June 8th through June 11th, a diverse group of several thousand United Methodist lay people and clergy will meet for the Annual Conference of the New England Conference of the United Methodist Church being held at Gordon College, Wenham, MA.Annual Conference is a time of meeting, worshiping, and making decisions about our church life. And even more, it is Spirit-filled throughout. During our long meetings when we discuss and vote on policy, sometimes Bishop Weaver or someone from the floor will call for “prayer-liamentary procedure.” If we have hit an impasse, or the discussion becomes heated or confused, we all stop and pray. I have tried to incorporate this idea of “prayer-liamentary procedure” into my own life and work. St. Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonia to, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess. 5:16-18). This month, I encourage you to incorporate “prayer-liamentary procedure” into new and unexpected parts of your life. In this way we invite the Spirit into the ins and outs of our lives, and seek God’s will in every decision.
Yours in Christ,Pastor Desi
April/May 2011
Dear Beloved Sisters and Brothers,
“This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!” (Psalm 118: 24). Spring has sprung with crocuses and daffodils in bloom. Warblers and sparrows have reappeared - hopefully followed soon by our own Peaks Island “snow birds”. Spring is an exciting time of the year, especially after our rather long and snowy winter here on Peaks. It isn’t a coincidence that we celebrate the Resurrection of Our Lord during spring. As we have more sun in the sky, we pray for and celebrate more of the Son in our hearts. As light takes over darkness, so Christ conquered death, because “God so loved the world.”(John 3:16)
Through Sacred Love – the Power of the Resurrection – we are called to “love God with all our hearts and souls and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.”(Luke 10:25-28) We are also called to be a light to all nations, and, indeed, to all creation: “For all creation, gazing eagerly as if with outstretched neck, is waiting and longing to see the manifestation of the children of God.”(Romans 8:19 Weymouth New Testament)
Here at Brackett Memorial UMC we have completed numerous projects and initiatives that aim to help us to make less of an impact on the environment, and to better love all of creation. Some of these projects include: having an energy audit; insulating the church building and parsonage; removing invasive plants from church property; encouraging folks to bring their own dishes to events; hosting an environmental fair; and more.
2010 we began offering a free summer church eco-camp for children that combines a focus on loving God, themselves, others, and the environment. Last year we focused on the Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:1-20) and explored ways to care for ourselves and our environment. We planted a garden and visited other gardens. We did artwork focused on the environment, and we used microscopes to learn more about the plants.
We invite you register your 4-12 year old child! ‘tweens, teens, and adults are encouraged to volunteer. Eco-Camp this year is supported in part by a “Good Works Grant” given by an anonymous donor to Brackett Church to support community building activities, outreach, and ministry at Brackett Church. Contact us if you’d like to be part of this team, with its important community-building outreach to the children of Peaks.
This year, June 21-24, 2011 Eco-Camp: Sowing, Growing, and Sustaining will continue to explore hands-on ways we can care for ourselves, our neighbors, and our environments, while learning about love’s role in these aspects of our lives. We’ll aim to contribute to our community here on Peaks, as well as learn more about ourselves, our environment, and how these are related to God and God’s love.
Your sister on the journey,
Pastor Desi
January/February 2011
Dear Beloved Sisters and Brothers,
Saint Paul encouraged Christ-followers to “clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 13:14) What does this mean for us today, in a post 9-11, post Haiti earthquake, post Tucson massacres world?
In the Church Calendar, Human Relations Day is the Sunday before Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday and celebrated as a call to "the Church to recognize the right of all God's children in realizing their potential as human beings in relationship with each other." It is also called as Beloved Community Sunday. Dr. King saw “beloved community” as a goal that involves both inward and outward spiritual work.
“Our goal is to create a beloved community and this will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Ultimately, it is the mission of those who follow Christ to seed to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all you mind, And love your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27). This is a radical and counter-cultural, even subversive, call to a change who we are and what we do with our lives.
We begin to transform ourselves and our communities through taking personal and social spiritual steps. Let’s explore together ways we can become the sort of people who shine God’s light by promoting beloved community. What do we do to change our souls and our lives? Christian practices and disciplines such as prayer, Scripture Study, worship, tithing, hospitality, and seeking justice are some ways we can begin to transform ourselves and our world through the power of the Spirit of Christ.
