In an article in Baha’i World, Ann Boyes observes that Aristotle first defined the word "community" as a group established by people having shared values. That initial definition has been refined and expanded through the years. We have come, for example, to recognize that people can belong to a number of different "communities" simultaneously--communities of place; cultural communities; communities of memory, in which people who may be strangers share "a morally significant history"; and psychological communities "of face-to-face personal interaction governed by sentiments of trust, co-operation, and altruism."

Boyles goes on to discuss the new realities of the global community and the evolving global ethic. She explicitly shows how the Baha'i faith leads to a new understanding of community. From this conversation I ask, “How do you understand the Walker Community?” Walker Community is much larger than the group who gather in Celebration on Sunday mornings. It includes those who gather for meditation, conversation, political action, community meals, gardening, rummaging, and everyone who is in our hearts and neighborhood.

Walker Community is more than just a group of people who have known each other for a long time. We are a dynamic community that is challenged to welcome new people on a regular basis. We are a broken community and sometimes we have conflict. But I am intrigued by the Aristotelian notion that a community is a group of people with shared values. How do we understand our values? Our mission is to nurture spirituality, build caring community and work courageously for peace with justice. But what are our values that guide us on this mission? I would list equality, individuality, and acceptance as the first three that come to mind.

What are the values that you recognize as important to the Walker Community?

Email them to me at revwalt@juno.com and I will start a list.

Peace, Walter

April 2010

The Spring Equinox has arrived. The days are now longer than the nights. The Sun is warmer on my shoulder. The first shoots for the spring bulbs have dared to show their heads. The curbs are free of snow making the streets wider. We have almost finished the season of Lent--a time of reflection and preparation. Now it is time for Easter.

Easter at Walker Community UMC means many things. Some gather very early at Powderhorn Park to welcome the sunrise. We get to wear a fun hat to church. Everyone shows up for the great pancakes we eat in Centennial Hall. The community sings songs of hope and possibility for the future. The service involves a play acting out the story of Easter. The day is full of excitement and hope.

As I ponder Easter, I am drawn to the possibility of good overcoming bad. I yearn to find resurrection in death. And I am reminded that even the bleakest story has the possibility of a happy ending.

The trial and death of Jesus is a powerful story of our world rejecting Jesus' message of love and life. Our world was not ready to accept the radical story of Jesus. He was killed to protect the status quo. The preserved story testifies to the violence that we are capable of experiencing in this world. But the story ends not in a violent death, but a triumph of life. The tomb could not hold Jesus. The bad of our world could not stop the love of God.

Each day I read the local paper. I am constantly reminded that our world is still living in violence and brokenness. I yearn for us to hear the radical story of love that can overcome the death that our violence causes.

I am constantly looking for places where resurrection has overcome death. Where are the people who have found life in sobriety to overcome the death of substance addiction? Where are the people who have overcome their own abuse and found ways to live in love rather than violence? Who has found the personal strength and support necessary to move from mental illness to mental wholeness? Who has overcome poverty and found new choices for their life?

I yearn for resurrection. I am grateful to be with a community of people at Walker Community UMC who also yearn to find these stories of resurrection.

Jesus had a terrible ending to his life. But was not the ending of the story. There are many bad things happening in our lives, in our neighborhood, in our city, in our state, in our country and in our world that will likely lead to unhappy endings. Praise God that is not the end of the story!! Easter is about changing the rules.

Violence and hate cannot rule the day when we understand they are not the end of the story. The Love of God will always find ways to move us past the death and give us the chance to experience new life.

I love spring. I love Easter. I love that we are nurturing spirituality, building caring community, and working courageously for peace with justice.

Shalom, Walter

November 2009

As a progressive liberal pastor it is not unusual for people to ask me if I actually believe in this “Jesus stuff.” Did he really live? Was he really resurrected? Was he witnessed turning water into wine? Did he join with his disciple while walking on water? Was his life marked by radically accepting everyone?

My answer to the questions of faith is yes. I do believe. I believe that Christmas is about God entering into our world and changing how we relate to this mysteriously loving God.

The birth of Jesus excites me with God coming into our human world. The life of Jesus gives me a model of radically accepting all people while living in the love that God offers. The death of Jesus teaches me not to fear the end of my human existence. The resurrection of Jesus assures me that the energy and love of my existence is going to live past my last heart beat.

