God's Good Pleasure

April 26, 2022

Happy 2^nd Week of Eastertide, church family and friends! Christ is risen, and risen indeed!

Yesterday was absolutely nuts.

Today, pure madness.

All of it in the form of interruption, and crisis, and people needing care. Pastoral care sometimes, but mostly other kinds of care. And in the process NOTHING has been getting done.

And of course, as we ran back and forth solving problems of one kind and another, it wasn’t until all was quiet and I turned on “Call the Midwife” to play in the background while I worked, that I thought to stop and pray.

I mean, we have been praying all day, with and for people: the drunk men across the alley who were behaving badly; the 50 year old woman they were accosting who we were able to provide a tent for so that she could get away from them; the hurt and angry grandmother desperately looking for her wayward adult grandchild; sweet Angela who had a stroke awhile back who was abandoned by her caregivers here at church (thank God she was able to guide me to her house on Front Street, where her husband – who is going to be beside himself when he realizes his friends left her alone – was due home any minute, and I could leave her in the hands of good, trustworthy friends.) But I confess, I was finding myself increasingly frustrated and sad as today wore on.

So many people, so much need. Right on our doorstep. How can we satisfy it all?

Well, we can’t. Of course. Only God can.

I feel like I say these kinds of words ALL THE TIME. Most of the time it’s easy. Today it’s been hard. And today, in the relative quiet, while a mountain of things waited for my attention, the nurses on “Call the Midwife” started singing. Bringing things back into focus on what was most important.

And I stopped, and prayed. For Angela and Dave, and Ruth and her granddaughter, and Darian and Scott and Paul and Stephanie and Tracy and Morgan and Hosie and Steve and Paisley…I prayed that God would touch all of their lives, and surround them with love and healing. I prayed that the love of Christ would be unmistakable to them all, and draw them to new life…and I prayed that our community could come together to find solutions for our struggling neighbors. 

The mountain of things is getting done, and occupies a much more appropriate place in the grand scheme of things. People are the most important thing, and it’s love that most needs doing. And all is calm, and all will be well, and all will be very well.

I really hope that some day, when I grow up, I learn to stop and pray sooner.

Pastor Dawn

Worship Any and Everywhere!

FREAKING OUT, Part 2: God’s Good Pleasure 

Sometimes our fears are justified, and a great gift of God to help us steer clear of danger. Other times, our fears can become chronic and corrosive. They can cause us physical and spiritual harm. That is why the command we find most often in the Bible is “fear not”! The good news is, God is our refuge and our strength, and a very present help in trouble. Last week, we remembered Jesus’ words to his disciples, comforting them before they really even knew to be afraid. This week, we will meet more disciples on the road to Emmaus, and remember Jesus’ words earlier in Luke’s gospel, saying “do not fear, little flock, for it is God’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” You might like to read and pray with those parts of Luke as you prepare your heart for worship: Luke 12:22-34, and Luke 24:13-35.

 

If you’re worshiping with us on Facebook or on the radio, we are so glad! If we can be in prayer for you in any way, please call the church at 775-423-4714, or call Pastor Dawn directly at 775-671-5553.

Freaking The (!!) Out

April 20, 2022

 

Happy Eastertide, church family and friends! Christ is risen!

It has been a busy, joy-filled week at Epworth UMC. 

We signed our contract with LOBO roofing, gave them the 50% deposit to get on their calendar, and they expect to start replacing the roof in June! We still have some money to raise, so PLEASE take a look at our envelope wall and donate however much feels right to you. Every little bit helps, you’d be amazed how it adds up. And thank you to you who are already doing that!

We met with the folks at Head Start again so that they can start using our kitchen (more on that later in this here newsletter thingy), and I had a great conversation with Elizabeth Medina – you may remember her as the leader of the Mexican Folk Dancing group that was rehearsing in the Wolf Center before shutdown – about what Spanish-speaking folks need when they arrive here in Fallon. She gave me some really good ideas, about things like helping parents connect their kids with activities, learning how to use the library computers for school stuff, giving them ideas about where to eat and shop, all kinds of stuff. 

