Navigating the first-flights-of-the-day security lines at PDX (the only time of day that TSA pre-check takes more than two minutes), seven sleepy but excited First Church program staff and lay leaders - plus a chaperone! - boarded a direct flight to Kansas City. Unprepared for the humidity, we prepared instead to ask questions like:
Where are we curious? Where do we, as the American Church, draw the line for what is moral? Where are we in our organizational lifecycle? How do we leave behind the tyranny of either/or and step into the genius of the both/and? What is the future of United Methodism? How do we find practical clarity for leading change? How do we create a culture of belonging in an age of isolation?
On Sunday afternoon I will transform from “Rev. Karyn Richards-Kuan, Senior Pastor” into “Ms. White, murder suspect.” Live Action Clue is back!
This annual laugh is put on by area UMC youth groups. Each year the characters have a different backstory, and the youth must figure out the mystery by traveling room to room to interrogate each character. In 2024 I was cast as exotic animal obsessed Ms. Peacock (Zoo business partner with Mr. Body until everything went south). This year, an avid outdoors loving Ms. White.
Separately, the other Rev. Richards-Kuan was also wrangled into playing one of the live characters by his youth director. To get into the spirit, we put on the 1985 classic, Clue: The Movie. A thoroughly enjoyable hour and a half all told, perhaps the most delightful part is the final reveal.
In the year 2026, it takes some boldness, some amount of gumption, every time we greet the day. Some days we hardly notice it; the sun is out, the people we love love us well, and there is meaningful labor ahead. Some days, it feels like there is not enough of it to get past the morning news.
Life in community together is, in and of itself, a bold move. We also believe that it is at the core of who we are called to be as a people of God.
We have been waiting for Rally Day for a long time. Whether you’re a lover of potlucks, need a one-stop shop to dive deeper into life at First Church, or you are quite done with some of the more ‘creative’ aspects of summer worship, the arrival of Rally Day is exciting for most.
It is also the perfect time to put the invitations of the last 3 weeks into practice:
Inviting someone into something meaningful
Creating relationships of depth
Showing the way
Get the full scoop on Sunday (and the surprise we have for you!)