We are journeying together with both different and similar understandings. In this Christmas season ponder what it would mean if God really could know the struggles that you face. Wonder if peace, joy, hope and love could really be a driving force to change you and to change the world. Consider how you can live in community not only with your neighbors, but also with the God who loves each and every part of you and indeed all of creation.

Welcome to the season. May it be a time of wonder, healing, and growth for all of us.

Peace, Walter

September 2009

Fall roundup, homecoming, or just the first Sunday after Labor Day. September 13^th will mark Walker’s Sunday school getting active again, cooler air in the mornings, and our return to having all Celebration services in the sanctuary after a wonderful summer in the park.

I invite you to take some time in the fall season to reflect and wonder about where your life journey is taking you. This can be a quiet time at our fall retreat, a prayer time in the peace of a morning, or a solitary walk in the park. Find some time to ask yourself “How is it with my soul?” This very old way of grounding ourselves opens up an important dialogue. What is building us up? What is tearing us down? How are we doing right now?

The cool days of fall bring new routines to those who are touched by the school year. But even now, seventeen years since my last formal class, I still understand fall as a time to make new patterns and habits. What are the habits that you want to change in your life? What information do you need to effect the change? What motivation do you need to effect the change? Who will hold you accountable to your plan? How can your community be with you in the change?

Community at its best, compels us not only to find the changes that we need to make but also provides us with information, motivation, and accountability. Walker Community UMC is not a social club. We are a community of people who call for the Nurturing of Spirituality, Building of caring Community and working together for Peace with Justice. Now is the time to be honest with yourself. Do you need more meditation time? Do you need to walk in more parks? Do you need to tell the important people in your life that you love them? Do you need to be involved in Walker Community UMC?

Between the economy, the environment, politics, and every other world issue it is possible to ignore the work that we are called to do on our very being. Join with your fellow Walkerites to not only change the world but to also change ourselves. I am intentionally working on my spiritual journey this fall. Please join with me. Watch for announcements of a new group I will be forming this fall.

Walter Lockhart

June 2009

Money makes the world go round??????

Money is a very tricky topic. My first humorous musing centered on the possibility of the medieval church disputing my title because the world was flat and the center of the universe. The church still gets side tracked with extraneous ideas. However in the medieval countries of Europe both the rulers and the church collected workers money. The church did not have to raise funds as much as demand them.

Some cultures have such a high reverence of their pastor that he does not ask for money. He just tells them how much they will give this year. Unfortunately, many of these churches have very few people with access to money. Hierarchy can alleviate our personal responsibility for giving money by demanding payments. But if we have nothing, the demand is meaningless.

Here at Walker Community UMC we have no kings to demand our money (just local, state and federal taxing authorities.) As the pastor I will not attempt to send out bills to each family to tell you what you have to pay to be a part of this community. I would not send these bills out even if you gave me the authority. Giving is a very important part of our spiritual journey through this world. When we give we participate and join our values with others.

I must admit the story of the first church in Acts really appeals to me. Everyone brought all that they had to that community. They shared all their money in common. People came together and said the community was most important value. Money was no problem. The poor were cared for and all were fed. Unfortunately, I do not see this approach being practiced in many places in today’s world. But we all have the ability to make decisions that honor our values and beliefs. As a community we can change the world.

As I write to you today Walker Community UMC is in as good a financial position as it has been in years (though we are still unable to meet all our obligations to the Annual Conference.) Giving is increasing, celebration attendance is up, and the Sunday school is very busy. However, the most important growth centers on the vital spiritual energy that is bubbling in our community. This community has a power that challenges us and energizes us to want to change the world.

So I will not tell you that you need to give to Walker Community UMC, but I will ask, “How much is this church worth to your world?” “How are your values lived out through Walker Community UMC?” and “What have you received from Walker Community UMC?”

Now is the time to grasp the power that is in our midst and bring about change. If we continue to work together we have not only strength but also hope.

Shalom,

Walter

April 2009

Today I sit in the office at Walker Community UMC and the warm sun is shining through the window. The snow has melted on the side yard of the church and it feels like the spring that the calendar announces. Today the weather and calendar are in harmony. Our world is in need of more harmony. Our nation is in need of more harmony. And my life is in need of more harmony.

