Hello Friends:

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This week’s floods in Texas and North Carolina are truly devastating—and not done. While great people rescue and recover victims, I hope that we can take catastrophic weather events as a clear sign that our climate is rapidly chaining. The latest actions by the current administration has gutted not only renewable energy initiatives, it has also slashed the NOA which predicts huge storms and wants people in harm’s way. Leaving FEMA responses up to the states only applies to California and not Texas, it seems. If you would like to donate to disaster relief, you can do so easily via our website: https://www.ubcmn.org/giving

 

I’m back from the ABC Biennial Convention. It was a good celebration of the best parts of American Baptist life: celebrating diversity, inspiring preaching, and connection with great people. It was good to be amongst hundreds of American Baptists who celebrated diversity, equity, and inclusion, but also justice, fidelity to the Gospel, courage, and creativity.

 

This Sunday marks our 175th birthday as a congregation. We’ll have a special worship service to celebrate it, including visitors from our friends at First Congregational Church as well as former members of UBC and invited guests. We will have greetings from our parent church, First Baptist Church of St. Paul, scripture reading by our beloved former pastor The Rev. Dr. Nadean Bishop, and even several proclamations. Look for some new banners and displays in our hallway, and stay for ice cream on the church lawn. This is the launch of a series of celebrations that will last for the rest of the calendar year, through the start of our 176th year. Gayla Marty will be the worship leader. Kim Donley will play keyboards and we’ll have a pick-up choir again (gather at 9:15am if you want to sing). My sermon is entitled, "175 years. . .What have we learned?"

 

Check the schedule below for more of what’s happening this week.

 

​Blessings and Peace,

 

Doug Donley