August 11, 2024 Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost

Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

You may or may not already know that on July 12th it was announced that Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi will shortly finish her term here in the Western Pennsylvania Conference, and that Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball has been appointed as our new bishop.  We are so grateful for Bishop Moore-Koikoi’s work here in Western Pennsylvania, knowing that much of it was during the difficult times of Covid and of disaffiliation.  We pray that her new appointment will bring rich rewards both to her and to her new conference. 

And we pray for Bishop Steiner Ball as she prepares for her new appointment as well, here in Western Pennsylvania with us. 

August 4, 2024 Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost

Blessings to you on this beautiful summer day!

As we gear up for Vacation Bible School on the week of August 5th, I thought I would share with you why I chose this particular project.  I know that people in this church very much want to reach out to families and to young children, especially as many people in that generation no longer choose to go to church, either regularly or even at all—so first of all, I wanted to respond to your concern.  Historically, VBS doesn’t necessarily bring a lot of people in for regular attendance, but in some ways that only makes outreach even more necessary.  These are seeds we are planting: that church people care, that church is a loving place to be, and that God is still speaking to a beloved creation.  And if the kids’ families don’t come back on a regular basis afterwards, this may be one of the few exposures kids have to church, and we can make it a good one. 

July 21, 2024 Ninth Sunday After Penecost

It has been a week, hasn’t it?  Rising Covid numbers (in spite of it being summer), some pretty extreme weather, and a shooting—an assassination attempt—in our own backyard.  

We can point to some human problems here, obviously, and maybe a few things beyond human control as well, but regardless, we have good reason to be sobered by the events of the week.  I ask that you join me in prayer for our nation and for our world. 

And in the meantime, let us remember who—and whose—we are.

July 7, 2024 Seventh Sunday After Pentecost

Summer greetings! 

I was asked recently about why I always include the passing of the peace in our services, and I think it’s worth some time here, especially because I do understand that, especially for those of us who are introverts (as I am!), it can sometimes feel awkward. 

I think it’s important for several reasons. First, there is a biblical command: “greet [each other] with a holy kiss” (Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:26; or “kiss of love,” 1 Peter 5:14). We don’t actually emphasize the kiss part, but rather the greeting. It is an acknowledgement of our common community—that we are one instance of the body of Christ coming together, and that we come together in His name, and not as individuals in a consumer situation (in which the customer always gets their way and they can choose whether or not to participate or consume). Our greeting to each other within the worship service foregrounds the importance of our community and the reason that we gather—to worship together as the body of Christ. 

Passing the peace of Christ among ourselves also acknowledges that we are doing this together.  Not just that we come together to be the body, as in “assemble,” but doing this thing called worship together—worship as a verb. In our individualistic society it’s easy to forget that community actions matter. 

June 30, 2024 Sixth Sunday After Pentecost

I am delighted to tell you (drumroll please!) that we have reached our Flood Bucket goal of $2000!  Thanks to the generosity of this congregation, we will be funding 70 flood buckets, a first response to disaster that’s available through our conference Mission Barn.  Buckets include practical items that help affected people to clean their homes and salvage as much as possible after a flood.  The items include things like gloves (kitchen and work gloves), clotheslines for hanging items to air and dry, scrub brushes, cleansers, and even insect repellant.  This is a good work that you have come together to do, and because of you, 70+ families will not have to scramble for supplies just when everything seems to be falling apart.  Thank you for being the church to our wider community!

 Our date for visiting the Mission Barn to assemble flood buckets is September 28th. 

June 23, 2024

Friends, we need to have a celebration:  as of today we have come together to the tune of $1850 toward our $2000 goal for flood buckets for the Mission Barn!  The people of God are serving our neighbors in the name of our Lord—and as Paul says so often in his letters, “I give thanks for you!” 

While we are very grateful for the gifts of this community, please note that our summer celebration of volunteers, hosted by the Fowlers, has been delayed for safety due to the high heat.  We will post new dates when we have them—we’re looking forward to seeing everyone and celebrating this community of faith!