Jesus gathered thousands of people and fed them with fish and bread. There was harmony between the abundance of creation and the need of the created. Today people die each minute from a lack of food. People are not in harmony with our world. The lack of harmony causes pain. The lack of food causes us to fight with one another. Food equals power. Harmony is further interrupted.

Today one in twelve people is looking for a job. The prediction is that will get to one in ten before it gets better. Our economy is based on people working to get the basic needs of life as well as any luxuries. When people are unable to find work, the harmony is broken. Employment in our culture is more than a statistic. As a boy I was taught that working was core part of life. With one in twelve unemployed, our system is being challenged at its very core.

As I look at the reality of today it is easy for me to see scarcity. Scarcity in food, employment, housing, aid for victims of storms, healthcare, mental health care, affordable renewable energy, and on and on makes me skeptical of there being any abundance. Scarcity brings a disharmony with my understanding of creation. I believe that we are called to live in abundance not scarcity. I need to find my harmony and find my abundance.

In recent weeks I have been empowered by the possibility of “greening” the Walker Community UMC building for its second century. Our structure is 100 years old and as we go into our second century there is a passion to insulate and reduce our energy consumption. Our space can be in harmony with our values.

The Walker Community continues to come together in small groups and circles to support and challenge one another in the living of this life. Love and acceptance is certainly in abundance at Walker. This love brings harmony to lives that are challenged in many ways.

It is too easy for me to be cynical and to live in fear of scarcity. My harmony is only reached when I am living in the reality of abundance. Join with me in dreaming and living in abundance in this world.

Walter

November 2008

Report from Walter

This fall has been a predictably busy time for your pastor. It seems that every group has had meetings and trainings this fall. I want to take this time to highlight two of the things I do in my role as your pastor.

A group of immigrants have approached Walker Community UMC to participate in a service that reassures our neighbors that we do not support the raids that Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been carrying out in our community. Members from Walker Church and other United Methodist neighbors and ecumenical partners have had several meeting to discuss what our participation will be. The scheduled event for November 15^th has been postponed until after the first of the year. Our Latino partners have focused their energy on candidate forums at this time and we will continue working for an event in 2009. This work is particularly relevant because we have been in ongoing conversations with Epworth UMC to understand how we can be in ministry with our Spanish-speaking sisters and brothers in the neighborhood.

Workers Interfaith Network has had several events that I have attended this fall. They are continuing their organizing and advocacy work and Walker Church has a history of working with several of their campaigns. A particular emphasis this fall will be passing the Employee Free Choice Act, a law that would make it easier for workers to organize using the decision making process they choose. It would make it harder for employers to intimidate workers trying to make a major decision about their lives on the job.

These are two of the places that I am in the community as a pastor on behalf of Walker Community UMC. I also visit in hospitals and jails as an extension of the love and community that we have at Walker. It is an honor to serve as your representative to the greater community.

Peace

Walter

A special Thank you

I want to offer a special thank you to Mary Parker and all the people who helped organize the coffee house. It was wonderful, energetic and inclusive of all ages. I was thrilled and hope we can do it again soon.

Walter

September 2008

I want to say a word about giving. With the economic uncertainty of the last months it is easier than ever to just keep all of your money in case of an emergency or spend it all before the whole economy falls apart. I struggle with these temptations. Now more than ever giving is an act of faith. I have faith that our work together as Walker Community UMC will make a difference in the world. I have faith that God wants me to live in this world celebrating my abundances rather than fearing the future. Please spend time deciding what you need to give toward making the world a better place.

August 2008

Where will you say yes?

Once again we have the joy of witnessing the majesty of season change in Minnesota. The air will become cooler. The days are shortening. The trees are preparing to show their brilliant colors. The birds are preparing to migrate to warm southern retreats for the winter.

Even the monarch butterflies are preparing to leave the patterns of summer and enter into a new journey for the fall season.

With the start of school, many families change their patterns each fall as well. Those without school age children, often continue to treat the fall very differently than the summer.

With all these changes, it is time to once again think about our involvements in our community and with Walker Church.

