fbpx

East District News Webpage

Find all the latest news from the East District here. Visit https://dscumc.org/subscribe to subscribe to the East District newsletter and receive news like this in your email.

Guided by the Spirit

Guided by the Spirit

I was reading a commentary on the book of First Corinthians that started out by saying the book was written for a church that was experiencing great divisions. Some of the divisions were along ethnic lines. Others were divisions in theological beliefs. What is painful is the fact that parties on all sides of the dividing line claimed to be following what their faith taught them.

Every Child is a Precious Gift

Every Child is a Precious Gift

I believe that teachers are amazing people, who want nothing more than to help their students succeed. The teachers I know have sacrificed everything to work with each child as a precious gift, working hard to identify each child’s strengths and areas of growth. This past 15 months has been especially difficult on teachers, and they have stepped up to the challenge.   

Who Is My Neighbor?

Who Is My Neighbor?

Most of the time I would not think that the request was strange at all. “Is it ok if I give you a hug?” This time the question came out of the blue. I had asked for a ride to the airport. After I got into the car the driver greeted me. She noticed my last name and said when she was in high school there was a school nurse who had the same last name. My response was to say, “you must have attended Maryvale High School.” The woman was shocked and said that she did and wondered how I could have known that. I told her that my mother had been the nurse at Maryvale for many years. 

It’s How You Look At It

It’s How You Look At It

What you see is what you get becomes a powerful spiritual formation phrase for a person of faith. It challenges you to not only see the difficulties that are real and present, but also to look at the situation to see beyond the first glance realities. There is the opportunity to ask God to help you see not only what is, but also what could be. Is there beauty hidden in the mess right in front of you?

Let Love Arise

Let Love Arise

An unseen voice spoke, “follow the pall bearers…” I couldn’t help but think about how many funeral processions I had participated in over my lifetime. In the silence of the moment the pall bearers picked up the stretcher with the shrouded body on it and led the group of people from the chapel where the Good Friday service began to a tomb in another building, where the service would end, with a giant stone being rolled into place. 

Call to Community

Call to Community

“I’m just so tired of the same old-same old,” he said as we talked about the future of the church. When I asked what he meant, the man said that we have known for years that the church needed to move into a greater level of online engagement, but “we wouldn’t do it until the pandemic forced us to change.” Forced us to change…

Who Does She Look Like?

Who Does She Look Like?

I remember when my granddaughter was born. People asked, “who does she look like, her mom or her dad?” At first, I could see hints of her dad in her eyes. When she was about 6  months old, there was a photo where I was struck at how much she looked like her mom. Now this child looks like her own unique self. What I see in her now reflects something of the characteristics I see in her parents. She is bright, inquisitive, strong, filled with joy. Her sense of imagination fills the room. I see all of these qualities in her mom and dad and in this young child. 

Get information like this in your inbox