John Louk

We have talked and prayed about how we will move forward in our new location. Generally, that conversation has been about what we need to build now that we are settling in our new location and we have received the voluntary buyout money. The impetus for building has been furthered by the lack of space we have experienced. We have received positive response to what we have done with the space so far. Still, we are all aware that we have a small amount of space for gathering (traditionally, the “narthex” or entrance/lobby area) and fellowship (our small fellowship room has been a tight squeeze). Furthermore, at times we have not had enough room in the sanctuary. We packed more than 230 people in one service at our Westside 6 gathering for Ash Wednesday. Likewise, we just had over 300 people in two services on Easter Sunday. How amazing! Dealing with a lack of space can be frustrating, but it is also exciting. Many congregations, who have been where we are and go on to build, report fond ...

Jacobus Arminius Rachel Held Evans has a fun blog posting about how to make arminianism cool. This is good stuff for United Methodists to talk about. Heather Hahn, a United Methodist news reporter, has an interesting article here . She briefly explains, "In John Wesley’s day, the big debate among Protestants took place between two theological schools: the Calvinists and the Arminians. The Calvinists took their name from John Calvin, the 16th century reformer who taught that God predestines the elect for salvation and foreordains eternal damnation for others. Calvin emphasized God’s sovereignty and foreknowledge. "The Arminians take their name from Jacobus Arminius, a Dutch priest who was born around the time Calvin died. Arminius criticized Calvin and his followers for limiting God’s salvation. Arminius taught that God gave humans the free will to accept or reject God’s love. John Wesley was firmly in the Arminian camp." Here is another good article th...

New research claims that Jesus' Last Supper was on the Wednesday before his crucifixion rather than on Thursday (Maundy Thursday, traditionally). Click here for more.