Mr. Thomas Eugene Creech.

Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth
resident bishop, GNW Episcopal Area

Pastoral Letter: Peace is our work, everywhere

Many people say, “We can’t find goodness anywhere.
The light of your face has left us, Lord!”
But you have filled my heart with more joy
than when their wheat and wine are everywhere!
I will lie down and fall asleep in peace
because you alone, Lord, let me live in safety.

Psalm 4:6-8, CEB

My family still resides in and around Decatur, Alabama. If you search Decatur, Alabama, you will learn that before the conflict in Palestine-Israel escalated to all-out war, Steve Perkins, a 39-year-old African-American man, was shot by several Decatur Police officers. Steve’s death on the front lawn of his home invoked outrage across the city and has sparked protests, rallies, memorials, and other calls for justice and peace. I did not know Steve, but I know Steve’s plight. I know what it means to be confronted with violence and live with the threat of death every time I leave my home. With Steve’s death, we add to the litany of unarmed Black men who died at the hands of state-sanctioned violence. I wonder if even being home is as safe as I tell myself it should be.

My heart aches for Steve’s family. It breaks for families in Israel and Gaza already suffering injury and loss. And it will break again for the Palestinians, Israelis and others who will be caught in the crossfire as war rages across the area. With people being held captive by colonialist borders and nationalist policies, there is limited personal and communal agency. With powers from far away dictating strategies and funding war efforts, colonization.

Our high aspiration for peace must always come through acts of justice and insurance of equity. We cannot expect peace if injustice and inequities are commonplace. Our pursuit of peace must begin before we hear gunfire or see bombed-out buildings. That work starts in our homes, neighborhoods, community gathering spaces, and churches as we call out and work against all manner of injustice and inequity – especially when we are not the ones directly affected. That’s one way we walk in solidarity with those who are unseen, forgotten, mistreated, or dehumanized.

Another way to work for peace in the land is to acknowledge our privilege, dismantle racism, rebut nationalism, and not shy away from calling out discriminatory acts against others. We may feel like the Greater Northwest has its own problems and that those problems are nowhere near as dire as what we are witnessing in Palestine-Israel or Decatur, Alabama, but that is not true.

War anywhere in the world is a sign that everyone has work to do. The only way we bury our heads in the sand is to deny the interconnected nature of life and our globalized economic and war-making alliances. Others may be firing guns and dropping bombs in Palestine-Israel, Ukraine, Sudan, or Alabama. Still, our country’s failure to have difficult conversations, resolve conflict and honor diverse viewpoints keeps us on the brink of war and economic collapse. When we are silent, apathetic, or too busy to bother with it, peace moves farther into the distance. If peace moves away, so does justice and equity.

Amid all that you are facing, holding, and trying to move forward, I pray the weight of these presenting conflicts will not slow or stop you from living as peaceably and boldly as you can. I pray that we will center equity and justice in all the spaces and places of your life to pursue peace constantly, calling attention to the injustice of war-making and anti-peace policies and actions – at home and abroad.

As Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” May these words serve as a daily reminder that today’s war on the other side of the globe impacts and is informed by how we live on this side. Let us not grow weary. Instead, let us continue with hope and in pursuit of peace in every place so that we can fall asleep and live lives in peace.

Peace in Palestine-Israel!
Justice for Steve!
Equity for All!
Amen!

Cedrick D. Bridgeforth
Resident Bishop, Greater Northwest Episcopal Area

The Council of Bishop’s released a statement condemning the violence in the Middle East that you can read here.

M.I.L.E. – 2023 Annual Conference Sermons

M.I.L.E. – 2023 Annual Conference Sermons by Cedrick D. Bridgeforth

Throughout the 2023 Annual Conference season across the Greater Northwest Area, Bishop Cedrick D. Bridgeforth offered a series of messages to provide direction to the area.

How do we travel a M.I.L.E. in the Greater Northwest Area?

In his first year as episcopal leader of the Greater Northwest Area of The United Methodist Church, Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth is encouraging congregations and ministry settings to go the M.I.L.E. this year and focus on Jesus’ call in the story of the Good Samaritan to “Go and Do Likewise.”

At his installation service in Juneau, Alaska, in May, Bridgeforth gave an overview of the theme and the meaning behind each step of the M.I.L.E. At each subsequent Annual Conference gathering – and in closing GNW worship – Bridgeforth offered in-depth explanation and inspiration for how we might all join him on this journey.
Watch on Vimeo, or click here to download.
Transcript available here.

M: Ministry that Matters. Preached at Alaska Annual Conference opening session on June 3.

Ministry that Matters is about how churches and ministry settings can go outside of themselves to turn from the mirror and look out the window to be part of their communities. Specifically, Bridgeforth preached about the need to be engaged in the work of houselessness and health in our communities.
Watch on Vimeo, or click here to download.

