Columbia Falls United Methodist Church

Columbia Falls United Methodist Church We are an affirming congregation that practices Open Hearts, Open Doors, and Open Minds. Please join

Who We Are
We strive to be a welcoming and caring community of people where love and acceptance are experienced by all. We invite persons of all ages, genders, races, economic circumstances, life experiences, education and theological backgrounds to share in worship, fellowship, missions and ministry. What We Offer
At Columbia Falls United Methodist Church we place a high priority on spiritual gro

wth and scripturally based education. While we continually seek to be open to guidance from the Holy Spirit to new opportunities for growth, we currently offer a variety of Bible and book studies, and life application studies. How We Share Our Gifts
We bear witness to the love of God as revealed in Jesus Christ: making disciples of Christ for the transformation of the world; sharing God's love and grace with our community and the world; supporting and nurturing relationships to help empower peace in individual hearts which are then exponentially shared in families, in homes and in the world; mutual discovery and nurturing of the unique gifts bestowed upon each person; empowering one another to share our gifts in the church and in the world; allow God to use us as instruments of blessings as directed by the work of the Holy Spirit.

CHANGE OF LOCATIONDue to rain, soggy grass, and cool temps, we will meet at Columbia Falls United Methodist Church this ...
08/30/2026

CHANGE OF LOCATION
Due to rain, soggy grass, and cool temps, we will meet at Columbia Falls United Methodist Church this afternoon at 4pm. 117 2nd St West in CFalls

Join us this Sunday morning at the Montana Veteran's Home in Columbia Falls. Bring a lawn chair. We look forward to this...
08/15/2026

Join us this Sunday morning at the Montana Veteran's Home in Columbia Falls. Bring a lawn chair. We look forward to this yearly gathering with Our Savior's Lutheran church and our veteran neighbors!

Join Church and Society’s six-week UMC Election Observers Program and explore the history and sacred importance of votin...
08/13/2026

Join Church and Society’s six-week UMC Election Observers Program and explore the history and sacred importance of voting, the role of nonpartisan election observers, and opportunities to serve in your community during the 2026 midterm elections.

Participants will receive theological, historical and practical preparation while learning how to connect with local election officials and meet their state’s requirements.

Register here:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Wsms3knhQ_2WLxozQkoaAg?emci=a009e489-498f-f111-b337-000d3a1558ce&emdi=90e33063-548f-f111-b337-000d3a1558ce&ceid=14500284 #/registration

Mark your calendars and plan to join us at our next Messy Church Gathering!
08/11/2026

Mark your calendars and plan to join us at our next Messy Church Gathering!

When we hear the phrase "more than conquerors" or "sweeping victory," what do you think of? As we wrapped up our Core Fa...
08/06/2026

When we hear the phrase "more than conquerors" or "sweeping victory," what do you think of? As we wrapped up our Core Faith reflection on Romans 8 last Sunday, it’s easy to think of a warrior mindset—defeating an enemy, stepping on others to win, or relying on pure individual grit. But Paul’s vision of Christian victory is the exact opposite of stoic isolation or power plays.

If you've ever been whitewater rafting down a river, you know that when you hit a stretch of rough water, success isn't about one person showing off. You are all in the raft together, matching stroke for stroke, navigating the rapids as one crew. That’s how Paul describes the life of faith. Being "more than conquerors" means that when trouble, distress, or danger hit, we don't endure them alone. We are redeemed by Christ's presence within us and bound together in a community where nothing—absolutely nothing in creation—can separate us from God's love.

Who in your neighborhood, workplace, or family needs a simple reminder this week that they aren't paddling through life's hard rapids alone? I invite you to lift up this prayer for yourself or others as we remember how Christ – the one who suffered – abides with us always.

Loving Savior, thank you that your victory is not a power play to defeat others, but a promise that we are never left to navigate life's swift waters alone. Forgive us when we try to be isolated heroes. Bind our church family closely together so that in times of trouble or distress, we can reflect your unbreakable love to one another. Amen.

As we enter August, we often do so with a haze. A haze of light smoke and poor air quality, and some of us have a haze o...
08/05/2026

