Hyde Park United Methodist

Since the early church, Christians have been called to gather (ekklesia, which is translated as both “church” and “gathering.”) When we are present to each other, in worship, small groups, and service, we can experience the presence of God in a powerful way, along with the mutual support and accountability that comes with being together.

A natural and important follow-up to our 125th Anniversary Celebration is a season of recommitment to grow deeper as disciples, wider in our reach to others, and united in mission to love God and love all. This five-part series reviews the five-fold membership vow that each member took to become a part of this church. Prayer is the lifeblood of the Christian. It connects us to God, raises our attention to the Holy Spirit, and unites us together.HydeParkUMC.org/nextstepsReflection Questions:1. Reflect and describe the first time you remember praying.   2. How have you struggled with prayer?3. How does regular prayer practice strengthen your inner being, root you in love, and help you comprehend God’s grace?

Stories from our heritage not only tell us about our past. They remind us of who we are. Such is the story of our church’s beginning, back in 1899, when a small group chose to sing “I Love to Tell the Story” at the site of what would become our church. Their courage and witness, coupled with their choice of song, tells us something about who we are.  HydeParkUMC.org/nextstepsReflection Questions:1. How can you re-prioritize your life, to focus less on being remembered, and more on being part of a story bigger than yourself? 2. How will you remember the “old, old story” of God’s love in your life? 3. How will you live into the story of God’s love through this church?

This week Mat sits down with former senior pastor of Hyde Park, Jim Harnish, with the topic of discovering and recognizing continuing threads of your life in the both spiritual and historical sense. HydeParkUMC.org/nextsteps

The writer of Hebrews scans over the long history of men and women who lived by faith, some of it in gory detail! But then the text looks directly at us to say that God’s story will not be perfect (complete, whole) without us.  We have the beautiful stories of how God has been at work through the people of this congregation over the past 125 years, but the story will not be complete until we step into it, i.e. lay aside the things that keep us from moving forward and run the leg of the relay that is before us. HydeParkUMC.org/nextsteps

As Hyde Park begins its celebration of 125 years, Magrey and Mat sit down to discuss what it means to have a spiritual legacy.HydeParkUMC.org/nextsteps

In 1899, a group of 30 people from First Methodist in Tampa crossed the Hillsborough River to begin meeting in a two-room schoolhouse at the corner of Platt and Magnolia. 125 years later, we are living into a legacy that has proclaimed the good news of Jesus and built the kingdom of God for generation. This three-part worship series celebrates the grace of God and the history of our church, and points us toward an exciting future for generations to come.HydeParkUMC.org/nextstepsReflection Questions:What favorite stories do you know about your ancestors? What does it mean for you to think of yourself as a simultaneous descendant and ancestor? How will you live faithfully now to leave a living impact for those to follow?

This week Magrey sits down with Gary Mason to talk about the current situation with Israel-Palestine and how to find common ground in the mist of intense disagreement and conflict. HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps

Sharing the gospel with unbelievers is essential. Paul's example in Acts 17 shows how we can bridge the gap by using familiar language and imagery to reveal God's love in Christ.HydeParkUMC.org/NextStepsReflection Questions:1. How have you struggled with questions of meaning and purpose in your life? 2. How do your struggles help you connect with unchurched people with similar experiences? 3. How does putting Christ at the center of our lives help with those struggles?

Sally and Mat sit down this week to discuss how inter-faith relationships can work and how to build those bridges.HydeParkUMC.org/nextsteps

One of the most common questions we ask of our faith is, “What is Christianity’s relationship with other religions?” What are we to do with the passage from John 14, in which Jesus declares that he is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one comes to the Father but through him? In an age of religious pluralism and religious intolerance (even violence), how can we be charitable and loving toward people of different faiths, while still maintaining the core of our Christian convictions? HydeParkUMC.org/NextStepsQuestions for Reflection:  1. What is your experience with people of different faiths?2. In what ways are you using your gifts to cross barriers and build connections/relationships with those whose beliefs are different from yours?3. What is one thing you could do to start a dialog with someone who practices a different faith?

This week, we have started a new sermon series discussing our Christian heritage and how we can relate to people of other faiths. Magrey and Mat sit down to talk about their own personal experiences in exploring and being raised in environments of differing faiths.HydePaKUMC.org/NextSteps

 John Wesley’s famous sermon “Catholic Spirit” provides guidance on how Christians of different perspectives and traditions can find common ground, just as Jehu and Jehonadab joined hands in the passage in 2 Kings. Despite some significant differences among Protestant denominations, we hold much more in common, and we are called to forge a dynamic and united witness to the good news of Jesus Christ in the world. HydeParkUMC.org/NextStepsReflection Questions:1. What is the story of your religious journey? What faith traditions shape who you are?2. What similarities among denominations do you find most meaningful?3. What is best about being United Methodist to you?

This week, Sally and Magrey talk about the impact that was the witness of Mary Bethune in education and how all of us can be inspired from it.HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps

Mary McLeod Bethune was an educator, philanthropist, and civil rights activist, whose work was deeply rooted in her Christian convictions. Bethune-Cookman University stands as an enduring reminder of her legacy, as this states only United Methodist historically black college. Her famous quote “Without faith, nothing is possible; with faith, nothing is impossible” captures her belief in the power of God to transform hearts and communities for the better.  HydeParkUMC.org/NextStepsReflection Questions:1. What Voices of Inspiration in this worship series have been most meaningful to you, and why? 2. What insights and inspiration does Mary McLeod Bethune’s story evoke in you? 3. How will you become a voice of inspiration to others?

This week, Mat and Sally sit down the discuss the witness of Oscar Romero from El Salvador in the 1970s. And how Sally's own experience in El Salvador influenced her call to ministry.

Archbishop Oscar Romero was a powerful voice for freedom and liberation for the people of El Salvador, and his untimely death by an assassin’s bullet leaves behind a stirring witness to the power of non-violence in addressing systemic inequities and injustice. His work was a living embodiment of the words of Luke 4, in which Jesus spoke of setting the captives free, recovery of sight to the blind, and the proclamation of the Lord’s favor.  HydeParkUMC.org/NextStepsReflection Questions:  1. Did you know much about Oscar Romero before today’s sermon? What surprised you about his life and witness?2. In what ways are you using your influence to bring Good News to other people?3. How might God be inviting you to change your heart? How are you evolving, changing, growing in your Christian witness?

Mat and Magrey have a discussion about how songs shape us, how they shaped the Bible, and how they continue to bring the biblical text alive today.

Mahalia Jackson was one of the greatest musical artists of her generation, not just for her beautiful music, but also for her inspirational witness. Her most iconic moments were in her singing of “His Eye is On the Sparrow,” based on the teaching of Jesus in Matthew, which inspired comfort and encouragement during the civil rights movement. Her encouragement for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to “tell them about the dream, Martin,” elicited the grand, sweeping conclusion to his famous speech in Washington, D.C.  HydeParkUMC.org/NextStepsReflection Questions:1. What do you think makes singing such a powerful form of individual and communal expression?2. What songs have been most inspiring to you throughout your life? 3. How familiar are you with the music of Mahalia Jackson? How might you listen to her music over the coming days? 

Mat and Justin talk about the legacy of Howard Thurman and how we can direct our beliefs into actions for justice in the community.