This matters because this Project Head Start program specifically serves immigrant families who are here in Fallon to work in agriculture. Elizabeth even offered to help me translate this very newsletter and my sermons into written Spanish. Isn’t that great! And, since I have been meaning to learn Spanish for years, I just went online and bought a Rosetta Stone subscription that I would be very happy to share with any of you who might also like to learn. Any opportunity to offer warm hospitality and friendship to folks can open doors to the Gospel, and I am looking forward to responding to this opportunity God is giving us.

And we got the printer fixed. Huzzah! Well, mostly. Still waiting on a part they need, so that it will print the larger sized bulletins. Still though, progress!

Anyway, all of this plus good conversations and prayer with folks, and HERO Club awesomeness, and the interfaith group getting started again, and a great meeting with the other Nevada pastors, and another great meeting with colleagues to talk creatively about how God is calling us to be the church…just a good, full week. 

Which leads me to answer a question you haven’t asked, but maybe you’re wondering about: how does all of this stuff fit into our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world? And the answer is this, from John 13:34-35:

“A new commandment I give you: Love one another. 
As I have loved you, so you also must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you loveone another.”

Every act of love and kindness opens a door to Jesus. 

In Jesus’ name,
      Pastor Dawn

Oh, PS! National Day of Prayer is Thursday, May 5. We are meeting at noon, at the Convention center, to pray together with folks from a bunch of area churches. See you there! 

Worship Any and Everywhere!

FREAKING OUT: Finding Calm (and God) in the Chaos

Every week, we pray together about the war in Ukraine, about really scary illnesses, about violence and natural disaster. Every week, we hear from folks experiencing crisis and desperately seeking help. We are so blessed to be able to help (most of the time) with food, medicine, gas, tents, clothing, etc…and we can help ALL of the time with prayer and a listening ear. But the fear, even panic, is real. The good news is, God can help us with that! So for the next few weeks, we will be leaning on Jesus’ disciples and how God met them in their own fear and trembling after Jesus’ death. We’ll be talking about God’s many words of comfort and courage throughout the scripture. And we’ll learn together how to build our houses on solid foundations, so that nothing but NOTHING can steal our joy. (hat tip to Zach Williams there, and his song “Old Church Choir”…go find it on youtube!)

 

If you’re worshiping with us on Facebook or on the radio, we are so glad! If we can be in prayer for you in any way, please call the church at 775-423-4714, or call Pastor Dawn directly at 775-671-5553.

 

Happy Easter!

April 12, 2022

 

Happy almost Easter, church family and friends!

What a wild couple of days here at Epworth! After a beautiful and deeply meaningful service for our beloved Jeanie on Saturday, and Palm Sunday worship on Sunday, we are now in the midst of Holy Week, while all of the ordinary weekly things still have to happen. We have met and served a BUNCH of new guests at the Pantry, and folks who were so glad to have laundry and showers available. Our unhoused and inadequately housed neighbors tell us how especially glad they are for a place to be warm and dry and clean and fed. And we are so grateful for our friends from the Churchill Community Coalition, who have been present every week to meet our guests and connect them with the services they need.

And in the meantime, HERO Club is on Spring break, so we are cleaning and organizing and painting Wilson Hall! Tracy Runnels, our friend from the Coalition, is full of energy and ideas and experience with early elementary education. We are so blessed to have her expertise and passion for providing our HERO kids with a warm, safe, fun place to be. All of that is added to the incredible dedication and love of our directors, Steve Russell and Lorri Freeman, AND the awesome teenaged employees that help make the program possible. We are working to improve our program and differentiate it from what other programs offer. We are so blessed to provide another high-quality after school program to our community, along with the amazing Fallon Youth Club and CARES, which just moved in across the street at the old Cottage School.

