Charlestown United Methodist Church

10/14/2026

Pastoral Ponderings -Weird
By Pastor Jim Lewis

Inspiration can come from all kinds of surprising places—even the wall of a hospital ward! My mom is doing much better than I was expecting, and is even in the process of getting transferred to rehab (again…). Whether as a patient or as visiting family, it’s inspiring how the hospital staff can make the time in the hospital a time of experiencing healing and grace, with how they show their care using whatever assets they bring. They all bring their expertise, of course—and then their personal magic-- which can sometimes come out in their art and decorations

One of the team regularly does inspirational artwork on a whiteboard in the hall—one I saw with Marvin the Martian from what was Saturday morning cartoons back in the day. You may remember that Marvin the Martian was a little bit weird—but that’s his charm! Too often we forget that we’ve each been blessed with our own kinds of weirdness, which is also key to our own charm, and to the assets we bring and can offer as blessings to others. But only WHEN we let it shine!

At my kids’ high school just off the cafeteria was the students’ “Let U B U” Lounge. I never got to see or hear how it was used—but it’s quirky name always brought a smile to my lips, and sparked my imagination! It was a great reminder, as with Manny’s artwork, that it is our weird giftedness and quirkiness that can often be the best blessing we can share with others. Why keep it to yourself—Let your little light shine!

Keep being a blessing in your own weird way-- PastorJim

10/10/2026

Pastoral Ponderings
by Pastor Jim Lewis

What is it about the magic of a campfire that is so hypnotic? Every phase of the fire’s life is powerful in its own way—from the very beginning—“It only takes a spark, to get a fire going…”—through its grow, the roaring height of its burning, the more steady heat of a good cooking fire, the embers of a perfect fire for s’mores, the sleepy warmth of a quiet fire. Even when water is poured on it to put it out, it fights and sputters with every possible effort. I’ve always hated putting out a fire—it feels like I’m betraying and killing a close friend.

Archaeologists and anthropologists always look for signs of fire in ancient places of human gathering, to the extent that it seems domesticated fire is seminal to what it means to be human. Researchers in both these disciplines, and exploring primitive human cultures now, even suggest that the “firelight niche” provided the perfect environment for the development of speech and story-telling. And if we are to take our Gospels seriously, boldly proclaiming “In the beginning was the WORD/Language/Conversation/Connection,” the Firelight Niche was an essential beginning to human connection with God.

Across cultures, fire is often used as a symbol or sign of the Divine—a Gift from God that is a reminder of the Presence of God, as in the Holy Spirit, as well as a sign of purity, making holy, of pushing back darkness and chaos. Can the hypnotic power of fire, and its purifying us from other distractions, be a tool we can use to draw us closer to God, and to each other in spiritual words, conversation and connection, which are the true Beginning of our Divine Encounter?

Gather around the campfire—or even something as simple as candlelight—to see in the light of the fire, the Light and cleansing of God’s grace. – Pastor Jim

10/01/2026

Pastoral Pondering
by Pastor Jim Lewis

MAINTAINING Happy Pathways…

Have you ever noticed how many different places of beauty you can find in woodlands? But it’s usually the trails you find that seem to draw you into them with an almost irresistible pull. And it’s also true that the more trails are used, the more clear they become—and often it is the more clear the trails, the more powerful the pull—there’s obviously something worth exploring out that direction! A few years ago, my wife and I bought an historic farm in NE Ohio, that we’re turning into a Bed and Breakfast and semi-glamcamp (come visit with us to see what that means!). We have 14 acres, about ten of which are wooded with a mature hardwood-maple mix forest. We’ve made a bunch of trails through the woods in order to tap our maple trees, to get to our wild blackberries and black raspberries, and to explore the creek and our various other secret spots.

But it takes more than just MAKING trails to be able to enjoy them—we have to be able to maintain them too, with regular use, and clearing fallen branches and such. Weeds and clutter would otherwise all too quickly encroach, bury, and choke out our fun. Sounds too much like ordinary life, doesn’t it—all too quickly concerns, clutter and distractions clog up our lives-- maybe not with fallen branches, but with fallen hopes and dreams, and weeds that encroach and choke out the fun in our lives.

That sounds awful—and it is! Making habits of happiness in our lives takes time, effort, clearing out obstacles--and repetitive use-- just like making the trails of happiness in our woods. But in the same way as the trails in our woods need frequent, repetitive use to get rid of the weeds, clutter and keep them clear, the paths to HABITS of happiness in our lives also need regular use and upkeep to keep them clear and functional as well.