As the Walker Singers will soon begin their practices, is this the year you will explore that avenue of expression? New and ongoing discussion groups will be offered in the fall.

· Are you interested in exploring your spirituality more intentionally?

· Do you need to take the time to join the meditation group that meets on Sunday morning?

· Have you been away from celebration and need to reclaim your particular place in the circle?

· Are you considering membership at Walker Church?

· Is your passion with the Social Justice committee?

· Do you want to volunteer with the after school program or the Sunday School children?

· Who will you invite to join you at church this fall?

· Who needs to find a community of people who will explore spirituality and work together for peace with justice?

· Where will you say yes?

Fall is a time to welcome the stranger and the new friends. Take the time and risk of inviting your neighbors and friends to join you at Walker Community Church.

We are better when we are together.

April 2008

Defining Walker Values

Spring is arriving and with it the promise of new life and the reminder of possibility and growth. I think fall is the prettiest season, but spring is the season that energizes change and hope. At Walker Church our Celebration attendance is up. Our children are active and busy. Challenging issues are being addressed with courageous conversations about race. Our world is being engaged as we fight for justice for workers. Meditation circles and counseling circles are building people and building community. Groups gather for learning new ideas. Hope and power are everywhere. It is time to dream.

As I dream of new ministries in our neighborhood it is clear from the census demographics that the fastest growing segment of the population has Spanish for a first language. In striving to reach out to this community the experts tell us that the best chance for success is for an existing congregation to be involved in birthing a new Spanish-speaking congregation. I hope that Walker will be a part of new ministries in the East Lake Street neighborhoods.

Right now it is important to name our values that we will bring to the table as we discuss any new ministry. Our mission statement is to nurture spirituality, build caring community, and work courageously for peace with justice. I have named the following values to add to the conversation:

· We value ministries where all people are welcome. (Single, married, young, old, rich, poor, gay, straight, all ethnic backgrounds)

· We value ministries that recognize the rainbow of diversity of beliefs.

· We value ministries where men and women are both in leadership roles.

· We value ministries that both care for the physical needs and cultivate spiritual growth.

· We value the connectional nature of the church and dream of having sisters and brothers from various backgrounds as part of our connectional system.

· We value being in ministry with people rather than to people.

How would you reframe these values? What would you add? These are crucial questions. I am asking the church council to respond, but I want to open the conversation to the whole church. Give me your ideas. What DNA do we bring to a new ministry? What values do we share with the world? What are our dreams?

February 2008

We Are Jumping Between Worlds

This past week I had the luxury of spending time in the Caribbean Sea aboard a cruise ship and several smaller tour boats. As I ponder the most interesting events of the week the small flying fish that we observed call to me. Here are creatures that spend almost all of their lives living in water. It provides their home, their food, and is their basic environment. They are fish and they live in the water. It is the world they know.

Every once in a while, the flying fish chooses to leave the world that it knows and springs into the air, the world of the birds and the air breathers. This is not a curious exploration. These forays are an attempt to evade the predators that wish to eat the fish. Fear motivates them to use this strange ability to fly. Flying fish are exploring a different world to save their lives.

Another interesting creature that I observed was the dolphin. Now I have seen dolphins in the wild many times. I have been swimming with them in enclosed pens. And I have watched too many hokey dolphin shows. But in the waters around St Lucia I was privileged to witness a pod of hundreds of dolphins. These air breathing sea mammals truly live their lives between the worlds of ocean and air.

As air breathing mammals they would perish if trapped under water. As swimmers they are powerless to survive on dry land. They are at home on the surface or fishing in deeper waters. For no apparent reason they jump into the air and seem to be playing with each other both above and below the surface. They need both air and water to live and thrive. I love to watch dolphins.

When I ponder my spiritual journey, I recognize that I move between the spiritual world and the physical world. In making these transitions, I want to be a dolphin. I want to play naturally in all aspects of my life and my existence. I want my goals to be about living rather than based on fear of dying. I want to jump between the worlds of prayer and people because I can have fun doing it. No more fear for me. It is time to fly because we are free to explore infinite possibilities.