I: Itineration and location. Preached at the OR-ID Conference opening session on June 8.

Bishop Cedrick encouraged churches to be window people, not mirror people, and spoke about Itineration [and Location] as it relates to clergy who are called to lead and the ministry settings in which they serve. In his sermon, he asked people to think about how we might address inequities in the itineration system within The United Methodist Church to best suit the pastor, church and community in which they are all serving.
Watch on Vimeo, or click here to download.
Transcript available.

L: Lay Ministry Enhancement. Preached at the PNW Conference opening session June 13.

At the opening of the PNW Conference, Bishop Bridgeforth preached about the importance of lay ministry enhancement as the church changes shape. Laity are already a critical resource in our congregations and ministry settings, but there is a need to equip and empower laity to be a more active voice in our churches and communities we serve.
Watch on Vimeo, or click here to download.
Transcript available.

E: Eliminating Racism. Preached at the GNW Area closing session on June 15.

As people of faith, we need to renew our efforts to eliminate the racism that is pervasive not only in society, but within our congregations, ministry settings and the institution of the church in general. During this sermon at the close of Annual Conference season, Bridgeforth laid out plans for resources to be developed to engage churches and ministry settings in meaningful discussions and evaluate practices that lead to institutional racism and societal harm.
Watch on Vimeo, or click here to download.
Transcript available.

An Easter blessing from Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth

Bishop Cedrick D. Bridgeforth offers words of encouragement and an Easter charge to look out into our communities to find partners and to learn how we can be light and love for those who need it. His short message reflects on some positive signs, experiences and learnings during his first three months as resident bishop of the Greater Northwest Episcopal Area of The United Methodist Church.

Transcript

Hello, I’m Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth, the resident bishop of the Greater Northwest Area of The United Methodist Church. And I’m grateful to share with you just for a few moments today. I’d hoped by now I’d have an opportunity to share a more comprehensive message with you. But I began January 1 and I have been busy. In fact, just a few weeks ago, I had the privilege of journeying to Anchorage, Alaska, where we chartered Ola Toe Fuataina, a Samoan congregation. It was a grand celebration, where we joined together with other United Methodists from around the Anchorage area to celebrate this new beginning.

During this time, I’ve also hosted many meet and greets, both in person and online. And I’ve gotten a chance to hear from many laity and clergy about some of the hopes and dreams that you have in your local churches, your community and even for our greater area. And I’m thankful for those of you who have taken time to reach out to me, to share with me during this time. I got the chance to meet with all of our conference leaders, and hear from them about the great work that they’re doing to make a difference in our area.

And beyond our local United Methodist churches, I’ve also had the opportunity to meet several of our ecumenical and interfaith leaders. And I’ve appreciated the ways in which we’ve maintained partnerships throughout the years. And I look forward to opportunities to build upon those relationships, and even to strike out and start new ones.

In the time that I’ve been with you, I’ve learned a lot, and there’s so much more for me to get to know, I don’t know everything there is to know about your systems, about policies of the Greater Northwest area. But I am learning. I also can share with you that I know quite a bit about myself. I know that I’m committed to having a positive impact wherever I serve. I know that I am open and willing to work with everyone who’s willing to do the work that helps us achieve our mission. I also know that I am focused on the resurrection. I am focused on what new life looks like for each and every one of us, whether we’re talking about clergy, laity, our congregations, but most especially the communities that God has called us to serve.

In this Easter season. I think it’s very important for us to take an opportunity to look out around us and see those who are calling out for us to come alongside them, to look out and listen for those voices of those who are calling out seeking partnership and collaboration. Those who are calling out for a light and new life, because we can bring that, we can offer that, we are called to bring that and offer that.

So as we enter this Easter season, may you seek opportunities to bring new life, in your congregations and in your communities. May you seek opportunities to know more about yourself and those that God has called you to serve. May you be blessed and may you be a blessing this Easter season.

Thank you.

An Epiphany message from the WJ College of Bishops

The Western Jurisdiction’s College of Bishops offers a short video message for Epiphany. In it, they reflect on the season of change underway in The United Methodist Church and the promise reflected in the generosity and grace of ministries across the region as faithful disciples “respond to God’s call to be nurturing communities, ministries and churches where love lives.” Churches are encouraged to share this message and can download it for use in their local settings.

The video features Bishops Karen Oliveto of the Mountain Sky Conference, Interim Bishop Sally Dyck of the California-Nevada Conference, Dottie Escobedo-Frank of the California-Pacific Conference, Carlo Rapanut of the Desert Southwest Conference, and Cedrick Bridgeforth of the Greater Northwest Episcopal Area.

Epiphany falls on Friday, January 6, 2023. Please share this message with your congregation as you see fit on Epiphany, the Sunday following Epiphany, or at another time that works best for your ministry.

