Minooka United Methodist Church

09/04/2026

Dear Minooka UMC Found Family,

As you know, this Sunday, September 6th, is our Community Outdoor Worship Experience and Picnic with Channahon UMC and Resurrection Lutheran Church.
We meet at 10:00 a.m. at 25055 W. Walnut Lane in Channahon, IL 60410. That’s the Four Rivers Shelter at McKinley Woods – Kerry Sheridan Grove, Will County Forest Preserve

You might reasonably wonder: Why is this a thing we do?
We’ve done it before.
Ok, but why? Is there any reason other than it’s different and fun?
Turns out, there is. But we have to go back into our history. And that’s a bit of a problem.

I, of course, have only had the privilege of being your pastor for a little over three years so far. Over at Channahon UMC, Pastor Ayla is in the beginning of just her second year. But! Pastor Ben has been at Resurrection Lutheran for about 17 years! So we asked him.

Pastor Ben reminded us that back in 2009 (can you believe that’s 15 years ago now?!), The United Methodist Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA—the denomination to which Resurrection Lutheran belongs) officially entered into full communion with each other.

The first combined worship among our congregations was a celebration of that monumental moment.

Cool! But, um, what does it mean for our denominations to be in (what’s the phrase again?) full communion with each other?

Full communion means each denomination fully embraces the other as part of one holy catholic* church, recognize one another’s sacraments and ministerial orders as legitimate, and allow clergy from one denomination to serve an appointment in the other.

*In this usage, ‘catholic’ means ‘universal’. Note the lower case ‘c’—rather a capital ‘C’ denoting the Roman Catholic Church.

The UMC is also in full communion with the five historically African American Methodist denominations. These denominations trace their origins back to Black preachers who left the Methodist Episcopal Church or Methodist Episcopal Church South sometime in the 19th Century due to the rampant racism they experienced in the predominantly White Methodist churches.

The ELCA was the first denomination outside the Methodist tradition to enter full communion with The UMC.
So, once more with feeling… Join us as we commune with our siblings in Christ from Channahon UMC and Resurrection Lutheran Church for worship and a picnic this Sunday, September 6th at 10:00AM at 25055 W. Walnut Lane in Channahon, IL 60410. That’s the Four Rivers Shelter at McKinley Woods – Kerry Sheridan Grove, Will County Forest Preserve.

All you need to bring is a chair (and a cup or mug if you can). All the food for the picnic is being provided by our three churches.

I’ll share the link to the promo video from last year’s Community Outdoor Worship… If you promise to remember that the date on this video is, ahem, out of date. But the portion that shows the location and how to get there is still relevant and, if I do say so myself, fun. See Comments for last year’s promo video.

We will do our best to provide our usual live-streaming of the service. However, we can’t guarantee it will work. If the stream doesn’t work out, we’ll try to post photos and a recap afterward.

Wherever, whenever, and with whomever we gather, all are invited to our welcoming and affirming congregation.

Plotting Goodness,
Pastor Dave

08/30/2026

Minooka UMC Worship - Sunday, August 30

08/28/2026

Dear Minooka UMC Found Family,

The world lost three celebrities this week: Tim Curry, Peter Cullen, and Dolly Parton. It’s ok if you aren’t immediately familiar with all of them; you don’t need to be to appreciate some of the wisdom they shared with the world.

Tim Curry, perhaps most well-known for his role in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, was the kind of actor that was in a million movies, but almost never as the lead. He intentionally took on a wide variety of roles—includes characters that weren’t likable. He sought to push himself and encouraged others to do the same: “Whenever you have the chance, go and find a horizon. It opens up the brain.”

Just a couple weeks ago in this space I told you I am a huge geek. Many of you are not, so I’ll forgive you for not knowing Peter Cullen by name. But you almost certainly have heard his unmistakable voice as Eeyore or Optimus Prime. About his approach to voicing Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots on Transformers, Cullen often quoted his brother’s advice: “If you’re going to be a hero, be a real hero. Don’t go yelling and screaming, pretending you’re a tough guy. Be strong enough to be gentle.”

