7-6-25 Announcements
This Sunday, we continued our series Critical Conversations by talking about this week’s topic: Empire and the Church’s relationship to power. I want to thank David Bell, Jill Delaney, and Doyle Hardy for joining me for this important discussion about our present headlines, past events that have led us here, and our hopes for the future of the church in these divided times.
If you were not able to join us in person this week for our worship service, you can watch the recorded service using the links below:
Additional Resources
Resources to continue to explore this topic of Christian Nationalism further:
Watch the documentary Bad Faith for Free on Tubi.
Watch this video that I recorded as part of the Religious Trauma Certificate program that I teach for the Flipped Table Collective. This conversation explores the history of religion in America and how it has been harmful for many.
Watch this PBS Documentary about Billy Graham: Prayer, Politics, and Power.
Read the book Baptizing America, which explores how mainline denominations like the Disciples have contributed to the rise of Christian Nationalism.
Announcements
After the service today, we had our monthly potluck. While we ate, I shared some partnership updates about two of our community partnerships and upcoming ways to help make a difference.
Yakima Immigration Response Network:
I shared that a team of community leaders has been working to develop a rapid response plan for how we will respond in the event of a mass deportation in our community. We have determined that Wesley UMC will be used as a crisis center for family members of those taken into ICE custody to come to receive information, legal assistance, and support services.
I am helping to organize the humanitarian response, which will include organizing food for the crisis center. In the weeks to come, I will be sharing information about meal ingredients that we will be working to stockpile and freeze so that we can respond quickly in the event of a need.
I also shared that we through July and August, we (along with other faith communities) will be working to collect $50 gas gift cards. These cards will be distributed to individuals who need support getting to legal appointments, immigration check-ins, and court dates, or given to family members when an individual is detained by immigration enforcement to help them seek support services. If you are interested in donating gas cards for this collection, you can bring them to the church office or drop them in the offering basket on Sunday mornings through the end of August.
The Unitarian Universalist Church
The UU Church has officially voted to move into our building and share space with us. They will be moving in on the first of September, and their first service will be held in our Fellowship Hall on September 14th at 10 AM.
In preparation for this shared space on Sunday morning, we are going to be making several building changes over the next few weeks. This will include: moving the library down to classroom 4 this week, hanging curtains in the Fellowship Hall in July, and building a wall for storage on the stage in the Fellowship Hall in August.
We will also begin in August to move our coffee time BEFORE service to the Fireside Room to help us get used to this shared space.
If you have any questions about either of these partnerships, please reach out to me to start a conversation and to process concerns or questions.
2. This coming Wednesday, we will be hosting the NAMI FaithNet Meeting at 11:30 AM in the Fireside Room. This is a time that explores the intersection of faith and mental health and Holly Madden will be speaking to share about ecotherapy and ecotheology practices.
3. Wednesday evening the Community Band will be playing another of their outdoor concert series at 7 PM in the back lawn. Bring a lawn chair and plan to join them for this time of music.
4. Next Sunday, after church, our Wide Welcome Task Force will be meeting in the library during coffee hour. If you are interested in being a part of this team that helps to plan monthly educational events and community outreach events like our presence at Pride, please talk to me to get involved!
5. Make sure that your calendars are marked for our next outdoor movie night which will be on Friday, July 18th at 8 PM. We will be showing the film Big Hero 6 and making popcorn.
Joys and Concerns
Continue to hold Kathy Helseth in your thoughts and prayers as she nears the end of this first round of treatment and awaits her MRI in early July.
Continue to hold Ronnie Grey in your heart and prayers. He is continuing to recover back here in Yakima at Good Samaritan.
One of my ministry mentors has been serving/involved with Camp Mystic and the Heart of the Hills camp along the Guadalupe River in Texas. Friday night, she lost her best friend, Jane Ragsdale to the flood waters as well as her good friend Dick Eastland. Please join me in praying for my friend Christine and the many other friends and family members who are grieving the loss of lives, loss of homes, and loss of a sense of safety in the floods the past few days.
Upcoming Events to Connect
