by Rev. Eric Folkerth

I hope you’ll all plan to be in church on Sunday as my dear friend, Dr. Owen Ross, will be our special guest preacher. Owen is currently serving as Director of the Center for Church Development in the North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church.

He’s a passionate and engaging preacher, and a passionate advocate for immigrants and their families. Owen’s long history in this area extends back to his many years as Senior Pastor at Christ’s Foundry UMC. That congregation consists primarily of members for Mexico and Central American, many of whom are themselves immigrants.

Owen and I were part of 113 clergy from around the nation who were arrested in Washington DC in 2011, protesting the lack of action to support the so-called “Dreamer” families. And, more recently, Owen was one of the lead organizers of the group of 100 clergy who went to the border to better understand the issues there. The picture here is one that I took during our trip, as Owen, myself, and other clergy from North Texas listened to a small group of migrants tell their stories.

Owen’s sermon title is “The Family of God,” and I think it will fit well with our theme of “Welcoming.” God is always calling us to a broader and more inclusive vision of “family” that includes all of God’s children.

So, although I’lll miss you this week (we will be away at “Parent’s/Dad’s Weekend” in Arkansas with our daughter), I hope you will deeply appreciate being inspired and led by my dear friend, Owen Ross.

I’ll see you next week.

Grace and Peace,

Eric