Click here to view the video.
Click here to download the video.

Transcript

Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ on this day of Epiphany from the bishops of the Western Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church.

Today, we recall the story of three Magi who, according to the Gospel of Matthew, followed a star to visit the baby Jesus. They came to honor the one who was born king of the Jews. When they found him, they were overwhelmed with great joy, and offered their gifts to him.

After they had paid their respects to the Christ Child, they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, who wanted to know where the baby was. He wanted to harm this One who was seen as a threat to his power. The Magi heeded the angelic message and returned home by another road.

We are a people who have lived in darkness, who have seen a great light. It is this light that leads us home through roads we haven’t intended to travel, journeying with people we never intended to be in relationship with, listening to voices that are both strange yet life-giving.

In this season of great change in The United Methodist Church, as some choose disaffiliation, we are walking an unfamiliar and uncomfortable road. It is hard to have some churches divided on whether to stay United Methodist and other churches already heading out the door.

We also know that it is in moments like this–of uncertainty and fear–that God breaks into our lives and offers us a way forward.

As new and continuing bishops, serving the Western Jurisdiction, we are excited by what God is doing in communities across our connection. We give thanks for congregations committed to extending God’s generous grace and wide welcome to all people. We rejoice in ministries that share the love of God to those beyond the walls of the church. We celebrate lives touched and changed by an encounter with Christ.

We believe that the best days for United Methodism could still be before us. To live into the promise, we must respond to God’s call to be nurturing communities, ministries and churches where love lives. As we enter 2023, may we, like the Magi, follow the star so that we may be bearers of the Christ light to a weary world. May the ways we share this light be a beacon of hope to those who are struggling. May this light be so compelling that people will want to know more. May this light illumine a new and unfamiliar yet life-giving path that leads us all home to the Body of Christ.

Beyond Weapons of War

Let all that you do be done in love.

1 Corinthians 16:14

November 22, 2022

Friends in Christ, Thanksgiving is Thursday and Advent starts next Sunday.

My heart is anguished after the murders at Club Q in Colorado Springs last weekend. In “barely a minute,” five people died, 17 others were shot, and two others were injured. The 22-year-old shooter, carrying an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle, stalked his prey in a place people came for sanctuary from anti-LGBTQIA+ hatred. They were unarmed in an enclosed space, like sitting ducks or fish in a barrel.

No one has the right to hunt and kill innocent people. No civilian should have the right to carry an assault weapon designed for war.

If you are a person who identifies as LGBTQIA+, I see you, I love you, I need you to survive. You should not be targeted for ridicule, bullying, or bodily harm by people who don’t understand you or hate you. I believe that Jesus calls every Christian to be a trustworthy ally as you seek to live the fullness of life God sets before you, but many are slow to respond to this call.

If you are a person who hates or fears LGBTQIA+ people, I’m sorry for you; you don’t have to remain where you are today. Each of us is held to account for our fear, our hatred, and our inaction. In the gospels, we have a front-row seat as Jesus meets all kinds of misunderstood and marginalized people – leper, blind, possessed, lame, tax collectors, women caught in adultery or with a flow of blood, robbers. He seeks them out, speaks with them, and invites them into his circle of friends. He saved his disdain for high priests and pious people he thought should know better – like us.

If you follow Jesus, he will introduce you to LGBTQIA+ people, and you will be given the opportunity to grow in your knowledge and love of Jesus by seeing what Jesus sees in them. We must love our way out of hate, or we will find ourselves on the side of Herod, slaughtering innocents in the pursuit of his rival, Jesus, instead of on the side of humble shepherds, tending their flocks and welcoming his arrival.

Regardless of political party, it is time for Christian people, striving to walk in the way of Jesus, to join with others of generous spirit, to rise up to stop the sale of assault weapons. Courageous citizens have the power to protect innocent victims from people who lack the intellectual, moral, emotional, or spiritual ability to resist an impulse to wholesale slaughter. It is blasphemous to pray for God to do what we have the power but not yet the will to do. We are our brother’s/sister’s/sibling’s keeper. We can act, and so we must, to save countless lives.

This Thanksgiving, I hope you will enjoy good food in the company of people you love, whether family, friends, or strangers. I hope you will pray for those on both ends of gun violence. And as we prepare for the birth of Jesus, learn more and work to ban private ownership of weapons designed for war. I urge you to see how our General Board of Church and Society is helping us get involved in resisting gun violence. I hope you will also consider writing a letter to your elected representatives, as Olympia First UMC encouraged us at our annual conference session in June. We can make it safer for innocent, vulnerable people to gather without fear for work, a concert, a drag show, a movie, a nightclub, school, church, for love.

Love is born at Christmas!

Elaine JW Stanovsky
Bishop, Greater Northwest Episcopal Area