Today, Pastor Joe openly shares some thoughts around Bothell United Methodist Church's decision to begin living into a new era in the life of their community by gathering for worship both virtually and in-person on September 5th. He shares in some of the considerations, the challenges, and the ongoing dilemmas, while also sharing about some of the ways Bothell is working to keep the community safe.

On today's episode, we wrap up our August Compassion Series, focusing on Compassion as Transformation! With all that is happening around us in the world, it's hard to love one another, and yet, the prophet Isaiah reminds us that God is doing something new, and we are invited to walk alongside all that God is already doing! 

This week, Bothell Amplified is joined by Sharon Ryder as she preaches us through the next part of our Compassion Series. Sharon discusses the feelings of compassion that overcome us  when we see others suffering and also the feelings of motivation to relieve suffering as Christs in our communities. 

Today, Pastor Joe talks with Nicole Dibble, Director of Children's Ministry of Bothell United Methodist Church! Together, they share about this year's experience of Vacation Bible School being a hybrid model of both in-person and virtual, and they look ahead to what gathering in worship might look like as Bothell UMC prepares to enter the next phase of their life together, gathered both virtually and in-person!

This week, Pastor Joe continues our Compassion Series with Compassion for Self. We remind ourselves the importance of caring for ourselves so that we might hear God and love one another. We draw from 1 Kings 19:1-17.

This week, Pastor Joe is joined by Sharon Ryder, a Church Accessibility Consultant, who shares some of her own story, walking with her son who lives with Down Syndrome and navigating belonging in places of community. Together, they talk about the ways  faith communities can promote belonging for all God's people, including those with disabilities!

This week, Pastor Joe continues our new summer sermon series Compassion. Joe breaks down how we as Christians can have compassion for the Earth. We draw from Hosea  4:1-3 as we delve into how our actions (and inactions) towards one another impact our lives on this Earth and how compassion can branch out beyond our faith. 

This week, Pastor Joe is joined by James Kang, the President of Nexus Ministry. Nexus is a ministry by, for, and with the next generations of Korean Americans in The United Methodist Church, and is currently hosting its Convocation virtually. James took some time after the day to share about his hopes and dreams of the Convocation and of Korean-American Ministry in The United Methodist Church and his prayer that "Grace would be our guide". 

This week, Pastor Joe kicks off a new summer sermon series titled Compassion. Throughout August, we look to dive deeper into the various ways compassion impacts our lives. Reflecting on Colossians 3, Pastor Joe shares how compassion translates into a way of being and how it can flow into our lives as Christs in the community. 

This week, Pastor Joe is joined by friend and college, Rev. Malcolm McLaurin, curate of Episcopal Church of the Holy Cross in Redmond, WA (holycrossredmond.org). In this conversation, they talk about the things that give them hope as they examine their calls and the state of Christianity today through the rapidly changing world around them.