And finally, a personal thank you to the many who have offered help in our third day of no power at home.  I’m especially thankful because I know this community well enough to know that you have offered to your neighbors as well.  God is good, and God’s people here at McKnight are faithful.  Once again, I give thanks for you. 

Looking forward to Sunday worship with you—

Becky

June 16, 2024 Fourth Sunday After Pentecost

As I was doing my study time this morning—I’m currently reading Pastor by UMC Bishop Will Willimon—I came across this quote:  “Evangelization is not only of the nature of the church evoked by the work of the Trinity; the church is also the object of this work.”  There’s a lot packed into that sentence, but the part that really struck me was that we, the church, are always also the object of evangelization. 

We tend to think of evangelization as something we do, to outsiders, but we Methodists, alongside several other communities, believe in something officially called “sanctification”—simply put, we believe that God’s work in us continues after we come to believe.  God continues the work of evangelization by calling all of the parts of us that remain unconverted, or unaligned with God.  God continues to woo us, to teach us, and to steadily ask us to become more of who we were created to be. 

June 9, 2024 Third Sunday After Pentecost

As you already know, for me, one of the pleasures of being a pastor is continuing study, seeking ideas and inspiration to shape and inform what we do together in work and in worship.  This week I was reading a Diana Butler Bass book this week, since she’s a pretty big name in theological schools right now, and I’d never gotten around to any of her books, and this quotation struck me: 

 “It comforted me that half of the Christian year is called ‘ordinary time,’ a season of prayers and readings in which not much seems to happen, where holiness is marked by the seasons of nature—summer’s growth and fall’s harvest.  No time of expectant wonder, no miraculous birth, no piercing light, no deep lament, no Resurrection triumph.  Instead, these are the weeks when the church reads stories of Jesus teaching, healing, and eating, all that is familiar and familial—the motherly presence of Christ—just ordinary time.”

 Ordinary time is where (or rather “when”) we are right now:  no festivals or holidays, simply weeks of real life and real worship. 

June 2, 2024 Second Sunday After Pentecost

Greetings!

If you haven’t seen the Facebook post yet, there’s another Chapter-a-Day community reading from UMC Discipleship.  This summer we’re doing the book of Acts.  Reading Scripture is an important part of our Christian lives and formation, and this program makes it extraordinarily easy to participate:  a chapter will show up in your inbox each day.  Here’s a link:https://newsletters.umcdiscipleship.org/read-a-chapter-a-day-signup?.

 I spoke briefly from the pulpit about how UMCOR has received a top rating from Charitywatch, so we can know that all of our donations, including our current collection for flood buckets, goes to excellent use.  If you’re interested, here’s a link to the article.  https://umcmission.org/press-release/umcor-receives-top-rating-from-charitywatch/.

 And finally, I ask that all of you keep our Annual Conference in prayer. 

May 26, 2024 Trinity Sunday

Welcome to summer, the weather is saying—whether the calendar agrees or not! 

I just had the privilege of watching two classes (morning and afternoon) of preschoolers graduate.  The students performed many of the things they’ve learned this year, and those of us in attendance got to see how hard they’ve been working!  The preschool teachers also deserve worlds of credit for all of their hard work, and for their kindness and patience. 

May 19, 2024 Day of Pentecost

I’d like to once again thank each and every one of you for your prayers and for your meal train and for your practical help when Wayne was sick.  It made such a difference to me that I didn’t have to split my attention in so many directions, and it made such a difference to my whole family to see their church community step up in so many ways, including the tangible.  Thank you for your love and support, and for being the church to Wayne and me and my whole family. 

On a different note, I have ordered a VBS curriculum for us this year.  While McKnight hasn’t done a VBS for a while, I think this one is pretty special. 

May 5, 2024 Sixth Sunday of Easter

Leaning in to ministry—spiritual gifts survey

 

 

Welcome to May! 