Have you noticed how quickly and easily it is to let clutter and weeds get in the way of your own fun, of romantic fun, of family fun, even of spiritual blessings--and crowd out habits of self-care, game nights, vacations and times to get away? They can even crowd out something as simple and powerful as laughter! Yet we all CHOOSE with intentionality (or not, if we’re not careful), what weeds and clutter we clear out of our lives, and what paths we habitually follow. We also choose what weeds and clutter we DON’T clear from our lives, and which paths we come to ignore…

The path we walk becomes the default—this is the way you’re gonna go unless you intentionally get off the path—which is often NOT a good idea. Are you creating and following paths in your life that SHARE blessings, or letting those paths get cluttered and overgrown? -- helping clear paths—Pastor Jim

09/28/2026

🍂🎃 FALL FLING IS COMING! 🎃🍂

Charlestown United Methodist Church is throwing a Fall Fling for the entire family! ❤️

📅 Saturday, October 3rd
⏰ 5:00–7:00 PM

Come enjoy an evening of:
🎨 Games & Crafts
🚜 Hayride
🍰 Desserts
🌭 BBQ Pulled Pork, Hot Dogs, Chips & Drinks
🔥 Campfire
🍁 And plenty of fall fun!

Bring the whole family and a lawn chair! 🪑

☔ Rain plan: If the weather doesn’t cooperate, we’ll move the fun inside the church!

Come hungry, come ready to have fun, and bring a friend! 🍂❤️

09/28/2026

PASTORAL PONDERINGS
By Pastor Jim Lewis

I've been getting all too familiar with the blessings of St. Vincent de Paul in this past week, spending the week with my mom with her surgery and recovery at a hospital bearing his name in Jacksonville. Though I've spent too much time in too many hospitals in my time as a pastor, I've never seen one with a more caring crew, all the way from the cleaning ladies to the surgeon's team. If even a part of the real St. Vincent from the 17th c. is reflected in their culture of caring, I'd love to get to know him better!



St. Vincent de Paul was known for his humility, compassion and generosity, especially to the poor, the marginalized and oppressed-- but isn't that what all who follow Jesus should be known for? But by all accounts, he actually lived it more deeply than most, and what I experienced at the hospital bearing his name was countless people living it just as deeply.



It is certainly counter-cultural to actually live day in and day out in a way marked by humility, compassion and generosity, but when you see it modeled so well, even by the youngest of staff as I saw it there, it makes you wonder why it is so rare and difficult to actually do.



Love God, love neighbor- so simple, yet so difficult. Love, whether it's easy or not, whether in the dark of night or the light of day, even when it's something like cleaning bed pans, simply, humbly, compassionately, generously love. So simple, yet so rare. Thank you Kelly, thank you Maria, thank you Nikki, thank you to those whose blessed names I can't remember, thank you to those Christ-like cleaning ladies whose names I never knew, and most of whose words I couldn't understand, but whose actions carried Jesus across the floors of 400 West and North. How I long to be like you!



This has been an exhausting time, but an inspiring time. The extremes marking this week certainly include extremes of blessings for which this often too wordy preacher has no words. How can I be more like that across my days, and blessing those whose paths cross mine even ever so briefly?

– blessed and wondering- Pastor Jim

09/16/2026

PASTORAL PONDERINGS
Adventures’ Map
By Pastor Jim Lewis

We were at a restaurant in an amusement park decorated in wonderfully adventurous ways, and as with everything at this park, the restaurant had a back story. In the back story (staying “in character,” of course) the restaurant was founded by a company that provided adventure trips all over the world. However, the adventuring side of the business wasn’t going so well, so they settled for turning their exotic collections into décor for an adventure-themed restaurant instead. I suppose to merely give a taste of the adventure, as their customers weren’t willing to join in the journey into the unknown.

I’ve always loved beautiful old maps, and one across a whole wall in this restaurant helped to tell the story for those who liked the IDEA of adventure, but like the rest of the restaurant patrons, weren’t interested in the REAL quest itself. The great blessing of the actual adventurer, though, is their ability to see deeper into the mundane world to see clues to the fantastic that lead to journeys others can only hope for or dream of.

I hope you’re able to hear in this description the sadness of those who only dream of adventure, and willing to settle on the illusion of décor rather than actually embarking on the journey. But can you also hear in this, the similarity with many of us in our spiritual lives? How often do we think of how great it would be to actually live the fullness of life, the extraordinary, or the full abundance that spiritual adventures often promise, but when it’s time to step out, we say something like “but that’s outside my comfort zone…”

Had any of our spiritual sheroes or heroes used that “comfort zone” response though, would we ever be able to see the Hope, the Light, or the glimpses of Eternity their lives now offer? What extraordinary adventures might God have waiting for us, if we could get past just the décor and maps, and actually step out into the not-so-comfortable unknown?

--Your sometimes reluctant guide- Pastor Jim

09/16/2026

CLOSE FRIENDS
BY Pastor Jim Lewis

Close friends are so important to all who live in human flesh—in fact you could say that’s how God made us. They are important for us in our personal lives, as well as in our spiritual lives, whether sharing a cup of coffee with them, sharing life’s joys, or struggling through life’s sorrows together. Granted, it’s probably more important to have close HUMAN friends, rather than just furry friends, but the furrier friends are very important too!

