Brecksville United Methodist has a commitment to courageous inclusion.  What does that mean?  Hear guest speaker, Megan Louttit, explain how this commitment has impacted her life.

Overflowing Faith - God Is Love

We are a church with a long history which includes wonderful messages from pastors and guest speakers alike.  This audio library includes sermons from our pastors Rev. Heidi Welch, Rev. Clark Stein, Rev. Karen Oehl, and special guests - Rev. Dr. William McCartney, Betsy Wooster, Rev. Lisa Drew, Rev.  Dave Patton, Michael Jasczcak, Rev. Joy (Parker) Fenton-Jones, Janet Kleckner, Rev. Steve Clunn, Rev. Rob Leveridge, A. Current-Felder, Rev. Kathy Dickreide, John Brachna, Jenny Gee and Rev. Peg Welch.

20141123(thanksgiving Service) Philippians 4 4 - 9 Its An Attitude (pastor Stein)

20150524 Acts 2 1 - 21 One Breath At A Time (pastor Stein)

20160306 Luke 15 1 - 32 No One You Can Save That Cant Be Saved (pastor Stein)

20160410 John 21 1 - 19 Naked Fishing (pastor Stein)

20160522 John 16 12 - 15 Ive Got More To Say (pastor Stein)

20160717 Acts 4 32 - 37 The Power Of Testimoney (rev Rob Leveridge)

20160724 Hosea 1 2 - 11 Im Not Making This Up (pastor Stein)

No Title

As we close out this series on living out our faith, may this story of Eutychus and the early church remind us that our journeys are not linear and that living in faith looks different, depending on the situation and time of our life. People do fall, and when they do, we as a community of faith are called to sit with them, celebrate their life, and be God’s loving presence.

Faces of Our Faith: Eutychus

This Lenten season—these 40 days leading to Easter—we are going to focus on the life and faith of Peter. After Jesus, he is the most frequently mentioned individual in the Gospels and New Testament. He is a consistent presence throughout Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. In Peter, we see a person who is both steadfast and unsteady, a dear friend and a betrayer, a follower and a wanderer. In Peter, we often see ourselves.

Wandering Heart - You Sought Me

Today we begin a new worship series that’s simply called, “I trust in God…” It’s based on our Vacation Bible School theme for this year, that follows a new camp counselor (who just so happens to be a firefly) through his nervous-excitement of his first few days of camp. 
They spend each day at VBS, hearing about ordinary people in both the Old and New Testament who trusted God, faced their fears, and went on to do great things in God’s name. And throughout the week, the children learn that they can put their trust in God even when they feel scared.

This isn’t just a lesson for children, though. We each need this reminder—no matter what is going on in our lives, we can put our trust in God. 

There’s something meaningful about repeating that affirmation, “I trust in God…” “I trust in God…” “I trust in God…” 

This week, we’re reminded that we can trust in God… to go with us.

I Trust In God To Go With Me

I Trust In God to Go With Me

Today we continue with our worship series Fully Alive, based on the book of the same title by Elizabeth Oldfield.

We are each searching for meaning in our lives—searching for wisdom. And there’s millions of places for us to find it. In Fully Alive, Elizabeth Oldfield reminds us of the wisdom that our Christian faith tradition holds.

Within Christianity, there are signposts that show us how to become the kind of human this world needs. In a world that is rife with division, pointing fingers, selfishness, and ecological destruction, we can be part of the solution—someone who is living “fully alive” and not wasting this one wild and wonderful life.

Oldfield does this by using the framework of the seven deadly sins: how they show up in our lives and what it would look like to move towards more positive, life-giving virtues.
It’s anything that causes disconnection between ourselves and others, us and the natural world, and us and God.

It is something that needs to be met not with judgment, but with grace—both in ourselves and others. Because sin does not define us—our worst choices are not our identity.
It’s simply part of the human experience—to have these pulls and temptations. It’s easy to see how these things show up in the world—how those people sin. But this series is meant to help us bring awareness to our own sins—to acknowledge how they show up in our own lives, and then think about how we want to move forward in the world with or without them.
This week, we focus on the sin of acedia—what’s commonly known as sloth.