 

In this season of springtime and renewal and new growth in the natural world, McKnight is also leaning into renewal and new growth.  Some of you were able to join us at our service this past Sunday, and heard Craig speak about the spiritual gifts survey that we’re doing.  Part of following the Spirit’s leading is acknowledging what sort of gifts that we have been given; this is an opportunity for both the individual and the church body.  The more we know about our particular part of the body of Christ, the more we can lean into the gifts that God has already given us as we turn to ministry in our communities.  So . . .

April 28, 2024 Fifth Sunday of Easter

You may or may not already know that our United Methodist General Conference, which meets every four years, has begun on April 23rd and will run through May 3rd.  Many issues are discussed every time Conference meets, and only General Conference can speak for United Methodism as a whole.  Some of the discussions will center on what we call legislation, which if passed will be entered into our next edition of the Book of Discipline, which describes our mission, who we are, and how we work. 

April 21, 2024 Fourth Sunday of Easter

As I write this letter, Church Council has just met, and I have to say that I’m excited about the growing sense of purpose and direction. Council here at McKnight has always, in my experience, been thoughtful and ministry-oriented, but I think we’re asking better questions now, and discerning new and better possibilities. Some of you have had a chance to do a spiritual gifts survey, and we’re hoping that more will be able to participate in the coming weeks—it will be fun to see where we all fall in terms of the survey. I should also say that if you think the survey doesn’t properly account for your gifts and inclinations, you are free to lean into your own sense of who you are. This survey just gives us a sense of what kinds of ministries might interest different people, so that we might invite you to participate in the things you actually enjoy.

In seminary we learned that “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet” (Frederick Buechner). While we all might sometimes pitch in in places where we don’t necessarily feel “gifted,” we should consider whether our inclinations are telling us something, particularly about our skills, and especially about God’s calling.

April 14, 2024 Third Sunday of Easter

This week’s letter is a couple of quick announcements: 

 

In light of recent floods, which seriously depleted supplies of flood buckets at our Western Pennsylvania Mission Barn, we are collecting supplies for flood buckets.  Follow this link for specifics:  https://umcmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Cleaning-Kit-Assembly-Instructions_September-2023.pdf.  Please note that you can purchase all of the materials or simply a few, and used 5-gallon buckets are accepted; used buckets must be clean and odor-free. 

We are also currently collecting items for the rummage sale at our sister church, Epworth UMC in Allison Park (they are collecting flood bucket supplies for us, too!).  They are accepting most of the usual things, including furniture, but please no electronics and no upholstered furniture. 

April 7, 2024 Second Sunday of Easter

Happy Easter!  It was my honor to celebrate this most beautiful of all of our holidays with all of you once again! 

 

Thank you all for all of your contributions to the M&M’s personal care collection for North Hills Community Outreach, and for all of the food items as well.  This sort of work is so important for the community, and you honor your Christian faith when you participate as you are able. 

 I hope you all enjoyed the Easter bulletin board, full of color and life with all of the Easter eggs hand-painted by the young students at our preschool. 

March 29-31, 2024 Good Friday & Easter Sunday

I can’t believe Lent is nearly over!  I have very much enjoyed our Lenten Soup Suppers, and have heard good reviews overall, so I’m hoping to continue those in the future. 

 

That said, I’m sorry I couldn’t make it this week.  As many of you know, I had to take a family member with severe stomach pain in to the ER, and we ended the day with an unplanned abdominal surgery.  I am grateful to all of you who prayed, who showed up for the Soup Supper and had prayer and fellowship, and to all of you who offered help as well. 

March 17, 2024 Fifth Sunday in Lent

Last night we had another wonderful Lenten Soup Supper, with Split Pea Soup and Minestrone this time, and with homemade bread and cookies—thank you to all who have contributed on any of the nights, whether through food or labor!  And thank you for your conversation with each other in the small groups:  whether you answer the questions directly or simply speak about an adjacent subject, it’s an exercise in holy community.  We have two more weeks of this time together, and I’m looking forward to spending it with you!

 

And speaking of community, our preschool is currently working on an Easter bulletin board, so soon we will be able to celebrate those children in our midst.  There’s a fresh energy to children’s art, where you can see them experiencing and experimenting with all their senses—I’m really looking forward to seeing it with you in our front hall.