There Will Be Signs

Modern

One of the signs of Advent is the Advent calendar. You may have one in your home today, or you may remember having one as a child. As a child, each day of the Advent calendar was a sign that Christmas was getting closer. We relished in the excitement and suspense of counting down the days. That’s what Advent was about back then. At some point in our lives something happened. Somewhere along the way adult life and circumstances got in the way. Real life took control, and Advent hasn’t the same carefree happy time of joy and anticipation it once was. Advent is no longer the season just before Christmas it was merely a countdown to the big, carefree Christmas holiday. Instead, Advent begins to describe the reality of life and the world. Luke’s scripture text takes on a personal meaning for us, and Advent becomes a season of personal change, of letting go and looking toward a future of hope in Christ. Come and hear how Jesus teaches us to interpret the signs in our Advent stories as Pastor Val Stewart preaches “There Will Be Signs” this 1st Sunday of Advent. Luke 21: 25-31

Leading courageously rarely feels comfortable, and it often stretches us right at the edges of what feels safe. 🕊️ This Sunday we close our series with Peter, who once followed quietly but now stands before the believers to defend a vision that upended long-held Jewish tradition: that the Gospel of Jesus Christ was for the Gentiles too, with no distinction.

It's a reminder that God is still in the business of pushing us past our comfort zones and into deeper, bolder leadership. We'll share some of our own stories of being nudged toward that kind of courage.

Join us Aug 30 at 8:30, 11:00, or 11:15 am as we close out Lead Courageously, week five, and the finale of our journey through Love Boldly, Serve Joyfully, Lead Courageously.

Some people talk about the church like it's a business, but the two couldn't be more different. 💛 Where business culture often runs on transactions and self-interest, the Church is meant to be grounded fully in love: love of God, love of neighbor, and love of self.

This Sunday, we open 1 Corinthians 13, the passage that reminds us what love is and, just as importantly, what it isn't. Bold love means caring for people others have called unlovable. It means giving someone the gift of your time and presence. And it means speaking up when you see people pushed to the fringes.

Join us Aug 16 at 8:30, 11:00, and 11:15 am, as we kick off Love Boldly, week three of our journey through the new United Methodist Church's Vision statement.

Church membership vs. discipleship — are they the same thing? (Hint: one comes with a country club card. The other comes with responsibility.

This Sunday, we're looking at the feeding of the 5,000 in Luke 9, a moment when Jesus could have easily done it all himself but instead turned to his disciples and said, "You feed them." That charge still applies to us today.

Join us Aug 9, as we talk about what it really means to be made, equipped, and sent as disciples of Jesus.

Remember "Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors"? 🚪 Before we look at where we're going, we're looking back at who we've aspired to be. This Sunday we revisit Luke 24 — the moment Jesus opened the disciples' minds to understand it all — and ask what it means for OUR hearts, minds, and doors to be open today.

Starting Aug 2, join us for Love Boldly, Serve Joyfully, Lead Courageously — five weeks exploring where we've been, who we are, and where God's calling us next. See you Sunday.

It is easy to think of faith as something private — just between you and God. But Methodists have always believed that what happens on the inside has to show up on the outside too. The book of James puts it plainly: faith without action is just words.

This week, we're exploring what it looks like to grow as individuals while also showing up for the people and communities around us. Join us this Sunday as we wrap up Methodism 101 and ask the big question — what kind of people are we becoming together?