Arapaho Is A Place Of Welcome To All

A video message from Rev. Dr. Blair Thompson White, Pastor of Arapaho United Methodist Church.

By now you have heard the news that our denomination, The United Methodist Church, in it’s General Conference Session doubled down on its stance against same-sex weddings and against LGBTQ+ clergy. This decision is incredibly disappointing and once again we have hurt the LGBTQ+ community. At Arapaho we are here to say that we are sorry and that we welcome all.

General Conference

General Conference

On February 23-26, the General Conference of the United Methodist Church will meet in a special session in St. Louis. Over 1,000 delegates with gather to consider a way forward regarding our denomination's position and policies related to sexuality.

Watch This Video From Pastor Blair:

How Will This Affect us at Arapaho?

Whatever is decided will not change who we are or what we value.

We value: Inclusivity.
All persons are the beloved children of God. LGBTQ+ are welcomed and affirmed as beloved. We open the door wide for all to experience and embody God’s healing and reconciling love.

What Do Methodists Believe About Ash Wednesday?

What Do Methodists Believe About Ash Wednesday?

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent. Lent is a time when many Christians prepare for Easter by observing a period of fasting, repentance, moderation and spiritual discipline.

Ash Wednesday emphasizes two themes: our sinfulness before God and our human mortality. The service focuses on both themes, helping us to realize that both have been triumphed through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

During some Ash Wednesday services, the minister will lightly rub the sign of the cross with ashes onto the foreheads of worshipers. The use of ashes as a sign of mortality and repentance has a long history in Jewish and Christian worship. Historically, ashes signified purification and sorrow for sins.

It is traditional to save the palm branches from the previous Palm Sunday service to burn to produce ashes for this service. Sometimes a small card or piece of paper is distributed on which each person writes a sin or hurtful or unjust characteristic. The cards are then brought to the altar to be burned with the palm branches. The ash cross on the forehead is an outward sign of our sorrow and repentance for sins.

— Adapted from The United Methodist Book of Worship

Read Next: What Do Methodists Believe About Lent?

What Is Shrove Tuesday?

What Is Shrove Tuesday?

Shrove Tuesday is the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday which is the first day of Lent. It's a day of penitence, to clean the soul, and a day of celebration as the last chance to feast before Lent begins. But there's more to Shrove Tuesday than pigging out on pancakes or taking part in a public pancake race. The pancakes themselves are part of an ancient custom with deeply religious roots.

Shrove Tuesday gets its name from the ritual of shriving that Christians used to undergo in the past. In shriving, a person confesses their sins and receives absolution for them. When a person receives absolution for their sins, they are forgiven for them and released from the guilt and pain that they have caused them.

So Shrove Tuesday is the last chance to indulge yourself, and to use up the foods that aren't allowed in Lent. Giving up foods: but not wasting them. In the old days there were many foods that observant Christians would not eat during Lent: foods such as meat and fish, fats, eggs, and milky foods. So that no food was wasted, families would have a feast on the shriving Tuesday, and eat up all the foods that wouldn't last the forty days of Lent without going off.

The need to eat up the fats gave rise to the French name Mardi Gras; meaning fat Tuesday. Pancakes became associated with Shrove Tuesday as they were a dish that could use up all the eggs, fats and milk in the house with just the addition of flour.

The ingredients for pancakes can be seen to symbolise four points of significance at this time of year:
Eggs ~ Creation
Flour ~ The staff of life
Salt ~ Wholesomeness
Milk ~ Purity

Read Next: What Do Methodists Believe About Ash Wednesday