Dear Friends,

 

The Holy Spirit is moving among us! On May 31, we joyfully welcomed twelve

new members into our congregation. Be sure to keep reading to learn a few fun

facts about these newest members of our church family.

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As we enter the month of June, our congregation is invited into several

meaningful opportunities to reflect on God's reconciling work in the world and

on our call to participate in it.

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June is Pride Month, a time to celebrate the dignity, resilience, and gifts of

LGBTQIA+ people, while also remembering the ongoing struggle for justice

and full inclusion.  As a Reconciling in Christ congregation, we affirm that

people of every sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression are

not only welcomed here, but celebrated as beloved and indispensable members

of Christ's body.  Pride Month offers us an opportunity to renew our

commitment to radical hospitality, courageous love, and the sacred worth of

every person.

 

June also brings Juneteenth (June 19), the commemoration of the day in 1865

when news of emancipation finally reached enslaved African Americans in

Texas - more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation had been

issued. As Christians, we remember that liberation is central to God's story and

we are called to discern how we, too, are participating in God's work of setting

people free.

 

In recognition of Juneteenth, on June 14 - the final Sunday before our choir

begins its summer break - we will be blessed to hear a special offering of

African-American spirituals, accompanied by brief reflections on their history

and meaning. These songs are powerful testimonies of faith, endurance, and

hope. To hear and honor them is to remember the sustaining power of God in

he midst of suffering and to bear witness to a God who hears the cries of the oppressed.

 

This June, as we celebrate Pride, commemorate Juneteenth, and listen deeply to the voices of

faith carried through song, may we be renewed in our calling to be a church shaped by justice,

compassion, and courageous welcome - trusting that the Holy Spirit continues to lead us into

deeper truth, wider love, and fuller reconciliation.