Livingston News - April 2025
- Livingston UMC
- Apr 1
- 4 min read
In this edition:
Dear Beloveds,
This will be a short(ish) note yet again, largely because it's been a busy couple of weeks for me, which hasn't left me with much time available to sit and write something lengthy and profound. Needless to say, busy is busy, but it's also a good thing. Busy means things are happening in and around our Livingston community! I'm grateful for the great crowd we had on Sunday for our State of the Church meeting and especially for your engagement as we chatted about what's keeping us busy.
We have so many opportunities before us as followers of Jesus, more generally, and the people of Livingston United Methodist Church, more specifically. As we look around outside of our church walls and out of the front doors of our homes, we see a hurting and divided country—indeed an entire world. As we continue to witness more and more budgetary cuts to social services programs such as food pantries, housing, and healthcare, it seems likely that those actions will cut deeper still for more people. It's still important to acknowledge that, even as we are fast approaching Easter and the reminder that we are Resurrection people.
Below is a piece from Rev. Steve Garnaas-Holmes titled "Long and gentle path"; there is much hurt that must stop and much healing to be done when it does. We'll want that healing to be quick and complete, and we are mindful that God is at work in ways we cannot comprehend. God's heart is breaking for all of the same reasons our hearts are breaking, day in and day out. Let's commit to traversing the long and gentle path of loving against all odds, embracing the healing and mending of the world that God is already doing.
Violence is quick; healing is slow.
Ask the bone, the tree, the heart.
Love takes time.
We crave instant success
not for love of the present moment
but fear of it:
we want to move on.
But our sudden outbursts
of self-assertion will expire;
God will remain.
God prays for you
for ten thousand years
before you are born.
Don’t be fooled by the Instant Way.
Nothing good happens there.
Love outlasts its little deaths.
Commit yourself to the long and gentle path.
Yes, evil ones may undo you in a moment—
this is the truth of the cross.
But God has been preparing your resurrection
since the beginning of time,
and even now it ripens, and is ready.
Hold on to hope, y'all. It is powerful, especially when the world around us loses it. Our hope stays strong, anchored in the promises of God with Us.
With love,
Pastor Angie
Holy Ground is a six-week series meant to connect us more deeply to creation and lead us to actively claiming our call to be caretakers of the earth. As the spring weather begins to peek through and starts to stick around a bit longer, many of us will be spending more and more time outside. All of creation begins to "wake up" in new ways after long, cold winters, and our opportunities to focus on our place within the larger good of the world around us show up more frequently. We will begin our journey on the first Sunday after Easter Sunday and continue until Pentecost Sunday, and you are invited to find or notice the sacred in the world outside in new ways.
April 27 – Holy Gift: God Creates, We Steward
Psalm 8 & Genesis 1:26-31
May 4 – Holy Ground: Finding the Sacred in the Ordinary
Isaiah 52:6-7 & Exodus 3:1-6
May 11 – Holy Water: How We Relate to Creation is How We Relate to the Creator
Proverbs 8:1-3, 22-31 & Mark 1:4-12
May 18 – Holy Creatures: Loving Our Wild Neighbors
Romans 1:20-21, Job 12:7-10, Luke 10:25-29
May 25 – Holy Order: Every Species Has a Sacred Role
Romans 12:4-6 & Matthew 6:27-34
June 1 – Holy Responsibility: Claiming Our Call to Tend the Earth
Isaiah 24:4-6, Romans 8:12-19, & John 6:3-13
Service Opportunities
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Serve each month at Rosemary's Cupboard Food Pantry! This month's guest service dates are Tuesday, April 22 and Thursday, April 24. No pantry service on April 26 due to Cap City Marathon. | Volunteers are always welcome to help the Charitable Pharmacy of Central Ohio sort and label medications. Call to arrange a time! | Our friends at Village Connections would love to welcome you to their corps of volunteers who make their mission possible! |
LUMC Swag
We now have an LUMC Swag Shop through the online print-on-demand company Spreadshop. With the button below, you'll be able to purchase clothing, bags, and mugs that show the world your commitment to treating others with kindness AND to your LUMC family!
Sign Up for Altar Flowers
We know that many times when you choose to provide flowers to decorate the altar, there is a special person or occasion that spurs your choice of that date. So next time you provide Altar flowers, if you'd like to share why, please do! We'll include your dedication in the bulletin and in the slides that are displayed on Sunday morning.
Please email Jane at lumc@livingstonchurch.org by Tuesday afternoon with your dedication so that she can add it to the bulletins, which are printed on Thursdays.
To support our ministries, Livingston United Methodist Church depends on the financial support of members and friends such as you. You may drop off or mail your offering to the church, or click below to give online.
Newsletter Deadline
We welcome informational articles from our community. Please send monthly newsletter submissions by the end of the day on the 22nd of this month to info@livingstonchurch.org. We do not publish advertisements. We reserve the right to edit articles.
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