Pastoral Blog

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The Mask Has Become an Issue

By Rev. Keith Turman | 2021-07-23 | 3 min read

Actually, it has been an issue from the beginning. And I get it. I have a love-hate relationship with my mask. I love my mask. I love the one that makes me look like a medical worker. I have one that makes me look like a duck. Ross painted me a “Black Lives Matter” mask. Chan bought some flowery masks that...

The Spirituality of Struggle

By Rev. Becky Brown | 2021-07-09 | 3 min read

I am keenly aware of my uneasiness with the unknown. I am a planner and find great comfort in schedules. I like to know what is coming next, so I can be prepared, and prepare others in my care for what lies ahead. The most difficult moments in my life are coupled with the struggle of the unknown. This has...

A Season of Change

By Rev. Keith Turman | 2021-06-25 | 4 min read

We said goodbye to Scott today. The sadness, fear and joy are all familiar to me. Sometimes when we say “yes” to God, the change that comes can be quite dramatic. It can be a bit scary—this chasing after God-inspired dreams—but the adventure is always crazy good. As Scott, Lauren and Ava Leigh find their way to Dawsonville, Georgia, you...

I Met the Storyteller Today

By Rev. Keith Turman | 2021-06-11 | 3 min read

Novella Nimmo, from the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center did not allow the Zoom platform to diminish her passion. A team member asked, “Why did you accept our invitation to come to Lake Junaluska?” It was one of those moments. Had I been wearing shoes, I would have been compelled to take them off. The ground was holy. Novella often...

My FUMC Story

By Scott Taylor | 2021-05-28 | 4 min read

I have been at FUMC for eight years. I was at my previous church for five years (Calvary UMC), and three years at the one before that (St. Aidan’s Episcopal), two years at the one before that (St. Matthew UMC) and one year in my first church job (Westminster Presbyterian). Yes, that is a Fibonacci sequence! Should the pattern continue,...