My own faith tends to be lived out in prayer, study, proclamation, and service. These are the things that make Jesus come to life for me, that I’ve always been drawn to. I’ve always loved to talk about my faith, to dive deeply into scripture and really study it and talk about it with people. I love to hear folks' different perspectives on it, and learn with them. I’ve always loved to serve, too, but privately and quietly. The things that move you might be different. Maybe you love to encourage people, or be at someone’s side when they are hurting. Maybe you love to be a big ol loud mouth prophet in the name of Jesus. Maybe you love to spend quiet time in prayer. Maybe you love to cook or clean or organize, as a gift to others…the youth group and I did some of that this past weekend, praying over our work and those who would be touched by it. We all have different ways to express our faith, and be the body of Christ.

This week, I pray that you are able to take extra time to worship, and rediscover the source of your faith in Jesus’ teaching, his sacrifice, and his glorious resurrection! I pray that you are reinvigorated, reinspired, refreshed and renewed in powerful ways. I pray that I am, too! And that then we go forth together into this wonderful community and spread the Gospel wherever we go.

In Jesus’ name,

            Pastor Dawn

Worship Any and Everywhere!

HOLY WEEK AND EASTER SUNDAY

If you are worshiping with us from home, either via the radio broadcast or video, we are so glad! If we can pray for you, or if there is anything you need, we would love to help. You can call the church office at  775-423-4714, or you can call Pastor Dawn on her cell phone any time, 775-671-5553.

 

Maundy Thursday Tenebrae April 14 at 7pm

Your worship team is preparing a Tenebrae service to remember the Last Supper with prayer, scripture, and music. The choir is preparing a beautiful song, too! Tenebrae is a special service reminiscent of the lighting of candles at Advent, but the opposite: as the service progresses, candles are put out as darkness gathers. It’s a beautiful way to prepare our hearts for the glorious morning of Easter Sunday. Hope to see you there.

 

Good Friday Prayer and Walk to the Cross

April 15 at 12pm

In Matthew 27, as Jesus is on the cross, we are told that darkness covered the land from noon until 3pm. So our Good Friday prayers begin at noon. The sanctuary will be open from noon until 3 on Good Friday, and you are invited to stop in for a few minutes or the entire time to pray. At the same time, for those who prefer, we will meet at the cemetery parking lot to pray and then walk (or drive) to the cross at the top of Rattlesnake Mountain, where we will hear the story of Jesus’ crucifixion, sing, and prepare our hearts for the miracle of Easter Sunday. All of that takes about an hour. Tell your friends, absolutely everyone is welcome.

 

Easter Sunday Worship 7am and 9am

And then it will be Easter! We will sing God’s praises shortly after sunrise at 7am, then share a potluck brunch together, and then worship again with praise and thanksgiving at 9am. Wear something that makes you feel joyful (hats full of ribbons and flowers are a great option!), bring your hope in Jesus Christ, and be ready to celebrate!

Hosanna!

 April 6, 2022

 

Hello, church family and friends!

With Palm Sunday kicking off Holy Week in a few days, Lent is drawing to a close. I hope your time in this season has been marked by a deepening relationship with God, as it’s meant to be, through a renewed commitment to prayer, service, and self-sacrifice. If you find Lent suddenly ending without the attention to your faith that you intended at the beginning, or if the whole concept is foreign and weird to you, fear not! Any day is a good day to re-commit ourselves to our faith, and begin new practices to deepen our relationship with God.

Every 5 years, United Methodist pastors are invited to participate in a year’s worth of classes and retreats for spiritual and professional growth. This year is mine, and this season of Lent is the perfect time for it. I spent all of last week at a gorgeous Jesuit retreat center in Los Altos, California with about 25 other UMC pastors. We spent some time together in worship, some time in small groups discussing different things, some time in private prayer. I was reminded how, ever since I was a kid, I thought about being a nun. Something about a life spent in a community of people devoted to God through prayer and service REALLY appeals to me, still. I shared that thought in a small group, and our facilitator – a retired Methodist pastor – told me that she is part of a Methodist+Benedictine group of what is known as “lay religious” (basically nuns who continue living their ordinary lives) called the St Brigid of Kildare Monastery. YOU GUYS. I am so intrigued by this. I can’t explain why, but I feel that God is drawing me to something new in this, as an important foundation for my work as your pastor. There’s a little more info about it on the back page of this newsletter, if you’re interested. I find it fascinating, myself.