Peace,

Walter Lockhart

December 2007

Vitality

From the Merriam-Webster online dictionary:

· the peculiarity distinguishing the living from the nonliving

· capacity to live and develop

· physical or mental vigor especially when highly developed

· power of enduring

· lively and animated character

This works as a definition of Walker Community United Methodist Church. “Enduring”, “animated”, and “lively” are good words to capture our character and style. What are we called to do in order to endure and be vital?

My old fundraising idea would be to now ask for money so that the church would continue to endure and be vital. Today, I realize that creating caring community, cultivating spirituality and working courageously for peace with justice is in fact the formula for vitality at Walker Church. I want us to continue to focus our energy and passion on Walker Church’s mission statement. First we invite people to join our community and intentionally welcoming all people. Then we personally and corporately work to grow spiritually. Finally Walker Church engages the world to make change.

On our spiritual journeys, I challenge us to find out what we need to be giving to support of this community. When my family looks at church and charitable giving, we can rejoice that ten percent of our income is being used to change the world. This makes it more meaningful to get up and go to work some days. How do you measure your giving? How does it fit in your spiritual practices? Since I also know that my vocation is working to change the world, this becomes and extra bonus and is very exciting. How do you get excited about giving money? Where do you get to make a difference?

When you give to Walker Church on Sunday morning or in any undesignated gift, your money goes to operate the program of the church. This includes the salaries of the pastor, administrator,

and Sunday school teacher as well as cleaning, heating, Sunday school supplies, and anything else that is an expense in the life of the church.

Secondly, you may choose to designate your money to Outreach. These funds help us provide after school and summer programs for children and youth as well as our intervention program. Outreach is partially funded by grants, but we have to match the main grant 2:1 with other funds and volunteer hours.

Thirdly, you may give to the maintenance of the building and property by designating your gift to the capital fund. This fund pays for upgrades and repairs that allow the building to be in ministry. All three funds carry balances over to the next year so you can make end of the year gifts and be excited about where the money will be spent.

As a vital community we are called to grow in many ways. How are you growing in your understanding of your financial giving?

Peace, Walter Lockhart

October 2007

Nurturing Spirituality…

Fall has arrived. For 20 consecutive years that meant for me it was time to go back to school. Our agriculturally based education system has taught me that fall is a time to start new challenges and begin new ventures. During my first year at Walker Church I have spent most of my time and energy talking about the caring community and working courageously for peace with justice portion of our mission statement. This fall and winter I am challenging myself to include nurturing spirituality more intentionally as my focus.

First I want to commend the church for the powerful places where spiritual nurture occurs. The Initiates, the meditation group, tai chi classes, Monday coffee group, the men’s group, and all the informal conversations, canoe trips and music jams provide great space for the community to build its spiritual focus and understanding. Our conversations span the theological spectrum and we work very hard to be respectful of all beliefs. (Some days we are more respectful than others.) But this fall I am personally going to be working on articulating my beliefs and my spiritual journey. My agenda is not to coerce anyone to my particular spiritual journey, but to find new ways of expressing myself that speak to the 21^st century and to the Walker community.

You will find the announcement for Saving Jesus in the Walker Talker. I want to look at the stories of Jesus and make it a nurturing time for my spirituality. The classes are on selected Monday nights between now and Easter. You can attend when it works in your schedule and we will share the duties of snacks and hospitality. I offer this class to nurture my spirituality, please join me.

Walter

August 2007

Attitude turns ordeal into adventure

During my 13^th summer, I was privileged to take my first trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. As we left Moose Lake Landing we were filled with excitement, energy, and enthusiasm for the nine days of canoeing we had planned for nearly a year. Our Troop cut firewood to pay for our camping trips. That year we had worked extra hard to purchase new nylon tents for the trip to replace the canvas ones. We had nine boys and two Scoutmasters from Troop 32 of Red Wing, MN. I was pumped, and a little bit scared but I would never admit that to anyone.

We paddled for a couple of hours and set up our first campsite. Our plan was to change campsites each night except for the one layover day. It was a beautiful first evening in the north woods. About 3AM a storm came up with powerful rains and strong winds. It turns out our new, untested nylon tents were about as waterproof as the average washcloth. We were all soaked to the bone and cold. The next morning and I was definitely in an ordeal mood. I wanted to go home.