Fully Alive: Acedia - from distraction to attention

Today we continue with our worship series Fully Alive, based on the book of the same title by Elizabeth Oldfield.

We are each searching for meaning in our lives—searching for wisdom. And there’s millions of places for us to find it. In Fully Alive, Elizabeth Oldfield reminds us of the wisdom that our Christian faith tradition holds.

Within Christianity, there are signposts that show us how to become the kind of human this world needs. In a world that is rife with division, pointing fingers, selfishness, and ecological destruction, we can be part of the solution—someone who is living “fully alive” and not wasting this one wild and wonderful life.

Oldfield does this by using the framework of the seven deadly sins: how they show up in our lives and what it would look like to move towards more positive, life-giving virtues.
Sin is anything that causes disconnection between ourselves and others, us and the natural world, or us and God.

It is something that needs to be met not with judgment, but with grace—both in ourselves and others. Because sin does not define us—our worst choices do not define us.
Sin is simply part of the human experience—to have these temptations pull us in one direction when often, we truly want to do another way. And this series is meant to help us bring awareness to our own sins—not how “those people sin”—but to acknowledge how these temptations show up in our lives, and then think about how we want to move forward in the world—with or without them.

This week, we focus on the sin of envy and it's opposite, belovedness.
 


Fully Alive: Envy - from Status Anxiety to Belovedness

Fully Alive: Gluttony - From Numbing to Ecstasy

Today we conclude our worship series Fully Alive, based on the book of the same title by Elizabeth Oldfield. The book reminds us of the wisdom our Christian faith tradition holds. 

There are a million places for us to find meaning and wisdom for our lives, and so often Christianity gets overlooked as irrelevant—out of touch with current reality. But within the Christian faith, there are signposts that show us how to become the kind of human this world needs. In a world of division, pointing fingers, selfishness, and ecological destruction, we can be part of the solution—someone who is living “fully alive” and not wasting this one wild and precious life.

Oldfield shares this wisdom using the framework of the seven deadly sins: how they show up in our lives and what it would look like to move towards more positive, life-giving virtues. Sin, in essence, is anything that causes disconnection between ourselves and others, us and the natural world, or us and God. Sin needs to be met with grace rather than judgment—both in ourselves and others. Because sin does not define us—our worst choices are not who we are. It’s simply part of the human experience—these temptations pull us in one direction when often, we truly want to go another way.

And this series is meant to help us bring awareness to our own sins—to acknowledge how these temptations show up in our lives. Then, using scripture, think about how God is calling us to live—connected, whole, and well.

We are concluding our series talking about what some consider the foundational sin of pride.


Fully Alive - Pride. From individualism to community

Everything In Between Stranger and Neighbor

THE SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT

Luke 10:38-42
(Mary & Martha host Jesus)
In many translations, Jesus says that “Mary has chosen the better part,” which has been used to create a divide between Mary and Martha. However, in the Greek, Mary has chosen the “good portion,” and Martha’s tasks are called “ministry.” Therefore, perhaps Mary represents our faith, our desire to know God intimately, and Martha represents our good works, our desire to transform the world. Both are needed, and both are good.

 

Everything In Between Faith and Works

Our Sermon Series, Everything In Between, is studying stories and parables found in the Gospel of Luke. Each story shows how Jesus addressed the polarities people were living in, challenging his listeners to think of things in a new way.

So for us– thousands of years later–this series invites us to spend Lent navigating the polarities in our own lives with more faith, intention, and openness… so that we might be transformed.
Each week, the story or parable invites us to look at two supposed binaries—ideas we usually consider opposing—this or that, either/or, black or white. And we’ll be challenged to look at these dichotomies with nuance and complexity.

Because that space in between the “this” or “that” is like a doorway through which God is beckoning us into something new.

Today, we focus on a very appropriate polarity for the beginning of spring: rest and growth.


