Faith@First is a weekly report on the pastor's family news, church and community activities, events, ministries and missions. Click here to sign up to receive it weekly in your email inbox or visit NoblesvilleFirst.com/FaithAtFirstArchive to peruse past issues.
March 24, 2023
Dear Noblesville First Family,
In celebration of Women’s History Month, I have been interviewed three times by church and denominational groups who are featuring boundary breaking women in ministry. In the busyness of preaching, teaching, staff meetings, hospital visits and pastoral counseling, I sometimes forget the uniqueness of my role here.
In one conversation, the interviewer reminded me that of the 207,000 United Methodist Churches with over 100 people in worship, only 2.6% are pastored by women. As far as she could tell, those larger churches being led by women of color could be counted on a single hand.
Over the course of these conversations I’ve thought of other barriers that are being broken in our church and community that we may take for granted. We have same sex couples in worship who in years past would have been denied communion, unwed or divorced people who would be deemed unfit for church leadership, and members whose interracial marriages were considered illegal not even 60 years ago.
My kindergartner recently had “dinosaur day” and she and her two very best friends, each of different skin colors, would not have been in school together---let alone called each other “the three very "specialest" sisters in the whole wide world” (her spelling).
While we celebrate how far we’ve come, we also recognize how much further Jesus beckons us to go. It’s that journey that we’ll explore in our message this weekend, “Victory over Injustice” as we continue the Prepare the Way: Celebrating Christ's Victory Lenten sermon series. I pray you’ll join us as we discover why justice matters so much to God and how we may share in that holy work. We’ll also hear an update from Dave Meats, our organ committee chair, who is excited to share how your generosity will help new generations of Christians sing songs of love, mercy, justice and grace alongside our forthcoming sanctuary pipe organ.
I’m grateful to break boundaries with you here at Noblesville First but most of all, I’m grateful for a savior who did it for each of us first.
Keep the faith@first,
Pastor Nicole