Pastor’s Corner: March/April 2023
Good Family, Welcome to the season of Lent, a time of repentance, fasting and preparation for the resurrection of Jesus. It is a time of self-examination and reflection. Lent has always been my favorite season of the liturgical year because of a few things: the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the space to pause and reflect. I need this reminder daily because sometimes I can get so wrapped up in the daily routine that I miss what…
MN FoodShare Month: Supporting Glendale Food Shelf
Minnesota FoodShare Month is happening now through April 9. For the month of March, we will be taking donations for longtime community partner Glendale Food Shelf. Visitors to the food shelf continue to increase and the demand for fresh produce, healthy proteins, culturally familiar options and nutritious staples grows simultaneously. If you would like to donate food items in addition to your monetary support, below are some items that the food shelf could really use extra help with sourcing: Canned…
Building Closed February 22-23
Due to the winter storm in progress, PPUMC is closed on Wednesday, February 22 and Thursday, February 23. The 6pm Ash Wednesday Service has been moved to Zoom only. Please use the regular Sunday worship Zoom link to access the Ash Wednesday service. Thursday PPUMC choir rehearsal is cancelled. Thank you for understanding. Stay safe in the storm.
PPUMC Welcomes Dr. Marcus Simmons as Minister of Music
PPUMC is delighted to welcome DR. MARCUS SIMMONS as the new Minister of Music! Dr. Marcus is a conductor, voice teacher, worship coach, and Emmy-winner. Dr. Simmons taught at Indiana State University in Terre Heute, Indiana, was founding Conductor and Artistic Director of the Hoosier Community Chorus, and Music Program Director at 1525 The Warehouse in Bloomington, IN. His choirs have performed across the United States, the Caribbean, and in Europe. Dr. Simmons is frequently asked to bring his expertise…
Discussing Racism: Our Field Trip to the Science Museum
On Saturday October 15, 11 of us went to the Science Museum of MN to see the exhibit “Race: Are We So Different?“ with the intention of continuing the discussions we began in 2020 around racial justice. We spent about 2 hours walking through the exhibit, where we learned about the science and history of race and listened to various perspectives on terms such as: virtue signaling, “colorblindness”, white fragility, and more. Hearing the varied perspectives from people of all races and ages proved to be insightful, and…
Introducing Isiah Dennis!
This Sunday, we announced more details regarding our current pastoral transition. Below is a video of our new Associate Pastor, Isiah Dennis, introducing himself: To hear more about the pastoral transition plan, you can listen to Pastor Chris Kliesen Wehrman’s reflection here:
Project Mustard Seed: A new program for micro-funding community outreach ideas
The PPUMC Administrative Council has approved a new initiative called, Project Mustard Seed. This program is designed to encourage PPUMC members to propose and engage in activities that further the church’s mission through specific funding requests. PPUMC’s mission states, “We seek to be an inclusive Christian community that affirms faith in God and spiritual growth with a commitment to justice and stewardship of God’s creation.” Named after Jesus’ well-known parable, Project Mustard Seed is designed to grow new and exciting…
PPUMC Choir: Celebrating with Song!
The PPUMC Choir is excited to be back on an in-person weekly rehearsal schedule as we join with the rest of the congregation in exploring new ‘normals’ in the midst of the pandemic. Following all guidelines established by the church administrative council, we’re meeting – and singing – while masked and keeping safe distancing boundaries. There’s no doubt that vocalizing, supportive breathing and enunciating are a bit more challenging than in pre-COVID days; however, we’re so very grateful we’ve made…