I give thanks for the scoutmaster who was leading that trip. Mark helped us to think through the situation and figure out how to use the ground cloths as tarps to go over the tents. The Sun came out and warmed us and dried our gear. It turned out to be one of the best weeks of my life, and I was ready to give up on it after the first night.

Weather is a wonderful example of the forces that are outside of our control. However, life throws many other uncontrollable challenges in our path each day. When was the last time you received anger that you did not perceive that you deserved? When was the last time you had an illness at no fault of your own? Our loved ones, work situations, family, and even our own choices can cause the ordeals of our lives.

The attitude of hope gives us the opportunity to turn these ordeals into adventures. With hope we are able to use our best selves to solve the problems that present themselves. The attitude of possibility shows us that we are able to move forward even when all we see are walls closing in around us. Hope and possibility allow us to say yes even when we only see no. Our attitude of hope emboldens us when all around us are paralyzed by hate or fear.

One of my definitions of hope and possibility is grace. Grace is love that is given to us even though we cannot imagine how we could have earned it. Grace is possibilities open to us just because we exist. Grace is not a magical power. Grace is the way life is ordered around Yes! We can do it!

As we journey together there will be leaky tents. Our opinions will not always be the same. Our priorities and needs will be different. But we are not in an ordeal!! Grace lets our lives be adventures. Love is possible. The warm Sun will dry us when we are wet and cold. Hope will empower us for the adventure.

On these hot summer days it seems very real to think about global warming. The weather experts tell us that we must look at long trends not any one summer. But the hot summer reminds us of the consequences of a warming planet. This like all challenges need to be met with hope. How are you going to reduce your carbon emissions? Where are you cutting your energy needs? Are you ready for the adventure of energy conservation?

Again I return to attitude. Let’s cheer each other on as we enjoy the adventures ahead. This is a long adventure and we will be the ones who keep it from becoming an ordeal.

Walter

May 2007

Membership has its privileges?

At the new member desert the question was asked what membership means. Members of the community gave their understanding of what it means to be a member of Walker Community. I love KC’s description that it is cozy to be a member. What a privilege to be a member of a place where you are cozy. Cozy is a place we are safe. When we are safe we are able to heal, learn and grow. Membership does indeed have its privileges.

In the United Methodist Book of worship the vows of membership are part of the baptismal service because of the recognition that baptism is the outward and visible sign of church membership. Our Walker songbook has the Walker Community understanding of membership in the front. We are journeying together searching for SHALOM and celebrating community life.

The Unitarian Universalists state: “Membership in a Unitarian Universalist congregation fundamentally means consciously choosing to enter into covenant with other members. Our covenant is a way of shared living beyond words.” (http://www.uuf.org/MeaningofMembership.asp)

The Quakers state: Like all discipleships, membership has its elements of commitment and responsibility but it is also about joy and celebration. Membership is a way of saying to the meeting that you feel at home, and in the right place. Membership is also a way of saying to the meeting, and to the world, that you accept at least the fundamental elements of being a Quaker: the understanding of divine guidance, the manner of corporate worship and the ordering of the meeting's business, the practical expression of inward convictions and the equality of all before God. In asking to be admitted into the community of the meeting you are affirming what the meeting stands for and declaring your willingness to contribute to its life.

http://quakersfp.live.poptech.coop/qfp/index.html (Quaker Faith and Practice home page)

I find these understandings helpful in my quest to define church membership.

Each person interprets membership in a church community, or any community, to meet our own personal situation. In the United Methodist service we ask if you will uphold the church with your prayers, your presence, your gifts, and your service. Membership is about being able to say yes to a community that says yes you.

As we live together as a community, I am not worried about who shows up on some official roster of church membership. I am challenging all of us to say yes to love and community and to find a cozy place to heal, learn, and grow.

Walter

March 2007

Learning my way through the year.

In all the newness of this first year a Walker I am constantly reminded that we are a part of a long and powerful tradition. Our foremothers and forefathers in the faith have prepared us for our journey together to love one another and to work for the forces of love to be known in the entire world.

We are Celebrating in a building that is almost 90 years old. We are in a city that has had a United Methodist presence for over 150 years. The Reformation broke the Protestant church from the Roman Catholic Church about 500 years ago. And the Christian movement broke from its Jewish roots 2000 years ago. We will also join the history books as people tell the story of Walker Community United Methodist Church.