Everything In Between Rest and Growth

The story of Zacchaeus and Jesus - Luke 19:1-10

The crowds grumble at Jesus’ self-invitation to stay with Zacchaeus, and their righteous indignation isn’t without cause. As a tax collector, Zacchaeus has extorted money and acted in collusion with the empire, using his position to oppress his own people. It is important to call out oppression, and yet, Jesus offers mercy. That mercy then begets more mercy as Zacchaeus, unprompted, offers to return what he took, and then some.

Everything In Between Righteousness and Mercy

PALM / PASSION SUNDAY 

everything in between shouting & silence 

Luke 19:29-40 (Jesus enters Jerusalem) 

Jesus doesn’t instigate his own parade. Instead, just his quiet presence alone inspires the multitude to shout out and praise God. When the religious leaders try to silence the crowd, Jesus tells them that the noise level isn’t the point—even the stones would cry out if they were silent. It takes wisdom to know when our voice is needed and when it’s just noise.

Everything In Between Shouting and Silence

Everything In Between Grief and Hope

If this is your first time with us, know that today is not a “regular” Sunday. Just one week ago, we celebrated Easter together—singing, praying together, and connecting scripture with our daily lives. 

And while we will do all those things today, we are also acutely aware of just how much can change in a week. 

This past Tuesday, Dana Schwendeman, our Youth Director for the past 8 ½ years, passed away suddenly. Each time someone in our community passes, it leaves a void. When that person is on staff, and has been for the better part of a decade, I’m discovering that void is much larger. Dana was someone who helped us to understand who God has called us to be… she loved us and formed us… her finger prints are all around us. 

And so today, as we gather to worship our God like we do each and every Sunday, we do so with deep sadness in our hearts. 

One of our values is Honest Worship—we invite everyone to participate in worship authentically and holistically; heart, mind, soul, and body. Today, we are reminded that sometimes, worship isn’t “happy,” but there is joy and comfort to be found when we are together. 

A Service of Lament

Get Off Your Donkey - Healthcare

Get Off Your Donkey - a Woman's Place

In 2023, we spent six weeks looking at Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan—a Samaritan man traveling along the road from Jerusalem to Jericho and finds someone lying on the side of the road—robbed, beaten, and left for dead. Instead of continuing on his way (like the priest and religious man before him), the Samaritan gets off his donkey, cleans up the battered man’s wounds, and takes him to an inn where he can recover.

The Samaritan didn’t have to do any of this. But he does because that’s what our faith calls us to do—to get off our donkey and care for others, particularly those in need.

We’ve brought back this “Get Off Your Donkey” series as a way to remind ourselves that sometimes, faith-in-action looks like meeting immediate needs, and other times, it looks like advocating for others and doing the internal work of rethinking assumptions and preconceived notions.

This time around, we’re exploring our United Methodist social principles. These principles aren’t church law, but they represent the prayerful efforts of the United Methodist Church to speak to contemporary context.
They call each of us to engage with the world around us, and to live like Jesus—compassionately working for justice for each and every one of God’s creations.
This week, we are taking a look at how our faith calls us to honor our mental health.


Mental Health: Unforced Rhythms of Grace

Today, we are in week 4 of our series Get Off Your Donkey 2.0. 

In 2023, we spent six weeks looking at Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan—a Samaritan man traveling along the road from Jerusalem to Jericho and finds someone lying on the side of the road—robbed, beaten, and left for dead. Instead of continuing on his way (like those before him), the Samaritan gets off his donkey, cleans up the man’s wounds, and takes him to an inn where he can recover. 

Jesus uses this parable as an illustration to show that our faith is not just about what we believe, but also about what we do—our faith calls us to get off our donkey and care for others, particularly those in need. 

We’ve brought back this “Get Off Your Donkey” series as a way to remind ourselves that sometimes, faith-in-action looks like meeting immediate needs, and other times, it looks like doing systemic work—advocating so that all might have the things they need to thrive, and working to change systems that cause harm. 

Our United Methodist social principles are a great way to illustrate this work. These principles aren’t church law, but they call each of us to engage with the world around us, and to live like Jesus—compassionately working for justice for each and every one of God’s creations. 
This week, we are taking a look at how our faith calls us to work for food justice. And with me this week, I have my husband, Chef Rasul Welch, to help teach us about food justice and give us ways we can each make a difference in this area. 