And then there’s Dolly. I don’t know about you, but my timelines are filled with tributes to Dolly and lists of her accomplishments and best quotes. There are so many! Like her Imagination Library. Through which, over the last 30 years, she delivered more than 332 million books to more than 3 million children.

Of all the one-liners and inspiring anecdotes from Dolly, I keep coming back to this gem: “Find out who you are and do it on purpose. And do it with purpose.”

How do we segue from celebrity deaths to Jesus?? I think each of those quotes illuminates a piece of what Jesus says and does in our gospel story for this week. As you may remember, last week we read from the Gospel According to Matthew that Jesus asks a seemingly simply question that turns out to be exceedingly profound. So profound, that question from Jesus continues to reverberate down through the millennia to us today: “Who do you say that I am?”

Now, part two of that story: the twist! Open mind, strong, kind leader, knowing who he is and what he is about—that’s Jesus in this episode. But it gets him a scolding from Peter. (Has anyone gone from hero to goat faster than Peter in this story?!) What are we to learn from this story? How can it help us better understand who Jesus is and how we are to follow him? What might we do to avoid Peter’s mistake? We’ll explore those questions and more this Sunday, August 30th, in my sermon, Jesus: Power Inverter.

Participate in our worship experiences Sundays at 9:30 a.m. in person at 1210 S. Ridge Road in Minooka. Or via livestream on our Minooka UMC page or on our Minooka UMC YouTube Channel.

Whether in person or online, all are invited to our welcoming and affirming congregation.

Plotting Goodness,
Pastor Dave

Minooka United Methodist Church is an inclusive gathering of found family learning to be more like Jesus and actively serving the community.

08/21/2026

Dear Minooka UMC Found Family,
I know it’s been over for a few weeks now, but did you watch any of the World Cup this summer? While, admittedly, I wasn’t glued to the TV for every game, I caught highlights and paid attention to the more high profile matches.

Our son gathered with his friends to watch the US matches. My text group of friends couldn’t stop raving about different teams and players from all over the globe. Famously (we even talked about this as a sermon illustration), Lawrence, Kansas demonstrated extraordinary hospitality in truly welcoming a north African team staying and playing in their city.

However much you engaged or didn’t, the energy and excitement and community the World Cup generated was undeniable.

I’m not here to suggest that our newest iteration of Soccer Sunday will reach those heights…but I’m not not saying that either!

In case you missed all the announcements, MUMC’s venerable recreational community soccer program is returning this fall. The new league begins practicing and playing on the Sunday after Labor Day weekend—September 13.

But! Registration for Soccer Sunday ends this weekend. TOMORROW, SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, IS THE FINAL DAY TO REGISTER. See the comments for the registration link.

Sorry for text-yelling there. But I’m really excited to see all the ways this program can instill healthy habits of exercise and camaraderie—and all the ways this program can better connect our congregation to our surrounding community.

Does your circle of influence include children in Kindergarten through 3rd Grade? Please share the link in the comments with them and encourage them to participate. At only $40, it is less than one-third the cost of the closest park district soccer program.

Further, we can also use more volunteers. If you’d like to help, email [email protected] or see Soccer Sunday Director Amanda Sramek.

As for our focus in worship this Sunday, August 23, we find that Jesus asks a seemingly simply question that turns out to be exceedingly profound. So profound, that question from Jesus continues to reverberate down through the millennia to us today: “Who do you say that I am?”

What is hidden in that question that we moderns might miss? What does Peter’s response mean for us today? How role does the location of this story play? We’ll explore those questions and more in my sermon, Peter on the Power Play.

Participate in our worship experiences Sundays at 9:30 a.m. in person at 1210 S. Ridge Road in Minooka. Or via livestream on our Minooka UMC page or on our Minooka UMC YouTube Channel.