As I stand back and look at the Walker Community, I recognize a need for us to grow. Our growth is always a two-part equation. The first part is always to grow in our spiritual lives. I am astounded by the diverse expressions of spirituality within this community. Our first growth is to grow in our individual journeys and to learn from one another as we tap into the power that I call God. God calls on us to continue to grow and to fully welcome the power of love.

As we numerically grow we invite others to join our circle. New faces will have new journeys and new perspectives to share with our circle. New people will change who we are with their very being. I am excited about the possibility of having even more new faces in the life of Walker Church.

This is indeed a learning year for me. Your wonderful hospitality to a new pastor has empowered me to begin dreaming about great possibilities for Walker Community United Methodist Church.

Walter

January 2007

On this warm day in January, I am sitting buy a frozen lake in central Minnesota pondering what church in the 21^st century will become. As I watch the ice it seems to be unchangeable and stable as I gaze out the window. When I walk outside to the balcony, my ears assure me that it moves and changes which each crack and groan. The sun has set so there is a quiet peace in the blue and magenta sky, but the ice keeps cracking as if to remind us that change is constant. Even in the darkness of the night I can hear the ice grown and I am assured of change.

Each day we engage the world and endeavor to know and understand all that is around us. Each morning a new dawn gives us the opportunity to start with new light to understand the world. Each sound gives us a new melody or harmony to understand. Each smell and taste influences our perception and our reality. Every hug, embrace or gentle touch prepares us for traveling on this journey.

In this complex world with complex stimulation, we weave the tapestry of our lives. In the complexity we find simplicity and meaning. In the chaos of possibilities we find friends and companions. In the cold of winter we find warmth by the familiar smell of a fire. In the turmoil of our world we find companions at Walker Community UMC.

As we live in this complex world we have the opportunity to live in abundance and hope. The groaning of creation is exciting. Our participation is crucial. Our possibilities are endless. But the future is as unpredictable as the ice outside of my window.

In 2007, I will be asking questions about the future of Walker Community UMC. Right now the church is stable, our budget is in order, celebration attendance is growing and a great energy is bubbling to the surface. In this time of strength we will look for guideposts to lead us to the future. Our strength is our community. As we work together, meditate together, study together, dance together, sing together, talk together, and going in the circle, we will open ourselves to possibilities for the future.

I don’t know about you, but I find walking on a frozen lake unnerving. I am not a true Minnesotan at heart. I also find it is unnerving to live in times of change. The ideas of our culture and world are changing very quickly. The churches role in society is under many stresses. Many want to hold onto the past, the future is scary. Others want to close their eyes to pretend that nothing is changing. But I want to follow behind the enthusiastic child who boldly takes off across the lake and explores the possibilities. Traveling mercies.

Pastor Walter

November 2006

Money is not the root of all evil!!

Once again the season has come for the Walker Community to talk about involvement. The involvement committee will be meeting soon to put together a slate of leaders to take responsibility for the daily functioning of the church. The finance committee will be asking about your estimate of giving for 2007.

Ok, everyone take a deep breath, money is not a bad thing. In fact, much of our time is spent either making money or spending money. It is a tool that we use to exchange our labor for goods and services. Money is used to measure our ability to provide the necessities for daily living. Unfortunately, money also can be used to measure the “worth” of a person. In our discussion of money, please be clear the amount of money one has or gives in now way influences their worth. I believe that all people are of great worth just because we are. Money has nothing to do with the worth of anyone.

With that being said, I also believe it is imperative that we talk about giving both our time and our money to church and other charities. This is not something that we have to do. Giving is something that we get to do. Do not give out of a sense of guilt or obligation. Give out of abundance and gratitude. Giving is a way for us to respond to the love that we have been blessed to receive. Giving is a way to change the world in which we live.

Each year we are asked to estimate how much we are going to give to church and how much we are going to give to other charities. Either personally or within your household it is important to be intentional about your giving. Don’t leave your gifts to he Walker

Community to the leftovers. We give because it is important for us to participate in our communities. Churches, libraries, hospitals, emergency services, the arts, and other charities are a part of how we give to the communities that we call home. We give out of our need to belong.

