Dear First Church,

Every week in worship, we talk about our call to be a supportive, encouraging community and to move the world toward love and justice. But I wonder if we all mean the same thing when we think of the word “justice.” There are so many ways to define it!

This Sunday is Peace and Justice Sunday in the UMC, one of the six special Sundays during the year for all United Methodists. We’ll take a special offering that goes toward peace and justice efforts in our region and around the world, and we’ll focus on justice in our worship: what it is, how we work toward it, and how our faith pushes us to pursue it — reading from Isaiah 58 and Luke 10 (the story of the Good Samaritan). We’ll also have the special privilege of welcoming new members this Sunday, so I hope you will come to greet them and tell them how glad you are that they’re committing to this congregation!

There are so many good things happening at First Church, and even more good things ahead — I’m so proud to be your pastor for this brief season!

With you on the journey,
Pastor Elizabeth