Livingston News - July 2025
- Livingston UMC
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
In this edition:
Rx Ride, Run, & Walk
FINDING HOME: From One in the Livingston Church Family
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Immigration has been on my mind a lot lately. Well, actually, immigration is always on my mind. My mother was an immigrant from England. She came to this country after WWII as a "war bride." She had served in the Women's branch of the Royal Air Force and met my father, who was in the U.S. Army and stationed in England at the time—and the rest, as they say, is history. I lived in England for a few years and served the Methodist church in the area where my relatives still live. It was a blessed experience, and I became so attached to the people and the country that I continue to visit every few years. The churches I served still invite me to preach, I reconnect with family and friends again, and it all feels like going home.
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It seems like we're always searching for home—sometimes forced to run from it, and always seeking after it. It is heart-wrenching to leave the place you call home. It will make you homesick and often depressed. My mother was in this country twenty years before she was able to return to her home and visit her family. Many immigrants today are faced with the unspeakable hardships of fleeing their homes and being deported to places they never knew, or torn from homes they have found among us. But as we all know, home is more than just a place. The search for home never ends, at least not until we find our true home with God, on earth and in heaven.
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The scriptures and church communities can help us, immigrants and citizens alike, in our search for home and help us find our true home. Jesus himself knew the pain and suffering of leaving home when he cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46). He was quoting from Psalm 22, the spiritual psalms, or songs, of his people. He was in pain, and he began to sing; maybe those at the foot of the cross even joined him. In Psalm 137, captors asked people exiled from their homes to sing the songs of their homeland, but they were too overcome with homesickness to sing. "How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?" was their response.
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Church can be a place of home, where together we find our way to our true home with God. The presence and stories of others are invaluable in times of sadness and loss, whether we are a recent immigrant or a person who is lonely and just seeking hope and a place to belong. We may find hope in sermons or prayers or songs, as Jesus did. Music and song touch a place deep inside us and give us a way to be sad without feeling lost. When we sing in community, we know it is okay to suffer. The music tells us, "We know how you feel. We are suffering too. We all are."
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As we at Livingston Church continue to wrestle with the decisions of selling and buying property, of staying in place or moving the church, I pray we will continue to listen to each other and be mindful of the still small voice of God. I pray our church will continue to be a place of welcome for strangers and friends, where we give each other hope, and together lift our pain and voices to God. Most of all, I pray we will be a church in prayer during this transitional time in the life of this congregation. And I pray we will continue to be a community of hope where we all find our way home to the God who is always searching for us. Will you pray with me?
Rebeka Maples
We Are Collecting Bibles
Do you have any Bibles at home that you are no longer using and would like to see go to use in someone else's journey? If so, we'd love to take them off your hands! We have collected and been gifted quite a few Bibles over the six months and have placed them out in the Narthex on the resource shelves for others to take. Folks who are coming into the church are so, so grateful to be able to take home a Bible, and we go through these surprisingly fast. Our stash of Bibles is now FULLY depleted! We'll be submitting a grant application through the Olentangy River District to secure funding for a much larger quantity. Until such funding is granted, we'd be grateful to offer any Bibles you may not utilize to others who are seeking to learn and grow in their faith. Bibles you wish to donate can be dropped in the church office on Sunday mornings or throughout the week. Thank you in advance!
Due to funding changes, Mid-Ohio Food Collective is not offering fresh produce to its pantries this summer. We invite you to donate extra fresh produce you’ve grown or wish to purchase for our Rosemary’s Cupboard guests on the Sundays listed. These Sundays are just before Pantry service days each month. Contact Sue Leatherman with questions.
RIDE, RUN, WALK, OR VOLUNTEER FOR THIS YEAR'S Rx RIDE!
If you are interested in providing hospitality at the church or along the ride or run/walk routes, contact Jim Donnan.
Service Opportunities
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Serve each month at Rosemary's Cupboard Food Pantry! This month's guest service dates are Tuesday, July 22, Thursday, July 24, and Saturday, July 26. | Volunteers are always welcome to help the Charitable Pharmacy of Central Ohio sort and label medications. Call to arrange a time! | Our friends at Village Connections would love to welcome you to their corps of volunteers who make their mission possible! |
LUMC Swag
We now have an LUMC Swag Shop through the online print-on-demand company Spreadshop. With the button below, you'll be able to purchase clothing, bags, and mugs that show the world your commitment to treating others with kindness AND to your LUMC family!
Sign Up for Altar Flowers
We know that many times when you choose to provide flowers to decorate the altar, there is a special person or occasion that spurs your choice of that date. So next time you provide Altar flowers, if you'd like to share why, please do! We'll include your dedication in the bulletin and in the slides that are displayed on Sunday morning.
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Please email Jane at lumc@livingstonchurch.org by Tuesday afternoon with your dedication so that she can add it to the bulletins, which are printed on Thursdays.
To support our ministries, Livingston United Methodist Church depends on the financial support of members and friends such as you. You may drop off or mail your offering to the church, or click below to give online.
Newsletter Deadline
We welcome informational articles from our community. Please send monthly newsletter submissions by the end of the day on the 22nd of this month to info@livingstonchurch.org. We do not publish advertisements. We reserve the right to edit articles.