Spending time in prayer, study, self-sacrifice, and service can reveal all kinds of things to us, as it is doing for me. Different things to every person. Almost always, it will involve challenge as well as joy. Which brings me to another thing that’s been on my mind.

Years ago, the faith of several people here at Epworth led them to begin the ministries known as Fallon Daily Bread and the Epworth Community Food Pantry. Laundry and showers, too, and a fund to help people in emergencies. Most of the time, all of that is incredibly rewarding and meaningful and good. But sometimes, it’s really hard. Because people who need the services we provide are struggling, sometimes in ways that are hard to understand. Mental illness, a long multi-generational history of abuse and trauma, learning difficulties, difficulty making healthy decisions…it’s rough. I found myself feeling really frustrated this week at folks who seem to be taking advantage of us, abusing our welcome and care, vandalizing our church home. I know some of you have been feeling frustrated with it, too.

As I have prayed and thought about it, here’s where I am with it right now. When we serve folks who are in need in these different ways, we have to get comfortable with the ways it can be hard. We need to draw healthy boundaries, and hold to them both firmly AND with as much love and compassion as we can find. We cannot allow folks to take advantage of us, or damage our church home…and we can approach those problems with clarity and firmness, free of anger and full of Holy Spirit-powered compassion. 

Whew. This discipleship thing isn’t easy. But we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

            Pastor Dawn

Worship Any and Everywhere!

PALM SUNDAY WORSHIP

Can you believe it’s Palm Sunday already?! It hits me (Pastor Dawn) this way every year. Join us to remember Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem with the waving of palms and the shouts of Hosanna in the highest, and to remember all that happened in Luke’s telling between that moment and Jesus’ arrest. It will be a powerful, beautiful time of worship together.

If you are worshiping with us from home, either via the radio broadcast or video, we are so glad! If we can pray for you, or if there is anything you need, we would love to do that. You can call the church office at  775-423-4714, or you can call Pastor Dawn on her cell phone any time, 775-671-5553.

Good Trouble.

March 22, 2022

 

Happy Spring, church family and friends!

This spring weather is glorious! Sometimes warm, sometimes freezing, sometimes sunshine, sometimes snow. I love it. It makes me think of how confusing and strange it can be when we experience any kind of change in life, full of ups and downs and stresses on the way. Lots of learning happens in those transition periods. Which is what those periods are for.

In worship a couple of weeks ago, we talked together a bit about Jesus’ 40 days of fasting in the desert, and how 40 day periods are all over the Bible as symbolic descriptions of change…of moving, with God, from one phase of life to another. For Jesus, it was a time of moving from life as it had been into his main earthly ministry. For Moses, it was 40 years in the desert herding sheep, between his life as an Egyptian man of privilege to God’s instrument in freeing the people of Israel. For Noah, it was the whole world moving through destruction to new life. In every case it is fraught and difficult, full of self-searching and strength-gathering. And in every case, though unseen, God is there.

In chapter 2 of our Lenten Bible study, “Witness to the Cross” by Amy Jill Levine, our author describes her work with incarcerated people. Her heart is moved with compassion for those who made terrible decisions and landed in prison, often (but not always) as a result of abusive upbringing or other circumstances beyond their control. It makes me think of a man I recently met, who spent several decades in prison for a terrible crime committed in his youth: he found himself filled with compassion for others in similar circumstances, and
continues to support and help them however he can. Which then makes me remember the work of Father Gregory Boyd, too, and his efforts to free gang members from that destructive lifestyle, the compassion in his heart overflowing and creating space for true healing. People like these carry with them the presence of God for people in the midst of an extremely difficult time, their own compassion reflecting God’s and making their imprisonment a time of transformation.

Here at Epworth, we encounter a whole lot of people in crisis or in chronic poverty and illness. Sometimes it is awfully difficult to know how best to meet their needs, and what compassion should look like. Sometimes it has to be lovingly firm, setting strong boundaries against destructive behavior or advantage-taking, enforcing consequences when harm is done. And then other times, it’s REALLY easy: in the middle of writing that last sentence, I picked up a call from a young man who wondered whether we had any dog food…I told him that we’d be glad to order him some from Walmart, and he started sobbing. He tells me that he works 3 jobs and is just trying to get on his feet after a breakup, but the money just keeps running out. Friends, it is an incredible joy to be able to help someone in these simple ways!

