When I first began work as a pastor, one of my duties was leading a Wednesday night worship service. One of the favorite hymns was "The Church in the Wildwood."

"Oh, come, come, come, come ..."

The hymn describes a lovely little brown church in the valley, the church of our childhood. Even though no one in our study group actually grew up in "a church in the valley by the wildwood," the song seemed to touch a nostalgic chord for a time gone by.  

My guess is that the song also makes contact with a part of us that is deeply formed by religious experiences in sacred spaces.  Most of our significant experiences of God, of the sacred, are connected with a building somewhere -- a camp, a house, a church, a retreat center, a chapel.

I may be slightly biased as your pastor, but I've found the sacred space at 24th and Guadalupe to be what the Celts call a "thin place," where the veil between heaven and earth collapses and we catch a glimpse of the divine.

Last fall, we hosted the Interfaith Thanksgiving Service for iACT, Interfaith Action of Central Texas. A mosaic of traditions came together in our sanctuary. As we prepared for the service, I walked in the sanctuary with several young Muslim men. They looked up and around and then at each other, with eyes and mouths open wide. "God is in this place!" they said. And then, "Would it be okay if we came back to worship with you again?"

My brothers and sisters at University UMC, you have a unique mission and calling. There is no one else quite like you in our conference. When people move away, they tell me that there are no churches like UUMC in other locales. You don't view missions of mercy and justice as multiple choice. You open your doors wider than most churches dare. You wonderfully weave together teaching for the head, worship for the heart and service to the poor.

When we ponder all that happens under the roof at 2409 Guadalupe, I'm confident that we'll all be generous. I'm certain that we'll catch the vision of continuing the great traditions of ministry and service at University UMC and respond to "The Tradition Continues" with gifts that surprise even God!

May the God of grace, whose love is poured out on us daily, bless you in all your giving! Amen!

In Christ,
Pastor John

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