Dearly Beloved,

And so we come to the end of four years together.  It has been a tremendous pleasure and privilege to serve as your pastor.  I invite you to join us, if you can, for our in-person worship this Sunday as we celebrate our ministry together.

I know there are things left undone.  Plans that many of us have talked about that have not yet been fully put into place.  But that is always the case, isn’t it?  I am excited for you as you move into the next phase of ministry.  Your new pastor, Claire McNulty-Drewes, is bringing her years of experience and her passion for following Jesus into your midst.  You will love her warmth and authenticity.  She will be assisted by our new Ministry and Mission Coordinator Tricia Grafelman who loves this church so much and will share her energy and ideas.

I need to thank our wonderful staff.  Our office personnel includes Carol Barnett, our Office Administrator; Devon Towry, our Digital Content Manager; and Carol Wiggins, our Accounting Manager.  Eli Solt does a fabulous job as our Audio/Video Coordinator.

Our musicians include Dan Chaikin, Chancel Choir director; Karen McIntosh, organist and Soul Singers director; and Linda Patten who leads our great Bell Choir.

We are blessed with the ministry of our BASIC Youth coordinator Emily Farrenkopf and her assistant Brant Davis.

But what I have found so incredibly exciting about this church is the sheer number of people who volunteer their time and leadership in so many ways.  There are far too many to mention.  But I do need to lift up a few.

Rod Edmonds, who serves as our Treasurer, has been a source on encouragement and information.

Marty Allison, who wears so many hats in our church.  We would all be poorer without her love for the work of Christ in this world.

All of the various members who served on the Staff-Parish Relations Committee during my time with you.

And Allyson Bowland, who faithfully and expertly has worked with me every Sunday I have been here and especially through the early days of the pandemic.

I simply cannot thank all of you as I should in this brief note.  But know that you are very special to me.  And that is especially true for you Jean and Karl!

Hope to see you all Sunday!

Blessings,

Pastor David

Longmont Pride Festival

Though the mercury on the thermometer had climbed to a sweltering 100 degrees, the air pulsated with jubilation. People were at the PRIDE festival to celebrate and to show their rainbow colors.

The Heart of Longmont’s booth was a hive of activity. People gathered asking about the church, collecting church swag and intently creating beaded key chains and rainbow arches.

Seven church members manned one hour shifts, downed cold water, and reveled in the open and accepting spirit of the festival. If you didn’t get the opportunity to soak in the fun this year, don’t worry, you can get in on the action next year!

Just ask Mary Ann and Keith Watson, Lynn Greenhalge, Jan and Dave Parry, Joan Riggins, Pastor David and Joan Edmonds about the upbeat feelings they left with that day. Even though we were present to serve, we were the ones spiritually fed and blessed.

Let Love Be The Gateway

By Lenore Katz

It was, perhaps, an ordinary day in Capernaum, or at least as ordinary as it could have been for someone who was the Son of God. Having only just returned to civilization after a notoriously arduous wilderness trek, it was time for Jesus to get to work. The Bible tells us that he was just settling in when he was approached by a Roman centurion– we can only speculate as to what He thought in that moment, but as a Jewish man being approached by a military occupier, one might imagine that even the Savior felt some apprehension.

We know, of course, that the man meant no harm, and that he wasn’t even there in his official capacity. Far from it, this pagan soldier from a foreign land had come to ask for help, because his favorite servant was sick and in agony. Jesus offered to go to him, but the centurion humbly declined, firm in his belief that if Jesus only willed the man to be healed, it would be so. Praising the centurion’s faith, Jesus told him to go home, it’s as good as done! So it was, and the rest, as they say, is history.

It would be easy to close the book there. But just who was this guy, and why am I telling this story now?

To answer the first question, let’s put the centurion back in the context of the time and place he comes from by taking a brief look into the past. The average American has a lot more in common with a typical Roman citizen than they might realize. While the Bible has formed many of our modern attitudes here in the western hemisphere, our centurion friend would have been guided by a pervasive sense of class-consciousness. Age, gender, citizenship, and social standing would have touched every aspect of his life, including what he ate, what he could wear, and even who and how he could love.

