From Behind the Pulpit

I’ve been reading Tokens of Trust: An Introduction to Christian Belief by Rowan Williams. It is an introduction, but he comes at the Christian faith from a different perspective than I normally do, and I’m finding it fascinating. I wanted to share this:

“We have to bend our minds around the admittedly tough notion that we exist because of an utterly unconditional generosity. The love that God shows in making the world, like the love he shows towards the world once it is created, has no shadow or shred of self-directed purpose in it; it is entirely and unreservedly given for our sake. It is not a concealed way for God to get something out of it for himself, because that would make nonsense of what we believe is God’s eternal nature. God is, in simple terms, sublimely and eternally happy to be God, and the fact that this sublime eternal happiness overflows into the act of creation is itself a way of telling us that God is to be trusted absolutely, that God has no private agenda. It may be a bit shocking and hard to absorb, but that’s what it seems we have to say. When – rather rarely – in our world we see someone acting without any thought for themselves, without reward or consolation, wholly focused on another, we see a faint reflection of what God is naturally like.” [1]

I don’t disagree with any of that, but I had never before put it all together that way.

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[1] Rowan Williams, Tokens of Trust: An Introduction to Christian Belief (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2007), 12–13. Kindle edition.

This is very late notice, but we had the pleasure of welcoming Phoebe Joan Bridenstine as a baptized member on Sunday, December 7, 2025.

From Sheryl Fjell

“The Willing Workers is inviting everyone to join us for our Spring Potluck Luncheon on May 7 at noon. Our speakers will be Bethany Stock and Debbie Nuss, directors from the Common Table. Please bring food to share and your questions about the progress and future of this very important mission in our community.”

From Jennifer Sturges, chair of Family and Friendship Commission:

The Family and Friendship Commission is going to treat the students at Wesley House during K-State’s “Dead Week.” If you would like to contribute snacks, drinks, etc., please have them in the main church kitchen by noon on Sunday May 3, 2026. We will be delivering to them that day. Thank you! Know the students will appreciate it.

From Sheryl Fjell, chair of the Outreach Commission:

Sunday morning, April 26, is our Annual Food Packaging Event. We will be packaging 3000 Mac and Cheese meals and 2000 Beans and Rice meals from 8:30-10:30 am. Please come and help. This event is for all ages. We do the task in assembly-line fashion, so there is a job for everyone. We work to get it done so we can attend church. See you then.

If you would like to submit an article for the weekly newsletter or an announcement slide to be displayed before worship, please email info@caumc.church with “Announcement” in the subject line. All submissions must be received by Thursday at 8:00 a.m.

I recently worked my way through Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman. He opens with a quote from Heinrich Weinel and Alban G. Widgery, that I want to share with you below.

“To some God and Jesus may appeal in a way other than to us: some may come to faith in God and to love, without a conscious attachment to Jesus. Both Nature and good men besides Jesus may lead us to God. They who seek God with all their hearts must, however, some day on their way meet Jesus.” [1]

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[1] Heinrich Weinel and Alban G. Widgery, Jesus in the Nineteenth Century and After (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1914), 405, quoted in Howard Thurman, Jesus and the Disinherited (Boston: Beacon Press, 1996), 1, Kindle edition.

From Gary Beach, church treasurer:

“Thanks to your generosity, we have already reached our goal of raising $5,000 to meet this year’s pledge from our church to the ministry of Common Table.”