Touching Heaven, Changing Earth

LAUMC began 56 years ago as the dream of a few Los Altos citizens for a community church. Worship was held along the creek side in the summer under the oak trees and in a movie theater in the winter until the first buildings were built.

Could our courageous and sacrificing founding mothers and fathers have ever dreamt that their community church would become what it is today?

Today, LAUMC has 2,500 members, 2,500 constituents, 1,000 each week in worship attendance, a $2.4 million operating budget and is one of the Northern California leaders in the United Methodist denomination. We are a group of people defined by an ever present restlessness to do more. It is not enough for us to have a personal experience of God's love and grace. One way or another, at a variety of levels, each of us is seeking or has experienced the power and love of God's grace and possibility. We want to share that with others. We want to share it with the world.

It's not enough for us to enjoy the privileges and prosperity of our life in Silicon Valley. We are not comfortable knowing that one in four children in California live in poverty, or that thousands of children will die every day of hunger and malnutrition-related diseases around the world. We reject violence as a solution to our problems. We seek something more than the vulgarity and cynicism that permeates our society today. In fact, we insist that God's grace and possibility can save the broken world in which we live. We yearn for a marriage of personal spirituality and social responsibility in our lives.

The original Methodist mission statement of John and Charles Wesley in 18th century England was: "To reform the nation and ... spread scriptural holiness over the land." The mission of the United Methodist church has always been to foster "personal holiness and social responsibility." Faith is always a deeply personal experience impacting us in a variety of ways. Yet that faith, when authentic, moves us beyond ourselves, out into the world to make a positive difference.

Dirk and Carol Damonte have introduced us to a contemporary hymn at Creekside Crossings on Sunday nights. Its refrain sums up all we want to say about our vision / mission for LAUMC in the next ten years:

"We will seek your face, Almighty God

Turn and pray for you to heal our land.

Lifting up the name of the Lord,

In power and in unity.

We will see the nations turn.

Touching heaven, changing earth.

Touching heaven, changing earth."

This song by Reuben Morgan reminds us of God's mission for the church to foster personal spirituality and social responsibility; touching heaven, changing earth.

That's the spirit that gave birth to LAUMC 56 years ago. It's who we are as Christians. It's what we do as a church. Whenever we are lost and confused, we remember our calling, our personal hopes and dreams for the world's future are to be discovered....

"Touching heaven, changing earth.

Touching heaven, changing earth."

May the grace of God continue to surround us all,

Mark S. Bollwinkel, Senior Pastor