In those days, of course, “love” was understood somewhat differently. Love and desire, so often seen as separate or even in conflict in our times, were considered inextricably linked in much of the ancient world. Our centurion’s concept of sin had less to do with his feelings of attraction, or even the gender of those he might have felt attraction to, but more to do with how he expressed them, and whether they were in accordance with his place in society. While the former fact has led to the concept of ancient Rome as a permissive and sometimes debauched place, the latter tempers that imagining with a dose of reality.

One type of love that was permitted and even encouraged for men of social standing was that of a higher-ranking man and a lower-ranked one… yes, you see where this is going. In fact, Luke tells us that the centurion refers to his servant as “pais,” a Greek word of varied implications. It can mean a servant, a youth, or in some contexts, even a lover. And while it’s not evidence enough to say anything for certain, it wrenches the door open to a possibility not often talked about at the church pulpit: our centurion friend may very well have been gay.

There’s lots more to be said and argued on the point. Was it love? Was it lust? Certainly no #MeToo movement existed in the ancient world, and concepts of consent were iffy at best to a modern mind, even in non-Roman cultures, or even in typical by-the-book marriages. What we do know is that in the context of the times, it would have been understood as love, and that the possibility of such a relationship cannot be definitively dismissed.

And to finally answer my second question of why I’m telling this story now, it is because in the month of June of the year 2022--Pride Month, for LGBT+ people and their communities--I would say that this story, its intricacies and message, cannot be ignored. Queer love today exists in unambiguously equal partnerships. And yet even now, many LGBT+ individuals and their families are left to question whether an authentic relationship with Jesus is possible for them, whether there is respite and belonging to be found in His church, or whether God loves them at all.

Whatever is left to debate about our centurion friend, we know that he met Jesus of Nazareth in the streets that day in Capernaum, distressed but utterly certain that this was the man who could save a life that was precious and dear to him. We know that far from admonishing him, or naming conditions to be met before he offered healing, Jesus was “amazed” by the centurion’s faith. The Savior of All, amazed! Amazed by a man who was an invader, a pagan, and in this author’s opinion, very likely gay and not even subtle about the fact. He speaks to the crowds and praises the centurion, saying that it is faith like that which leads to salvation. All the rest is irrelevant in that moment, and a man is healed, without so much as a “go forth and sin no more.” An act of love moves a man to seek a miracle, and in his unconditional love, Jesus grants it.

As Pride Month 2022 draws to a close, let us remember that each generation, including Jesus’s own, has lived in unprecedented times. Differing ideas about gender, love, sexuality, and their “proper” expression were as common then as they are now, a part of the life of Jesus as much as any other human experience. Let us remember how Jesus responded when sought out in need and in heartfelt faith, and do likewise. Let love be the gateway to connection with Christ, not an obstacle to it. Let us be like the centurion, and amaze even the Lord with the ways that love moves us to deeper faith.

“Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” --Matthew 8:10-11

Special thanks to Lenore Katz for sharing this article with us for Pride Month.

Lenore is a queer freelance writer and artist based in Maine.

Gun Safety Events

The Leadership Institute Visionary Team (LIV) has initiated a supportive partnership with the Longmont United Church of Christ (UCC) for gun safety awareness. UCC has held six gun safety events in the past.

Several events are slated for this year. On Saturday, July 9th, a gun safe giveaway will take place from 9 AM to noon at the Longmont Safety and Justice Center parking lot on Kimbark. Gun safes that can hold 2 hand guns will be given away free. Safe storage of guns can save lives.

Heart of Longmont has volunteered to provide snacks and bottled water for this event.

Suggested snacks are:

• Granola bars
• Protein bars
• Individual pretzel packs
• Individual nut packs 
• Individual cookie packs
• Individual popcorn packs 
• Individual potato chip packs
• Candy bars
• Bottle water

No home baked items please.

Please place your donations in the labeled bin by the Sanctuary.

You can also sign up to help with the gun safe giveaway by clicking on this link 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e48afa62ba0f5c70-giveaway

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world” -Mahatma Ghandi

Finance Update

Overall church finances are in line with the 2022 budget.