Your sister on the journey,
Pastor Desi
December 2010
Dear Beloved Sisters and Brothers,
Advent is a season of spiritual preparation leading up to Christmas, the commemoration of the nativity of Jesus Christ. During this season, November 28 through December 24, we are encouraged to find ways to prepare not only for the commemoration of the nativity, but also to prepare ourselves for the Spirit of Christ to live in us. I’ve been including information about Advent Conspiracy in the Sunday worship bulletin. It is a movement that encourages us to 1) Worship Fully; 2) Spend Less; 3) Give More; and 4) Love All.
Worship Fully - During this season of preparation, what are ways we can be intentional about worshiping God more fully? We can worship during services on Sunday morning and Wednesday evening Taizé worship, but we can also worship at home. Many households use Advent Calendars as a way of worshiping at home. Advent Wreaths are another way to worship at home. The wreath, as a circle, symbolizes God’s never-ending love. The evergreen symbolizes eternal life. The four candles represent the four Sunday’s leading to Christmas: Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. What other ways can you worship more fully this season?
Spend Less and Give More - Advent Conspiracy encourages us to Spend Less but to Give More. What are ways we could each spend less and give more this season? You will find ample opportunities for spending less and giving more in this month’s Hilltop Newsletter and the activities and missions here at Brackett Memorial UMC including being involved with the Root Cellar’s Angel Tree Project and participating in the Holiday Fair – as a volunteer/contributer/and shopper.
Love All - And above all, it is a season of radical and life-transforming love. Advent Conspiracy puts it this way: “When Jesus loved, He loved in ways never imagined. Though rich, he became poor to love the poor, the forgotten, the overlooked and the sick. He played to the margins. By spending less at Christmas we have the opportunity to join Him in giving resources to those who need help the most. When Advent Conspiracy first began four churches challenged this simple concept to its congregations. The result raised more than a half million dollars to aid those in need. One less gift. One unbelievable present in the name of Christ.” – Advent Conspiracy
May God bless and keep us all during this blessed season of Advent, as we open our hearts to the Spirit and Love of Jesus Christ.
Your sister on the journey,
Pastor Desi
“Christmas can [still] change the world. This year, Give Presence.” – Advent Conspiracy
May/June 2010
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
One of my favorite hymns is We Are the Church by Richard Avery and Donald Marsh: “I am the church, you are the church, we are the church together. All who follow Jesus all around the world, yes we’re the church together!” What does it mean to follow Jesus? It means to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength . . .and love your neighbor as yourself”– Mark 12:30-31.
The hymn We Are the Church reminds us that the church isn’t a place, but a people. Church isn’t only Sunday morning, but all the time. Church is when the people of God are a being a blessing for others. Our newsletter offers glimpses into who we are as the church.
A friend recently shared this quote from Mother Teresa, “I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world.” What a wonderful way to see oneself as a means of God’s grace for others. And taking this image further, the church is a box of colored pencils, a diverse group brought together through love of God and love for others, sending love letters to the world.
This news letter offers a glimpse into ways we are “sending a love letter to the world” by living out our mission to be “an inclusive, diverse and caring Christian community:worshiping, praying, witnessing, reaching out to all people on the island and beyond, daring to grow and change as God calls us.” - BMUMC Mission Statement
Your sister on the journey,
Pastor Desi
April 2010
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
“Let the sunshine in!” As the days lengthen and the sun rises higher in the sky, it’s hard not to rejoice and sing. The light transforms gloomy rooms and offices into more cheery places. It transforms the spaces we live in, as well as our spirits. Light changes everything. When we’re in the dark, even the smallest glimmer of light gives us hope. During Lent, on the journey to Easter, Christians practice repentance and humility, embrace spiritual disciplines, and seek ways to intentionally open ourselves to God’s light. The prophet Isaiah writes, “Your sun shall no more go down, nor your moon withdraw itself; for the Lord will be your everlasting light.” Isaiah 60:20. Let’s seek to be open to opportunities for us to study, worship, and reflect on ways to make space for God in our lives. As God’s light and grace fill us, then we become light and grace to the world, “Jesus said of His followers: "'You are the light of the world… let your light shine before everyone, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.'" Matthew 5:14,16. As we draw near to Holy Week, the Easter Season, and beyond, I pray that we may turn toward Christ, the Son of God, the Light of the World, and “Let the Son shine in!”
