This season we are planning several events for those of you in your twenties and thirties. Recently a group of our young adults traveled to Rose’s Berry Farm in Glastonbury for apple picking. Watch here for news of additional events. If you are not already on our email list, please request to join by sending an email to Pastor Bryan at bryan@umcofhartford.org.

Concert organist Scott Lamlein lead our worship service on September 28 with a special worship experience called “What Wondrous Love.” Described as a “hymn festival,” Scott offered classical works and popular hymns as well as readings from scripture and Christian thinkers. You can find a fuller review in the Critical Christian web site of our church parishioner Bob Howard.

Exodus 33: 12-21
Rev. Bryan Travis Hooper

For the last few Sundays we’ve been focused on the idea of leadership and the basic idea I’ve tried to communicate is that leadership begins with listening to the community around you and developing a attitude and habit and discipline of listening to others and hearing what is going on in their lives. And leadership always strives to serve – leadership, as we understand it in the church, is always servant leadership – leadership that responds to the needs of others, that engages our compassion in order to make the lives around us better in some way. (more…)

John 13: 1-17
Rev. Bryan Travis Hooper

I was at a park not too long ago and I witnessed an interesting interaction between some people who had never met before, but who happened to be standing near each other. One parent had a baby in a stroller, and was watching another child playing on the playground. The other parent had a somewhat older girl next to him, presumably his daughter, but was also distracted by the children on the playground. The baby in the stroller had a small toy doll, that apparently he was fond of, because when he dropped it onto the ground he began crying nonstop. The parent with him tried to stop his crying, but had been too distracted by the playground to have seen what initiated the tears. The other parent, also distracted by the action on the playground, failed to notice his young daughter walk over to the baby in the stroller, pick up the toy, hand it to the baby, and stop the tears that the parent could not. The parent of the crying child simply said thank you. And the young girl went back to her father’s side. (more…)

Seven years ago. It was a beautiful day in NYC, much like today is in Hartford – crisp, cool, yet with a warming sun overhead. I had a meeting in my office with a couple that was planning to get married. We met early before the male half could head downtown to work. I said goodbye to them around 9, and shortly thereafter, I heard that a plan had flown into the World Trade Center.

At first, we thought it was probably an accident. We remembered the plane long ago that had crashed into the Empire State Building. But soon, another plane crashed, and we knew this was no accident. Then we heard that there might be other planes flying around, looking for targets – one hit the Pentagon, another crashed in Pennsylvania. And then the towers collapsed. So much happened so quickly, it was bewildering.

Seven years later, I remember the feeling of loss, grief, pain, expressed in family members of those who had died, in the questions of children who didn’t understand (as if any of us did), in the voices of outrage that demanded revenge, in the desperate cries for peace.

I didn’t understand – as I don’t today – what was to be gained by transporting our pain across the globe and dumping it on the already suffering people of Afghanistan. I certainly didn’t understand what Iraq had to do with it. And here we are, seven years later. Frozen in 9/11.

Violence freezes us in place. It paralyzes us in a grip of terror and pain. It seduces us to retaliate, as the only outlet for our pain that we know, but that only triggers our addiction. We sink ever deeper into a demonic spiral of addictive violence that only elevates our tolerance and increases our need for more blood.

My prayer today:
May our tears become salves of healing
May our cries become clarions for justice
May our pain become inspiration for peace
May our wounds become beacons of hope
May our violent hearts melt in the fires of war
Becoming for the world
The slippery drippery flow of love.

Revelation 21: 1-4
Rev. Bryan Travis Hooper

Today my goal is to begin a conversation with you on leadership. Over the years, I have come to believe that leadership is critically important for the church. We need excellent leaders at all levels in the church – from the folks who welcome you here on Sunday morning, to the folks who manage our buildings, to the folks who decide how we will spend our money, to the folks who dream up new ministries, to the folks who serve food to the hungry or collect goods for the poor – leaders are needed all around. And that means we need to spend some time talking about leadership, understanding leadership, and practicing leadership. (more…)