United Church of Two Harbors

Email - pastor@ucth.org

Pastor Lawrence has been the pastor of United Church of Two Harbors since August 1, 2003. He has a passion for preaching, teaching, organizing worship, the sacraments, social justice, and youth ministry. He's known for his very personal preaching without the use of notes.

He has a special interest in Taizé worship services and labyrinth prayer. Influential thinkers and writers for him have been Philip Berrigan (a native of Two Harbors), Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Dorothy Day, Jacques Ellul, Anne Lamott, CS Lewis, Martin Luther, JRR Tolkien, and Walter Wink. He graduated with honors in New Testament Studies from Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary and he has a special interest in the epistles of Paul.

The Story of Stuff is an interactive presentation on our rampant and unsustainable cycle of consumerism and how that effects the environment, society, and ourselves.

We're studying Genesis in our Thursday morning Bible Study right now and I'm pretty sure when God talked about giving us "dominion" over creation God wasn't talking about this kind of behavior.

Come to Bible Study on Thursday mornings or Tuesday evenings and you'll likely be audience to some of my art. Perhaps "illustration" is a better word.

This is from our Thursday morning study where we are reading Genesis. It depicts the ancient worldview of a three tiered universe.

My sense, upon rereading Genesis 1, is that God comes off as a playful kid with ADD, moving quickly from one thing to another, very proud of each moment's creation.

Disagree? Bring your thoughts and opinions to our open and talkative Bible studies. Thursday at 10:45 am and Tuesday at 7:00 pm.

Roger Anderson, a member of our congregation, has been traveling to Hawaii, Australia, and Vietnam. He is traveling back to where he served in the late 1960s as a serviceman in the Vietnam War. Here is a collection of some of the email missives he has sent.

As mentioned earlier, the United Methodists of Minnesota have been looking at redistricting the state. The plan that has emerged as the preferred one is the model above. This would place United Church in the new Big Waters District. The center of the district would move significantly to the south of what it is now, though the District office would remain in Duluth.

Here is some rationale for the decision from the Conference website:

It divides the high-growth eastern part of the state, including Rochester, the Twin Cities, St. Cloud, Brainerd and Duluth, into three districts. It divides the western part of the state into two regions in the southwest and the north. This model offers greater opportunity for specialization. It allows the superintendents of the eastern districts, where much population growth is occurring, to focus on congregational development. The western superintendents will be able to specialize in rural and town-and-country churches. This model also would push the superintendents to change the way they work, which is one of their goals. The current regional office sites can be maintained.

Do you have thoughts on this model? You can share them directly with Bishop Sally Dyck on her weblog.

Recently a United Methodist pastor from Texas, a well known spiritual advisor to President Bush, endorsed Barack Obama for President. Other pastors have gotten into the endorsement race too, endorsing different candidates. All of which has been fodder for a lot of prayerful thinking on my part.

During the last election cycle several churches got in trouble with the IRS which has threatened to take away their non-profit status over political activity. So I was wondering how these pastors could do this so publicly. The line is kind of a blurry one.

• Pastors may not endorse any candidate or political party from the pulpit or in print in any church publication (using church stationery or in the church newsletter).
• Pastors may, as private citizens, endorse candidates in newspapers, on the sidewalk, in the church parking lot, just not in the pulpit.
• Congregations cannot endorse a candidate or party in any way.
• Churches may hold voter registration drives, as long as they do not endorse any candidate or party.
• Pastors may preach on any issue they wish - social, economic, political.
• Churches may hold forums where candidates are invited to address issues.
• Candidates may be introduced in worship services.
• Churches may be used as polling places.

Now, many of you know that I am a politically aware and involved individual. I even was the campaign manager for a county commission seat a few years ago. I have some strong opinions about political matters, but you won't hear me in church or in the public arena using my clergy status to support any candidate. I just don't think it's wise.

First of all, I'm the pastor of everyone at United and I bet we don't all agree on political matters. I don't want my politics to become a stumbling block. While I am sure we can all agree to disagree agreeably, if I went and endorsed a candidate as a pastor for any political office, local or national, there would be rifts. I just don't see any upside to that.

Second of all, it's really not important. To me the job of being a pastor is not linked to my political identity. Most people when I visit them in the hospital don't care what my political leanings are. They want someone to listen to them and pray with them. I can do that.

Third of all, it's not the area of my expertise. I'm a Bible Scholar and a Spiritual Advisor, not a Political Pundit. I also don't walk onto construction sites and give the contractors there tips on plumbing or electrical wiring. I don't go into your kitchen and tell you how to bake a ham. It's not my forte.

All this said, I think as good citizens we all have political opinions. I don't have to divorce myself from politics. In fact, my faith calls for me to be active in social policy with issues of economic justice, the pursuit of peaceful resolution to conflicts, environmental stewardship, and the just and ethical use of resources. Inasmuch as these are political issues they are also deeply spiritual issues.

So as we go to caucus and expect a good and healthy political debate in the year to come, do not expect me to be wearing a button for any candidate on my stole, but I may be leafleting your house sans collar.

United Church has been registered on Waymarking as a Historical Church apparently by a man named Bruce who was passing through Two Harbors this past summer, based on the photos he took. It's worth heading over and taking a look.

He has a nice, concise history of the church there as well.