Income for the year is up $ 13,381 (9.7%) thanks primarily to a couple large contributions in January and an increase in "unpledged" contributions this year.

Expenses are up $9,589 (5.9%) from 2021 but are in line with the budget (expenses through May at 40.6% of budget with 41.7% of the calendar year complete). The largest variance to budget continues to be for our facility operations where our building maintenance expenses are at 69% of the annual budget. Major costs in May for the upgraded security system was $4,630. These unfavorable variances have been partially offset by lower than budget costs for staff and office administration.

A Message from Sandy Rabenhorst

Hello, my name is Sandy Rabenhorst and I have been asked by the Finance committee to come up here and nag you. Honestly, isn't that what we all fear from a stewardship campaign - candy wrapped nagging? In truth, I am up here, without being nagged, to offer you a relative newcomer's perspective on this church. In moving around, I have been a member of several churches. Nowhere have I come across such, as you have identified yourself, a heartful church. Nowhere have I felt so welcomed not just the first Sunday or so, not because I represent a possible new member and, therefore, worker (which I have actually been told), and not because you thought first of my coins which might jingle in your collection plate... but just because I arrived on your doorstep and walked in. What a great gift your welcome was and continues to be. I stand here brimming with gratitude!!

Perhaps you are aware of a passage from James in which he essentially says, by my deeds I will show you my faith. One reason I love that passage is because I have struggled so long and hard with certain aspects of Biblical and church theology. In truth, I have simply given up on understanding much of it. But here is James telling me there is another way to be a faithful follower of Jesus... through my deeds. I once asked a pastor how I could know which deeds were mine to do. Very helpfully she quoted Albert Schweitzer and said, “Look for the place where your great passion meets the world's great need.” Let me say that again...”Look for the place where your great passion meets the world's great need.” That advice has always served me well. I would invite us all to consider where our great passion meets this church's great need and vision. I believe Pastor David reminds us of much of it every week... which is to put more of God's love into the world. In this there is room for YOUR great passion and YOUR great heart!

You may have heard people in church using pronouns to identify themselves: she/her, he/his, they/them. Why are we doing this? 

Well, glad you asked! Pronouns are the part of speech that substitutes names, nouns, and noun phrases in a sentence. A person’s pronouns are part of their identity and gender expression. It is important for everyone to be recognized for their identity. You can’t know a person’s gender just by looking at them.

It’s important that as a reconciling congregation we take time to not only learn a person’s name but also their identity and to not make assumptions. By using pronouns we create an inclusive environment and show respect for others.

The reason we will be using pronouns at HOL is to create a safe space for any LGBTQIA+ person. Just like you, they are a beloved child of God.

Our Mission:

Putting More of God's Love Into The World

Helping all persons find deeper meaning and God’s purpose for their lives as committed Christ-followers.

Serving as the Heart of Longmont means:

We will welcome all persons, without reservation or judgment,

just as Jesus Christ would do.

We will work tirelessly by entering into intentional acts of compassion and social justice to make our community a place where God’s love is known by all, where poverty and deprivation are unknown by any, and where respect for the worth and dignity of each person is the norm.

We will respect and honor other religious traditions

while choosing Christ as our way of knowing God best.

We will emphasize life-long learning so that we may

engage our world from a dynamic and creative perspective.

We will work to protect God’s creation.

We will practice stewardship of all aspects of our lives,

including time, talent, financial resources, and spiritual gifts.

News from Longmont Meals on Wheels

Longmont Meals on Wheels needs kitchen volunteers and summer substitute drivers! Folks can volunteer as often as 1-2 times a week or as little as once a month. 18 is the minimum age to drive a route alone, but kids are welcome to join their parents or grandparents. Call 303-772-0540 or find more info at longmontmeals.org/volunteer.

Calling all knitters, crocheters and sewers! We have the ambitious goal of collecting 400 pairs of homemade mittens or gloves for our home-delivery participants for the holidays. For more information go to longmontmeals.org/events or contact Annie Christoffersen at annie@lmow.org or 303-772-0540.