Whether in person or online, all are invited to our welcoming and affirming congregation.

Plotting Goodness,
Pastor Dave

Minooka United Methodist Church is an inclusive gathering of found family learning to be more like Jesus and actively serving the community.

08/16/2026

Minooka UMC Worship - Sunday, August 16

08/14/2026

Dear Minooka UMC Found Family,

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve enjoyed reading comic books, collecting comic books, watching shows based on comic books, and seeing comic book movies. Whatever the medium, getting absorbed into the worlds of comic books is one of my happy places (non-church division, of course). So, I confess: I’m a geek. I much prefer “geek” to “nerd.” But, further confession: in truth, I’ll comp to being a comic book nerd as well.

As I imagine you’ve noticed, in the past 20 years or so comic book movies have come to dominate cinema. Not that they are always the best movies released, but they tend to be the biggest. And there have been a lot of them. So many, in fact, that it is not hard to find people talking and writing about superhero movie fatigue. While that is definitely not me, I do get it. I can see why some folks have just had enough of the genre.

But! (Now we’re getting to why I’m sharing this with you, beyond the ever-present project to know one another more fully) I have to say, the new Spider-Man movie, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, is amazing! Spectacular, even! In addition to, in my opinion, absolutely getting the character of Spider-Man exactly correct, the movie is fun and funny and quite poignant. I found it actually rather emotional. What can I say? Movies move me.

No spoilers, but read this brief line of dialogue that [redacted] says to [redacted] in an important moment when [redacted]:

“You’re beautiful. And the people who love you…we love you not because you’re special, we love you because you’re you. I want you to remember that. Even when it feels like you’re totally alone. Never forget that.”

Read that again, slowly.

My friends, I’m convinced there are moments in our lives when we all need to hear that message. So read it one more time.

Believe it or not, I think that line connects well with the famous (infamous??) story from the Gospel According to Matthew that will guide our worship time this week. How do we hear and understand ancient stories? What are the typical ways we’ve heard this particular story? What motivates that understanding? What might we lose, and what might we gain, through other ways of hearing it? That’s what we will explore this Sunday, August 16, in my sermon, Listening & Learning.

Participate in our worship experiences Sundays at 9:30 a.m. in person at 1210 S. Ridge Road in Minooka. Or via livestream on our Minooka UMC page or on our Minooka UMC YouTube Channel.

Whether in person or online, all are invited to our welcoming and affirming congregation.

Plotting Goodness,
Pastor Dave

Minooka United Methodist Church is an inclusive gathering of found family learning to be more like Jesus and actively serving the community.

08/09/2026

Minooka UMC Worship - Sunday, August 9

08/07/2026

Dear Minooka UMC Found Family,

Since November, I’ve joined a couple dozen clergy and laity from across our Northern Illinois Annual Conference in monthly Zoom calls with the Rev. Dr. Michael Beck. It’s a cohort for Fresh Expressions of church—small ministries in out-of-the-way places using outside-the-box strategies. Dr. Beck is the Director of Fresh Expressions for the UMC.

Dr. Beck often talks about Dog Park Church and Burritos & Bibles as two examples he started through his church in Florida. Skeptic’s Circle and Soccer Sunday are two ongoing Fresh Expressions in our congregation. Other churches throughout our Conference are experimenting with, for example, listening sessions with residents in low-income housing; offering salsa dance lessons; and weekly gatherings to talk theology in a local pub.

I bring this up for two reasons. First, to remind us all that there are as wide a variety of ways to be the church Jesus calls us to be as there are variety of people and places. Healthy congregations intentionally experiment and find ways to go where the people are instead of always asking folks to come to us.

Further, in addition to being a pastor, church planter, and national Director of Fresh Expressions, Dr. Beck is also a sociology professor at the University of Florida. He authors a weekly blog on Substack that is excellent. You may be interested in following him in general, but his post from last week is especially pertinent to this, our third and final week of exploring the renewed UMC Vision: The United Methodist Church forms disciples of Jesus Christ who, empowered by the Holy Spirit, love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in local communities and worldwide connections.

