This week, our church was filled (morning and night!) with the joy and energy of Vacation Bible School! A huge THANK YOU to everyone who made it possible, from behind-the-scenes heroes to those leading over 300 children in learning what it means to “Live it Out” and love like Jesus in real, everyday ways.
As we continue our June sermon series echoing VBS themes, this week we focus on Pray and Serve (how fitting with the Pastor of Mission and Outreach preaching!). While we often highlight how we serve locally through our partnerships with Rothenberg School, Meals on Wheels, Found House, and more – this week we’re celebrating how we’re living it out globally.
This Sunday, we’ll commission an intergenerational team of 18 heading to Tijuana Christian Mission (TCM), a children’s home with campuses in Tijuana and Rosarito, Mexico from June 21–27. TCM is deeply meaningful to me because 25 years ago, during my first visit, I experienced what it meant to truly follow Jesus. It was there that Jesus became real to me, and my faith began to take root in a way that shaped the rest of my life. This will be the 30th team I’ll had the joy of serving with, and I’m excited to welcome 9 first-time travelers alongside 8 returners. I invite you to join me in prayer for this incredible team:
Emily Bolin-Meyers, Christina Cotrone, Nora Flynn, Caroline Gneuhs, Sam Gneuhs, Zoe Hams, Jim Harmann, Morgan Hunter, Gillian Hunter, Olivia Klenke, Brennan Riggs, Eric Riggs, Laura Schap, Ron Spice, Patrick Wantz, Kate Warren, Mary Wheeler, and myself.
A second intergenerational team will travel to Cartagena, Colombia from July 25–31 to partner with a Methodist church focused on ministry with women, children, and LGBTQ+ folx. We’re hopeful this will mark the beginning of a meaningful, long-term relationship. This team will be commissioned during worship on Sunday, July 20. I request prayers for the team, the people we’ll encounter, and that God will move among us in powerful and lasting ways.
Please begin praying for: Todd Anderson, Kevin Betts, Christina Cotrone, Rachael Earley, Bob Edgecomb, Katie Elsnau, Marcia Hartsock, Henry Perkins, Melody Riggs, Dave Robertson, and myself.
One of the things I treasure most about Hyde Park Community UMC is our both/and approach to mission. We are a church that loves our neighbors right here in Cincinnati—and around the world. We serve not from obligation but from a deep desire to embody Jesus’ love, wherever we are called.
My prayer is, like the children this week, we will each be moved to Live it Out – through prayer, through service, and through love that knows no borders.
Peace,
Pastor Kate