Friends, In the eight years I have been a pastor, I have noticed that my life has become a series of layers. Each week has a specific focus based on preparation for the next Sunday.  And Sundays group together by seasons—both liturgical seasons, like Advent and  Lent, and the seasonal patterns of the calendar year. And on top of those seasons lies another layer of time and planning—the Annual Conference appointment year, which is July to June each year.  As pastors, we live with other layers also. We become attached to our congregations, churches, and communities. But we also ac ..read more

by Angelina Goldwell Five years ago, on May 23, 2017, our Church Council accepted the results of an all-church vote and we officially became a Reconciling Congregation. For those of you new to our local church or new to United Methodism, let me explain all the jargon in my first sentence.  As you hopefully know, the United Methodist denomination is not LGBTQ+ affirming—our denominational stance is that “homosexuality is incompatible with Christian life.” And as long as those words have been present, there has been a movement to have those words removed and for our denomination t ..read more

by Doug Lacy-Roberts I consider it an honor and a privilege to be a First Olympia One Parish, One Prisoner (OPOP) team member. The goal of OPOP is to have one church assigned to help each newly released prisoner in the United States. What an admirable and noble goal this is—helping prisoners be successful when they return to society after being released from prison.  The deck of cards is unfortunately stacked against a prisoner being successful after they are released from prison. The goal of the OPOP team is to successfully connect with a to be released prisoner, not to change her/him, b ..read more

On June 11 from 9-11:00am, we are hosting our next Green Bag Saturday, when we collect food donations for the Thurston County Food Bank! Specific food collection-items have not been identified yet, and will be shared in this spot next week. In the meantime, please know that you may bring your donation in a brown paper grocery bag, the traditional green bag, or simply in its own case. On June 11, please enter the church parking lot on Legion Way and drive around to the front portico where a volunteer will remove your donation from your car. Contact Toni Miklich with any questions: tonimik@comca ..read more

from the United Methodist General Board of Church & Society This post was originally shared here on the Church & Society website of the United Methodist Church. Every day in the U.S. nearly 350 people still are shot, and almost 100 die in gun violence (34 from murder, 59 by suicide). That adds up to over 124,750 people shot and 35,000 killed by gunshot in the U.S. every year. Those numbers should be unacceptable to all. As Christians we are called by scripture to transform a society marked by violence into one of peace. Make it clear to your elected officials that they must act NOW to ..read more

by Barbara Fandrich When I learned of our church’s new One Parish One Prisoner (OPOP) program, I immediately wanted to join the team and help a newly released inmate rejoin society. Having a church community to welcome him could be so helpful as I learned prisoners are released with virtually no support system to integrate them back into society. Years ago, in Aberdeen, I was hired by Grays Harbor College to teach GED Prep and Adult Basic Skills at Stafford Creek Corrections Center. My education was in business administration, not criminal justice, but the prison needed a teacher and I needed ..read more

by Dave Foyle As we prepare for the release of our incarcerated friend, Michael, members of the One Parish One Prisoner team are sharing testimonies of their experience participating in this ministry. If you would like to help welcome Michael, please consider donating to our OPOP Fund at fumcoly.org/give or by sending a check to the church with “OPOP” in the memo line. If I’m quiet and listen, I can still hear my guitar and the inmates’ voices reverberating off of the cement walls of the County Jail – “This is the day that the Lord has made!” we all sang. Myself and five other United Methodist ..read more

Since January, our church’s One Parish One Prisoner team has been faithfully communicating with Michael, our incarcerated friend. Through letters and emails we have been learning about ourselves, each other, and Michael. We have also been learning about the unique barriers incarcerated people face when they leave prison. Michael will be released in August, which means it is now time for the OPOP team to begin preparing for his release date. For the first few months after his release, Michael will need help providing for his basic needs: housing, food, clothing, insurance, etc. We need your hel ..read more

Please save some June dates to say goodbye to our dear Pastor Peter and Pastor Amanda! We will celebrate Pastor Amanda on her last Sunday, June 19. Then we will celebrate Pastor Peter on his last Sunday, June 26. Please click here to read all the details for special gifts, festive June coffee hours, and a picnic in the park! Our Pastor of Visitation, Rev. Sandy Ward, will also be leaving our staff in June to serve as pastor of Manito UMC in Spokane. Tumwater UMC is planning a farewell for her. We will announce those events as we’re made aware of them, so that you may attend and celebrate Pasto ..read more

June is Pride Month – an opportunity for LGBTQ+ persons and their allies to celebrate the accomplishments of the community, to mourn setbacks, and to dream together about a future where all can thrive. Olympia’s own Capital Pride went virtual during the pandemic but returns this year on Saturday, June 4. There will not be a parade, instead the focus will be on a day-long festival with booths, music, and fun! Our church will be hosting a booth as we have done in years past. The booth is an opportunity for us to be present in the community, build relationships, and share God’s lov ..read more