by Stacey Hilliard | Dec 11, 2025 | Conversations
Advent is a time of preparation for the birth of Jesus. It can be a deeply meaningful, holy season if we allow space for reflection and time with God.
But Advent can be complicated. Some are grieving the loss of past holiday joy. Others are feeling guilty about their crowded calendar and not having enough time for the “real reason for the season.”
This article by Laura Buchanan was published on umc.org on November 7, 2025. Read the full article, HERE.
by Stacey Hilliard | May 8, 2025 | Conversations
Meet the Methodist Church’s General Board of Church and Society, “dedicated to the work of living faith, seeking justice, and pursuing peace.”
The GBCS advocates for policies rooted in the Social Principles of the United Methodist Church, You can read about the church’s current position on a wide variety of legislative issues HERE, then use the online form provided to contact your government representatives and urge them to support policies that are in line with the church’s social principles (and your beliefs). (Scroll to the bottom of the page to sign up for “Action Alerts” via email whenever there are new issues to act on).
by Stacey Hilliard | May 5, 2025 | Conversations
In THIS blog post, retired UMC pastor, Kim Hornung-Marcy, shares ways we can and why we must care for our planet and all of its inhabitants, “Because we do believe in a God of love our efforts to treat the earth well and to work for a world where human rights count is never in vain.”
by Stacey Hilliard | Apr 3, 2025 | Conversations
In her article about Methodism’s “vile” practices (ministering to those outside of the church, visiting the imprisoned, and holding authorities accountable for inhumane treatment, to name a few), Dr. Ashley Boggan(general secretary of the United Methodist General Commission on Archives and History) suggests that now is the time for the Methodist church to be even more vile. She explains that “Wesleyan viletality is a willingness to look beyond today’s acceptable practices and norms and bend the rules in order to ensure that more people can experience the love of God.”
Read the full article, HERE.
by Stacey Hilliard | Mar 10, 2025 | Conversations
“Mary Magdalene is a prominent figure in the story of Jesus’ life and resurrection. She is one of the few named women who is a follower of Jesus. She has a pivotal role in the Gospels, because she is the first to see him resurrected (Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20).
“This Lent, let’s consider using Mary Magdalene as our guide, following Jesus as she did…
“We are invited to listen to his teachings and witness his healing work as described in the Gospels. We are asked to journey with him to Jerusalem and witness his final days and crucifixion. Like Mary Magdalene, we are also beckoned to wake up early on Easter and go to the tomb, only we know that we will find it empty! We are called to share the good news with each other. We are charged with sharing our encounters with the risen Christ.”
This is just the beginning of a devotional written by Rev. Tiffany McDonald. Read Rev. McDonald’s complete devotional, as published in the March 10 issue of UM Now, HERE.
by Stacey Hilliard | Feb 24, 2025 | Conversations
In 2021, the New England Conference offered an online study of the book “Faith After Doubt,” by author Brian D. McLaren. In addition to being a prolific author, McLaren is on the faculty of the Center for Action and Contemplation (cac.org) where he recently introduced the center’s 2025 Daily Meditations theme of “Being Salt and Light.” Sound familiar? See and hear McLaren’s thoughts on the scriptures Pastor Anne addressed in her recent sermons, HERE. If you missed Pastor Anne’s recent sermons on salt and light, you can watch or read them on our website (https://crawfordmethodist.org/sermons/).