Sometimes friendship takes courage—whether for sharing at a deeper level, or even for making new friends. I was shocked when on our travels at one of the parks, I was sitting at one of the outdoor tables, and lo and behold—I had someone eager to make friends come and join me. I’ve never known a squirrel brave enough to come up so close- on the table, checking out my cup just past my hand!

Sure, God made squirrels as great little critters—but God also made them to be scared! This one at least, though had learned with enough friendly offerings, that making friends wasn’t so scary after all. Makes me wonder—if scardy-cat squirrels can learn how to be a good Girl Scout and “MAKE NEW FRIENDS, keep the old- one is silver and the other, Gold”—that maybe it’s not so hard for us, too, to find the courage to make new friends. Even with people as strange and scary as me!

The greatest of Wisdom says that loving our neighbors is almost the most important thing in the world—but how can you love neighbors whom you’ve not even come to know? If squirrels and Girl Scouts can do it—maybe the rest of us can too!

Keep being a blessing BY making friends—Pastor JIm

09/05/2026

Pastoral Ponderings-Connections
by Pastor Jim Lewis

In a place called “Connections,” at a park shaped explicitly to highlight connections between people around the globe with the recognitions that “we’ll find we’re more alike than different,” there’s a little corner of a café that looks more like a museum than an amusement park. It unfortunately doesn’t have the labels of museums, but is a collection of coffee and tea services from across cultures and times, highlighting how sharing coffee or tea together builds connections.

I experienced this myself in a profound way in the fall of 2005, in a world of conflict, both with war and conflicting world views, when I was deployed to Afghanistan. I was at the theater command post in Kabul, which always had construction projects hiring locals as well as labor from across the region. I passed by a group of workers, I think they were Afghans—they couldn’t speak a word of English, nor could I understand a word of their language. They were on a break, they saw me notice them, and motioned me over with a smile and a wave of a tea pot.

Part of my pre-deployment training included the importance of building bridges of connection between peoples, and here was one of my chances. The fellow continued with the smile, indicated the team sharing tea together, and offered me some. Without any common words, but the common language of smiles, tea, and signs of hospitality from the group, we built connections with tea despite challenges of trust and conflict. And that was that—yet it was not.

I have no idea how that brief interaction over tea impacted them. But it is one of the most powerful and memorable experiences of my three deployments, and my whole Army career. It highlighted to me of the importance, the power, and the simplicity of building connections across what might seem to be insurmountable divides—with a simple cup of tea, reflected in that display at the amusement park. Amusing—and so much more!

Central to Jesus’ time on Earth was building such connections across similar cosmic divides, both- and intertwinedly if I can coin a term, on the human and spiritual levels. And not only was that central Jesus did, it is central to what Jesus showed as the central calling of our lives. And it’s as simple as a cup of tea and a smile- whether across warring cultures, or between neighbors who have not yet met. Care for a cup of tea?—Pastor Jim

09/02/2026

09/02/2026

Pastoral Ponderings- Waterfalls
by Pastor Jim Lewis

I LOVE being able to see and spend time at waterfalls. When we stopped by Soco Falls, near Cherokee, NC, I was ready to tell the fam to just leave me there, and pick me up in a few days later on in the trip! It’s not just the sight of them, but the soothing sounds of the water splashing across the rocks, even the feel of being near them with the spray and the breeze that often comes with them.

Have you noticed, though, that waterfalls usually require a rocky path, and water crashing from some height onto its rocky path? We often think of rock, falls, and crashing things in the negative—as bad things to be avoided. But when you can’t have a waterfall without, maybe we could think again about those obstacles, crashes and such in our lives as well—that they, too, may be necessary to bring out the true beauty of life.

One of the books I’ve been reading again is “The Gospel According to Tolkien” by Ralph C. Wood, which is exploring Gospel clues in Tolkien’s fantasy world of The Lord of the Rings. I hadn’t really noticed before how Tolkien and (good) fantasy in general, requires a “happy calamity”—a terrible thing happening, that is necessary for the surprising deliverance that makes fantasy—and even the Gospel—so powerful. After all, how could you have something like The Lord of the Rings without its underlying “eucatastrohpe” (“eu-“ is the prefix meaning “good”) that shapes the whole story?

The stones in the river causing the beauty of the waterfall might be that kind of “happy calamity.” Without the stones, there is no crashing waterfall. Might it be just as true that the rocks and other obstacles we crash into throughout our lives, are just as important to shape the beauty that we are so eager to embrace in our lives?

But notice, too, that it is not the rocks themselves that create the waterfall—it is the water flowing across the rocks. Perhaps it is likewise true that the rocks and obstacles in our lives are not what brings beauty by themselves, but how the Living Water of the Spirit bathing and reshaping those rocks is what brings the beauty.

Let the Water of Life, the Living Water, flow in, through and around the bruising rocks and obstacles in your life, and notice the beauty that can shine forth from those obstacles, when they’re washed in the Living Water that the Spirit can bring.—

Trusting that “all things work for the good…”—Pastor Jim