Get Off Your Donkey -  Food Justice

Today, we are in week 5 of our series Get Off Your Donkey 2.0.

In 2023, we spent six weeks looking at Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan—a Samaritan man traveling along the road from Jerusalem to Jericho and finds someone lying on the side of the road—robbed, beaten, and left for dead. Instead of continuing on his way (like those before him), the Samaritan gets off his donkey, cleans up the man’s wounds, and takes him to an inn where he can recover.

Jesus tells this parable to illustrate that our faith is not just about what we believe, but also about what we do—our faith calls us to get off our donkey and care for others, particularly those in need.

We’ve brought back this “Get Off Your Donkey” series as a way to acknowledge that sometimes, faith-in-action looks like meeting immediate needs—cleaning someone’s wounds or giving them food to eat. Other times, faith-in-action looks like doing systemic work—advocating so that all might have the things they need to thrive, and working to change systems that cause harm.

Our United Methodist social principles are a great way to illustrate this work. These principles aren’t church law, but they call each of us to engage with the world around us, and to live like Jesus—compassionately working for justice for each and every one of God’s creations.
This week, we are taking a look at how our faith calls us to work for justice for all sexual orientations and gender identities.


Get Off Your Donkey: Joseph's...Robe?

Today, we are in our final week of our series Get Off Your Donkey 2.0.

The first iteration of this series was back in January 2023, when we looked at ways people in our congregation were “getting off their donkeys” and putting their faith into action.

The concept of “getting off your donkey” comes from Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan—a man is traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho and he finds someone lying on the side of the road—robbed, beaten, and left for dead. Instead of continuing on his way (like those who came before him), he gets off his donkey, cleans up the man’s wounds, and takes him to an inn where he can recover.

Jesus tells this parable to illustrate that our faith is not just about what we believe, but also about what we do—our faith calls us to get off our donkey and care for others, particularly those in need.

This spring, we brought back this idea of “get off your donkey” as a way to acknowledge that sometimes, faith-in-action looks like meeting immediate needs—cleaning someone’s wounds or giving them food to eat. Other times, faith-in-action looks like doing the personal work—thinking critically about what we personally believe about a subject and how that impacts the world around us, as well as the systemic work—advocating so that all might have the things they need to thrive, working to change systems that cause harm.

We’ve brought in a few of our United Methodist social principles to illustrate this personal and systemic work. The social principles are statements made by the greater church that call each of us to engage with the world around us—to compassionately work for justice for each and every 
one of God’s creations—just like Jesus.

Today, as we celebrate our graduates, we are taking a look at how our faith calls us to advocate for worker justice.


Get Off Your Donkey: The Dignity of Work

Today we begin a new worship series, “Road Trip: On the Go with God.” Each year, we spend a few weeks before Vacation Bible School, taking a look at the stories our kids will delve into at VBS. In just a few weeks, our kids will be going on a figurative road trip, and discover that God’s presence is everywhere.

The theme verse for the whole week is Joshua 1:9— “The Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” And each day, they’ll explore stories from the Old and New Testament that show this truth. They’ll learn that God is with us on our journeys—when we’re joyful or lonely and when we go off course; God is with us near and far.

Yes, this theme is for kids at VBS—with skits and a puppet, science experiments and crafts, and fun songs to sing each day. But truths they’ll be learning aren’t just for kids. We each need this reminder—no matter where we go or what we experience on our journeys, God is with us.


Road Trip - God Is With Us On the Journey

Brecksville UMC strives to be an inclusive church. We intentionally make space for everyone to encounter a loving God—no matter your age, gender, race, income level, sexual orientation, or ability. No matter if you’re an atheist, someone struggling with faith, you live with constant faith in your heart, or you’re somewhere in between. You are welcome here and you are invited to participate in the life of our church.  Here at BUMC we’re all about creating safe spaces to grow with God and one another!

BrecksvilleUMC

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