In the hardest times, every one of us needs people who can be the hands and feet of Christ for us. Who can pray for us and walk with us, encourage and uplift us, help us to find hope when we are edging toward despair, lend us their strength when we are so tired. We even need people who can be lovingly firm with us when we are hurting ourselves or others; that is compassion, too. That is my prayer for us this week: that we can be that, and find that. So that troubled times can become just a step on the way to new life.

How great is our God!

            Pastor Dawn

Worship Any and Everywhere!

DEEP WATERS 3: Good Trouble

“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.” Isaiah 43:2

There’s bad trouble, like the kind that sends a woman to her knees at Jesus’ feet, washing them with her tears and drying them with her hair. And there’s good trouble, too, like when the waters of life are all stirred up and Jesus invites us to be strong and courageous and walk right out on them with him. This week, we’ll meet Jesus in Luke 8, at just such a time as this. See you in worship.

If you are worshiping with us from home, either via the radio broadcast or video, we are so glad! If we can pray for you, or if there is anything you need, we would love to do that. You can call the church office at  775-423-4714, or you can call Pastor Dawn on her cell phone any time, 775-671-5553.

The Unseen Highway

 March 15, 2022

 

 

 

Hello, church family and friends!

 

What a joy these weeks have been. So many good conversations, times in prayer, Bible study, meeting old friends and making new ones. There have been difficult things, too, but even in those God has been present and active. 

 

It seems weird, maybe, to talk about joy in the midst of worry and struggle. We have to experience it to understand it, I think. Because it isn’t the same as happiness. It isn’t the same as that thrill we feel when something especially wonderful happens. It’s deeper than that, at least in the Biblical sense of joy. The joy that God provides isn’t subject to changing circumstances. We find that it increases, even, in times of struggle. I’m not sure how to describe it, but to me it’s this powerful sense of connectedness to God and human beings and even the earth…like the feeling of being deeply in love, after a lifetime together. Broad and high and deep, tender and strong at the same time.

 

I find I’m aware of it in those moments when I have to rely on God even more than usual. Like, when I’m sitting with someone who is hurting. Or when I have to tell someone a hard thing. Or when I have to seek forgiveness. It’s there, too, when I’m able to fill someone’s gas tank, or fill their cupboards with groceries, or laugh with someone who really needs a good laugh. And it’s there when babies are born, and when new hope and faith is born, and when we move from this life to the next. Jesus calls it “abundant life.” It’s what I think of when Jesus talks about the solid foundation we build on, and when he calls himself the Living Water.

 

We’ve been talking together in worship about the Living Water of Jesus. The water of birth and baptism, God parting the waters, Jesus calming the storm, the still water that refreshes, all of it. So this meditation by Rev Steven Charleston, the retired Episcopal bishop and Native American spiritual leader, really touched my heart.

 

"In even the deepest ocean you can find the current, the unseen highway of water that moves beneath the
surface. In even the most confusing times of our lives we can find God's direction, moving unseen around us just beneath the surface. We are never adrift in life. We are not forgotten or ignored. Even when we are struggling to make sense of things, when we seem to have no control over our circumstances, there is a spiritual current that surrounds us, the power of the Spirit, drawing us toward healing, forgiveness, wisdom: the safe shore of love. Ride the current beneath you. Trust God to show you the way."

 

As you seek the Lord in a new way this season through whatever spiritual practices you have chosen, I pray that you drink deeply of the Living Water and gain a sense of true joy. Trust God to show you the way.

 

Thankful for the fount of every blessing,

      Pastor Dawn

Worship Any and Everywhere!

