We are still actively signing people up for small groups and the response is overwhelming—if you aren’t in a small group, you are missing out on a key part of the life of the church! Our next term starts the week of July 3, so you still have time to find a group that fits you.

I want to tell you about a group that Rev. Jeremy will be leading during the next term, the “younger adults” group. You might ask, “who is a younger adult?” And the answer is, “you get to decide if you fit the ‘younger adult’ category.” We will be following the sermon series in July and August and this allows those in groups to dive deeper into what they experience on Sunday. However, you don’t have to have heard the Sunday sermon to participate, the guides will give you all you need to participate.

Friends,

We are still in PRIDE season here at Cathedral of Hope and throughout this month we have been celebrating and remembering moments of PRIDE throughout history, as well as pointing toward a future hope for a more equal and just world. 

This weekend is Juneteenth. This year is the first time that Juneteenth will also be a federally recognized holiday. Throughout the country we will commemorate the emancipation of enslaved African Americans as well as celebrate black culture. Juneteenth originated in Galveston, Texas and here at Cathedral of Hope we are honored to be a part of this celebration. Coat of Colors, one of our ministry councils, will host an immersive experience to celebrate Juneteenth. For all those registered, the event starts at 12pm this Saturday. Please check here for more information. 

Juneteenth and Pride month are tied to important milestones. For those who are gay and Black, the intersection of these two events highlights some of the unique challenges that many face every day. Dallas Southern Pride is also this weekend (see link for more information https://dallassouthernpride.com/) 

On Sunday June 19, Reverend Andria Davis will preach at both the 8:30am and 10am services, Reverend Jeremy Rose will preach at 11:45am and Pastor Alejandro Gonzales will preach at the 1:30pm service. 

I am taking a planned vacation next week and will be joining you online and looking forward to experiencing what many in our community experience as they join our live broadcast from around the world. I look forward to being back on Sunday June 26 as we end this current sermon series, “Open Doors”. 

May God bless us as we live out our lives, not from a place of fear, but a place of Pride and Liberation, calling all of us to reflect the likeness of Christ in our comings and our goings. 

Blessings,

Friends,

First, may I say a big thank you to all those who helped, supported, volunteered last weekend with so many PRIDE events. It was inspirational to see so many of us staffing our two booths at the festival and over 100 of us marching today in the parade on Sunday. We had a very good response to our presence and we, once again, witnesses to the amazing love of God. 

Last Sunday was Pentecost and we welcomed the presence of the Holy Spirit among us. We reminded ourselves of the fear that had gripped the early disciples and followers of Jesus and how the Spirit fell afresh on them – sending them out of a locked room and into the marketplace where each heard the message of Jesus in their own language. 

Fear is something that many of us grapple with. Real or unrealized, it can be overwhelming and paralyzing. I know that recent times have raised the anxiety and fear levels in many of us and I want you to know that this church is ready to stand with and for our LGBTQ+ siblings and speak words of compassion, love, and acceptance – to speak the words of Jesus to all. Our current sermon series. “Open Doors” echoes this theme as we spend this month celebrating PRIDE. This Sunday’s sermon title is “Safe Spaces” and we will give thanks for the many spaces, throughout history in which we have felt “safe”. 

We will also remember how some of those spaces have been violated. We will recommit ourselves to making a safe place for all people here at Cathedral of Hope. We cannot forget the many who have lost their lives in acts of violence; LGBTQ+ people who have been targets of violence and two of our own congregation who, this past week, have experienced vandalism at their home in Corsicana. These acts bread fear and while we are reminded that “perfect love casts out all fear”, we are better able to make this true and real when we come together. 

That is why I am inviting you to join me this Sunday at Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ. We are better together, and we can face anything when we stand alongside one another in love and solidarity. I do hope that you will join me again this Sunday at 8:30am, 10am, 11:45am and 1:30pm. 

You will be glad you did! 

Sincerely, in Christ

Friends in Christ ,

This Sunday is Pentecost Sunday …. And PRIDE! Yes, Pentecost and Pride Sunday fall on the same Sunday this year and you are encouraged to come to church in a festive mood. 

Pentecost is often called the “birthday of the church”. It was the time when the Holy Spirit showed up in a locked room where the disciples were meeting and called them from fear, to hope. They were sent out, – into the world to bring good news to those who were in Jerusalem – all speaking different languages, yet they all heard in a tongue that was known to them. 

This Sunday we will have some special elements in the worship services to welcome the Holy Spirit in our midst and to call upon that same Spirit to breathe new life into each of us. 

It seems fitting to me that, following services on Sunday we too will be sent out to bring good news. We too will speak a language that may not be familiar to our LGBTQ+ community – a message of God’s love for all people. We will march, wave our PRIDE flags, and speak words of love, not hate, hope, not fear and bear witness to what God did all those years ago. The Holy Spirit sent those gathered from the prison of a locked room to a parade that would become a festival of love. 

I do hope that you will want to join us as we bear witness to God’s amazing love, declaring that “God thinks you are FABULOUS!” 

Please join me on Saturday at the Pride Festival and on Sunday at 8:30/10am, 11:45am and 1:30pm Worship and then let us go together to proclaim Christ through faith, hope and love. 

Blessings