If you don’t know how much to give start by adding up what you gave last year. What percentage is that of your income? The tradition of the tithe calls for the first ten percent of all income to go to the church. The national average for American who gives to charity gives about 3.2% of pretax income. These are benchmarks to guide us in our giving. Your giving may be a very private thing for you. But I would encourage all of us to be intentional about how we give to the world.

Some are able to give large amounts. Others can only give a few pennies. At Walker Community United Methodist Church we will use all of it wisely. We will cherish all gifts regardless of size. And we will do great work together.

What is a significant gift for you? Where can you give time as well as money? How can you give of yourself so that you are giving out of gratitude? What is keeping you from giving? Why do you need to give?

Peace,

Walter

October 2006

All America?

Baseball, hotdogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet

In 1845 Alexander Joy Cartwright printed the first written rules for the game of baseball, based on the English game of rounders, and the Knickerbockers Club of New York were born. In 1867 Charles Feltman opened a hot dog stand on Coney Island and continued the institution of sausage selling that can be dated to the first century from many places around the world. Since the time of Elisabeth I, apple pie has been a favorite on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Louis Chevrolet started the Chevrolet Corporation in 1911. All of these traditional pieces of our heritage have changed and evolved over time and place.

In 1967 Bryon Peterson lead the redesign of ministry at 16^th Ave and 31^st Street in Minneapolis, MN. The church has been on this corner since 1910, but the ministry and the institution have changed and continue to change with the needs of the Powderhorn neighborhood.

I have been finishing up my get to know you gatherings with people involved with the Walker Community. (If you haven’t had a chance to make it to one more are being planned for October.) The oral history of Walker Community reminds me that nothing remains static. We are all constantly changing. We respond with energy to the joys in our lives and the pains sometimes haunt us from the past. People change and institutions change.

At a recent gathering I wondered if the average person at Walker was not more than a little suspicious of institutions. The wonderful reply was that a stable post office and library was not too scary, and maybe a stable school. All joking aside, I too have my reservations about strong institutions because it is hard to hold large institutions accountable to the needs of the world. As we build our community we need to build it on solid ideals.

I have found the Walker Community to be a place of ideals. Some ideals I have observed in no particular order:

· Respecting the faith of others

· Welcoming all regardless of means

· Cherishing all regardless of mental ability

· Honoring all regardless of emotional stability

· Yearning for justice

· Seeking harmony with all creation

· Comforting those who live with or in pain

· Inspiring everyone to engage the world

· Rejecting bigotry and discrimination

This is not an inclusive list. Email me with your additions or we can have tea and talk.

Our mission at Walker Church is to nurture spirituality, build caring community & work courageously for peace with justice. Our common ideals give us the ability to trust the community we build together. We work together and we dream together.

I have great dreams for the Walker Community and for our city. We can evolve an institution that continues to build up people, to care for the world, and to be a change agent in making this world a better place. I trust that following our mission and ideals we can build a stable and long lasting presence at 16^th Ave and 31^st Street.

Soon we will be budgeting for 2007. Some people do not like talking about money at church. Some people don’t like to ask people for money. Some people don’t like to give money away. I fit none of those categories. Money is a central issue in our lives; we should talk about it at church. I give money away because it allows me to engage the world and be a change agent. I like to ask for money because then others are blessed with the opportunity to engage the world.

Enjoy the cool days of fall. Embrace the energy that comes from the changing seasons and know peace. Go Twins!!

Walter

August 2006

This is a day of new beginnings…

As my journey with the Walker Community begins, my excitement for our future grows. But in my first Walker Talker note I want to share some of my story with those who have not had a chance to here it.

I was born in Washington D.C. on January 20, 1966. My parent were both born and raised in the District. I attended elementary school in Greensboro, NC. My junior high years were spent in Red Wing, MN. I went to high school in Forrest City, AR. I attended college at Macalester College in St Paul, MN. My seminary education was at the United Methodist seminary in Evanston, IL.

For 17 years being married to Roxanne Lockhart, a family practice doctor, has enhanced my journey. We have one son, Nathan, who is 11. For most of his life I have been an at home father taking on the primary role of keeping the household and caring for him. We have lived in our own house in St Paul for 14 years.