DEEP WATERS 3: Troubled Waters

“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.” Isaiah 43:2

One of the most powerful stories in the Gospels (and there are a whole lot of powerful stories) is the story of the woman who washes Jesus’ feet with her tears, dries them with her hair, and anoints them with costly perfume. There is a lot that is suprising and wonderful about that story. You’ll find it in Luke 7, and also in Matthew 26, Mark 14, and John 12. We’ll consider together the deep, deep gratitude and great love she expresses here, and see where God is speaking to us through her story.

If you are worshiping with us from home, either via the radio broadcast or video, we are so glad! If we can pray for you, or if there is anything you need, we would love to do that. You can call the church office at  775-423-4714, or you can call Pastor Dawn on her cell phone any time, 775-671-5553.

Deep Waters.

March 8, 2022

Hello, friends!

I hope the hints of spring in the air and the prayerfulness of this season of Lent are making you feel as good as they are me. Praying the hours is a thing I have been doing for a few years as part of my own Lenten devotions – nothing fancy or formal, just a deliberate stopping of everything and spending a few moments in praise and prayer, 5 times per day. It’s so refreshing. I hope you are finding ways to add a good spiritual practice or two to your daily life…you’ll find it truly rewarding. Prayer, daily Bible reading, fasting, giving, and service are all good options. In fact, they are all deeply interconnected. The Lenten devotional I’m using, “Holy Solitude: Lenten Reflections with Saints, Hermits, Prophets, and Rebels” by Heidi Havercamp, blends them all in a pattern each week. I’d be glad to talk with you more about this, if you need ideas.

I have been really blessed lately to be in conversation with Tracy Runnels, who works with the Churchill Community Coalition. It’s hard to define what she does exactly, because her skill and energy level are so high and she does a bunch of different things. But her focus is on connecting folks in need with resources, and finding ways to fill in gaps between needs and resources we have here locally. I have for years felt really drawn to the connections between physical, mental, and spiritual health, and so I am excited to support several projects she is working on. One of the more exciting ones, to me, is a big health and wellness fair she is creating for September, to be held here at the church. Medical and dental clinics, parenting classes, art and music therapy, as well as games and laughter and maybe an outdoor bbq lunch…it’s all just in the idea phase right now, but she is getting a lot of good buy-in from local and Reno area groups like Children’s Cabinet who want to expand their services to Fallon. 

Like Fallon Daily Bread, things like this are powerfully impactful to our community, even for folks who just hear about them. I run into people all the time, strangers who express feeling moved by the things we do. We get private messages, or notes in the mail. Connecting selfless service like this to our Christian faith touches hearts and changes minds and open doors to God. We may never meet the folks who are impacted like this, and they may never step foot inside our doors, but it matters. Really matters. 

And then there are the people who are impacted directly. To be in service to our neighbors is a central tenet of our Christian faith; in the serving both the server and the receiver experience the real presence of God in Jesus Christ. I am discovering, in fact, that especially for folks who don’t trust or understand “church”, service becomes a deeply meaningful act of worship.

I want to encourage you to be in service in some kind of new way this season. There are many opportunities through the church, like HERO club or Fallon Daily Bread or the food pantry, driving folks to appointments, sitting with folks who are lonely to give caregivers some respite. All kinds of opportunities in town, too. Do it prayerfully and regularly, and make yourself stretch a bit into discomfort. And watch the Holy Spirit move.

 

Standing on the promises.

      Pastor Dawn

Worship Any and Everywhere!

DEEP WATERS 2: The Other Side

“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.” Isaiah 43:2

This week, as we continue through the Gospel of Luke, we meet Jesus as he calls the first disciples in
chapter 5. In Luke’s telling, they have been out all night and caught nothing, and are returning home exhausted and disappointed. Rather than welcoming them home with love and comfort, Jesus tells them to go back out, but deeper this time, and try again. We’ll talk about all of this and more on Sunday. See you there. 

 

Artwork credit: the picture at left is a portion of a stunning painting by Yongsung Kim, called “The Hand of God.” You can find his work at youngsungkimart.com.

 

If you are worshiping with us from home, either via the radio broadcast or video, we are so glad! If we can pray for you, or if there is anything you need, we would love to do that. You can call the church office at  775-423-4714, or you can call Pastor Dawn on her cell phone any time, 775-671-5553.