Urban Gathering Center

We believe in God, the Creator, Whose LOVE is the life-force of the Universe

THE BLUEPRINT

To quote Phyllis Diller, “If you are what you eat…I am going to eat a thin person.”  

In John’s Gospel, Jesus says, “God is Love.”   It is not just what God does but who God is.  I...

We believe in God, the Creator

TWO CREATION STORIES

In the book of Genesis, there are two main creation stories in the first two chapters.  The first one begins with, “In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth.”  The second creation story begins with almost...

We Believe in God the Creator

SUPERMAN GOD

When I was four or five, I took the annual “Justification” trip with my family to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.  What you ask, is a “Justification” trip?  It is what every pastor needs after Christmas or Easter…Ju...

THE SPIRIT OF PEACE CREED  

We believe in God the creator

Who’s love is the life force of of the universe,

Who believes in us, trusts us an empowers us,

Who lives in us and through us and fills us with wonder.

We believe in Jesus, God’s own son;

Who shows through his life, t...

We Believe...

ALL OVER THE MAP

I had a few reservations about writing a creed.  So often churches separate themselves by proclaiming what they believe.  It is as if, what really matters, is getting the theology exactly right. Often the statements of what they believe are...

THE CRISIS

When I first started preaching at Spirit of Peace Lutheran Church in 2014, I realized that much of what I had learned about preaching, and much of my “go to” stuff was not going to work.  As a former youth minister, I was given many opportunities to preach in...

Hello and welcome to Lent!  As my own lenten discipline I will be packing this community creed that was developed at Spirit of Peace Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  Each day I will reflect on one or part of the lines and share how it came to be.  Peace and Jo...