Sunday August 29, 2021, after dropping my kiddos off at their church, I spent the morning at Highland Park United Methodist Church. This congregation is the Methodist parish next to Southern Methodist University and is an exceptionally well resourced and significant force in the faith community of Dallas.
I was there for two reasons. The first is that the Rev. Todd Bruning and the Rev. Jamie Sagaren Bruning, pastors of our NT-NL Synod, ELCA, are connected to HPUMC because of their ministry to those with “disAbility” and particularly those with autism. This ministry includes a weekly worship service “The Feast” that is intended for those for whom traditional worship experiences don’t work. It was powerful to see how this parish has invested considerable resources into this ministry.
The second reason I was there was to worship with members of Mt. Olive Lutheran, Fair Park, Dallas who were visiting their siblings from St. Luke UMC in South Dallas. St. Luke suffered significant damage in the winter storm back in February and is still recovering from that reality (something we at Briarwood Leadership Center can relate to). So HPUMC has offered them space for worship in their family life center worship facility across from their main campus. It was a joy to worship with the St. Luke Community as we explore ways to work with these full communion partners and deepen our witness and presence in South Dallas.
In all this we pray for our siblings along the gulf coast as Hurricane Ida impacts their communities. The work of Lutheran Disaster Response will be critical in response and I urge you to be generous with them. #NTNL #InMissionTogether