Come to church this Sunday for PRIDE SUNDAY in person in the Courtyard, or online on your couch! I’ve invited transgender and genderqueer members of our UCC and Missoula community to join in planning and leading the worship service.
We’ll hear a story about animals, gender, and gender roles that might surprise you, and we’ll explore Saul’s transition to Paul in Acts, along with a couple of other Bible stories that are, well, a bit “queer.” We are also going to push the envelope a little. There will be a ton of rainbows and Pride flags around, one scripture reading is a colorful skit, and one of our co-preachers is showing up as a Drag King. Many of us will have questions and some of us might feel a little (or a lot) uncomfortable. We’ll have a couple of LGBTQ+ resource tables at church for you to browse and an opportunity for informal q&a afterwards too.
If you are a cis-gender and/or heterosexual member of our community, I invite you to embrace your own transformation as we explore ways we can expand our UCC welcome, which is already wonderfully wide, to folks who are transgender, folks who perform drag, folks who identify beyond the gender binary, and more.
If you are LGBTQIA2S, WELCOME to this celebration of God’s incredibly diverse and beautiful creation, which includes YOU, just as you are.
AND, no matter where you are on life’s journey (if all of this seems confusing and beyond your comfort zone, or if you are thinking “it’s about time, Church!” and you can’t wait for Pride Sunday), you are welcome here!
With you in God’s great big, boundary bending, proud love,
Pastor Laura
(If there are terms in the above note, with which you are unfamiliar, here’s a guide to get you started learning more for Sunday and beyond: https://www.hrc.org/resources/glossary-of-terms)
Everything Changes
In our sermon series we are exploring how our brains were designed to be suspicious of change, and for good reason–homeostasis in good measure helps us thrive, protecting us from danger. But if we look closely at what the Creator set in motion, we find that change is the most constant part of life and necessary for animating our spirits as we find renewed purpose throughout life. Jesus advocated for changes that would keep us moving toward greater goodness! “Everything Changes” John 12:20-26 In our scripture this week Jesus asks us to let go of life “as it is” in order to create and multiply the love that is eternal. What feels like the chaos, or recklessness, of change is the breaking-open of possibility and the sprouting of new life. This is what it means to follow the change-maker Jesus and serve his purpose of more love in the world. -Pastor Courtney
No matter who your are, or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here!
We worship whenever we are together, but we gather formally for worship Sunday mornings at 10:00 am.
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