As we enter August, we often do so with a haze. A haze of light smoke and poor air quality, and some of us have a haze of “when are tourists leaving?” They call it “Angry August” for a reason, right?
If your feeling numb to the extra traffic, or mildly annoyed anytime you have to go out in public, essayist Catherine Price has an idea for you. It’s called “the choice.” She shares her experiment with “the choice” in a recent Substack essay entitled “What Happens When We Choose Interaction Over Isolation?” – her words are so valuable, I have to lift them up here for our congregation.
We were all taught the golden rule of childhood safety: don’t talk to strangers. But as Price recently pointed out, what if that default setting is actually short-circuiting our spiritual health? Price walks us through her interactions and observations at a TSA airport security line (some may call this line hell on earth). Instead of remaining isolated and quiet, she shares an intense desire to speak and ask questions of the officers working security. But should she? Enter “the choice” – the decision of whether and how we should interact with people in any given moment.
Price quotes Nicholas Epley and his book A Little More Social. “The precise details behind each instance of ‘the choice’ vary, but its basic features are simple,” writes Epley. “Do you choose to approach another person and connect in some well-intended way, or do you choose to avoid the interaction and stay more disconnected?” For those of us who are shy and a little more introverted (yes, that’s me!), my “choice” in public usually boils down to being as efficient and quiet as possible.
But Epley and Price make the case that choosing isolation misses opportunities for joy and happiness. And that’s backed by science. Epley writes, “Being kind to someone, connecting with a stranger in conversation, acting friendlier when you’re around others, passing along a compliment, expressing gratitude when you feel it, reflecting on your appreciation for others, and even just saying hello to a bus driver or barista are all activities that scientists reliably find increase our happiness.”
What’s your default choice, and how might you choose interaction and connection with others? Perhaps it will turn into a “God moment” of kindness, encouragement, and friendship.
Check out Price’s article here: https://catherineprice.substack.com/p/what-if-dont-talk-to-strangers-is?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

Blessings,
Pastor Jared

When Hagar and young Ishmael are evicted into the wilderness near Beer-sheba, their limited water quickly runs out. In a...
06/24/2026

When Hagar and young Ishmael are evicted into the wilderness near Beer-sheba, their limited water quickly runs out. In a moment of absolute desperation and blinding grief, Hagar sits at a distance - she can't watch her son die.

The raw human pain of this displacement is captured deeply by the poet Warsan Shire, who reminds us that "no one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark". It is easy to downplay this story, but scripture invites us to humanize Hagar's tears and desperation. In the middle of an arid plain, God does something marvelous: God listens to the cries of the suffering.

God does not abandon those who have been pushed to the margins of their community or forced to play by harsher, less compassionate rules. Instead, God opens her eyes to see a literal well of water. As a church community, we are called to take our cue from this divine mercy. We are invited to actively listen to the vulnerable, to speak with those in grief, and to help uncover wells of hope for those who are thirsting for grace

Look closely at your own daily circle—your school, your clinic shift, your office, or your neighborhood. Who around you might be playing by a harsher set of rules or sitting in a wilderness of grief, and how can you help them discover a well of comfort this week?

When Abram was called to leave his homeland, God didn't provide him with exact GPS coordinates or a perfect, step-by-ste...
06/09/2026

When Abram was called to leave his homeland, God didn't provide him with exact GPS coordinates or a perfect, step-by-step itinerary. He was simply instructed to go to a land that would be revealed to him down the road.

This kind of nomadic faith reminds us that our walk with God is not a rigid thought experiment; it is a dynamic relationship of real encounter—with God and with the neighbors we meet along the path. Our faith is formed in transition moments and encounters with others.

To help us ground our hearts in this reality, we can look to the deep wisdom of the 20th-century monk Thomas Merton and his famous "Prayer of Unknowing". Merton beautifully prayed about having no idea where he was going or being able to see the road ahead, yet trusting that the simple desire to please God actually does please the Divine.

When we surrender our need for a predictable path, we stop resisting the spiritual mysteries of our lives and discover how to let our transitions become a blessing for us and the wider world.

On Trinity Sunday last weekend, we reflected on a God whose very nature is relational, a divine Creator, Redeemer, and S...
06/05/2026

On Trinity Sunday last weekend, we reflected on a God whose very nature is relational, a divine Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer who gives its love and power away to bring hope and salvation to others. We looked at the new Vision Statement form the UMC, an effort to renew our energy and contextualize our mission in a time of cynicism and change. Check out the statement in the graphic.

Our calling as United Methodists is not to consume resources or hide out in our own comfort zones. Instead, our connectional vision reminds us exactly how to live out the Great Commission empowered by a God who exists as a relationship: By choosing to love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously.

• Love boldly means we actively include people from every age, walk of life, and background, loving them simply because Jesus loves us. (Matthew 22)
• Serve joyfully calls us to journey directly alongside the most vulnerable, finding our strength in the joy of the Lord as we care for our neighbors. (Psalm 100, Nehemiah 8)
• Lead courageously invites us to step up, follow the example of Christ, and actively resist systems of injustice and oppression while caring deeply for both God's people and God's creation. (Joshua 1:9, Ephesians 6:10)

Obeying Jesus is not about trying to save an institution; it is about connecting our community to a life-giving, transforming love. Looking at the three principles of our shared vision—loving boldly, serving joyfully, and leading courageously—which one is the Holy Spirit nudging you to prioritize in your workplace, school, or neighborhood this week?

Address

117 2nd Street W
Columbia Falls, MT
59912

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 2pm
Wednesday 10am - 2pm
Thursday 10am - 2pm
Sunday 10am - 11am

Telephone

+14068925811

Website

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