We started with Love Boldly; next came Serve Joyfully; this Sunday, August 9th we tackle Lead Courageously. As I see it, Lead Courageously is clearly the most difficult assignment because it pushes us to ask deep, uncomfortable questions about the systems we all live in. Questions, like this one Dr. Beck raises in that article: “Who benefits from this arrangement? Who is harmed by it? Could society be organized differently?”

We know intimately well that inequality is one of our core problems. Dr. Beck reminds us that many assume “that everyone begins the race at the same starting line. We don’t. Some children enter the world with extraordinary advantages: financial security, excellent schools, stable families, healthy neighborhoods, professional networks, and parents who influence the institutions their children will encounter. Others begin life five laps behind the starting line. Poverty. Violence. Addiction in the home. Underfunded schools. Food insecurity. Racial discrimination. Disabilities. Trauma. Our families of origin, neighborhoods, and zip codes largely determine our place in the class system, and true mobility is rarer than you might think.”

What can we begin to do about all that? How do we follow the Jesus we meet in the gospels in our current age of vast inequality and rampant injustice for those at the margins of society? That’s what we’ll consider this Sunday in my sermon, Now, Lead Courageously.

If you missed Part 1, To Start, Love Boldly, see the comments for the excellent sermon Chris Vause offered.

If you missed Part 2, Next, Serve Joyfully, see the comments for that video.

Participate in our worship experiences Sundays at 9:30 a.m. in person at 1210 S. Ridge Road in Minooka. Or via livestream on our Minooka UMC page or on our Minooka UMC YouTube Channel.

Whether in person or online, all are invited to our welcoming and affirming congregation.

Plotting Goodness,
Pastor Dave

Minooka United Methodist Church is an inclusive gathering of found family learning to be more like Jesus and actively serving the community.

08/02/2026

Minooka UMC Worship - Sunday, August 2

07/31/2026

Dear Minooka UMC Found Family,

It is good to be back! My family enjoyed a wonderful vacation in France. As expected, the Eiffel Tower is stunning lit up at night. However, I was surprised at how inspiring I found touring Notre Dame. Of course all the stained glass and art work are beautiful. But something about spending a few quiet moments in some of the prayer alcoves really touched me and moved me to tears. I am convinced that traveling to different places is an excellent way to encounter God’s Holy Spirit anew.

I’m grateful that you, our congregation, and our UMC Book of Discipline understand that time away is not a luxury but a necessity for maintaining good health. Thank you.

Now then, time to continue our exploration of the UMC Vision:
The United Methodist Church forms disciples of Jesus Christ who, empowered by the Holy Spirit, love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in local communities and worldwide connections.

Further, the Vision asks us to consider:
“Every United Methodist around the world is called to embrace the mission in their daily living and dream of the possibilities that God has placed before us through the vision.”

Love boldly; Serve joyfully; Lead courageously
What dreams of possibilities does this evoke in you?

Our sermon series on the Vision began two weeks ago with, “To Start, Love Boldly.” (The series took last Sunday off to celebrate our combined VBS.) If you missed part one—or if you just want a refresher—click here for the excellent sermon Chris Vause offered. How do you respond to her provocative question: “When was the last time love cost us something?”

This Sunday, August 2nd, in my sermon, Next, Serve Joyfully, we’ll consider Jesus’ example in the Gospel According to Luke. In what ways are we already following Jesus’ lead to serve? How might we increase the joy in our serving?

Participate in our worship experiences Sundays at 9:30 a.m. in person at 1210 S. Ridge Road in Minooka. Or via livestream on our Minooka UMC page or on our Minooka UMC YouTube Channel.

Whether in person or online, all are invited to our welcoming and affirming congregation.

Plotting Goodness,
Pastor Dave

Minooka United Methodist Church is an inclusive gathering of found family learning to be more like Jesus and actively serving the community.