July 19, 2026
It’s summertime, and the living is easy, Well, not exactly! Despite a traditionally lighter meeting schedule during the summer months, ministry work continues and the One Body has been busily moving forward on multiple fronts.
At our July meeting, we focused on the pastor’s report, church and community coordination, staff role evolution, campus policy, Grace Garden, and Town Hall feedback.
We are excited to have been able to rapidly respond to the Unhoused Ministry Team’s initiative to offer a community Cooling Center in our Fellowship Hall on days exceeding 100 degrees. Working during the hours of 4:00-7:00 PM after the City’’s centers closed was a relief for many individuals without air conditioning as well as some of our Grace in Action and Safe HEART guests. (Ministry Team contact is Josephine Andrews)
The Sacred Ministry Team is active and pursues activities such as non-violence training, voter registration, post card campaigns, and other efforts targeted toward justice in our city, region, and country. (Sacred Ministry Team contact Ken Wagstaff)
Our Worship Ministry Team has also met periodically over the summer to coordinate inspiring Sunday morning worship experiences to deepen and broaden our discipleship and our response to Jesus’ call for action in the world. The team has been digging into staffing considerations including the recruitment and hiring of our fabulous new pianist!
Worship Ministry also coordinates with small group ministry, which we’ve been experiencing as Kitchen Table groups. PLEASE NOTE that on THIS Saturday, August 22, we will have a pot luck for those in a Kitchen Table currently and those who are interested in becoming involved in this amazing supportive opportunity for spiritual growth. It’s 5:00 in Fellowship Hall. (Worship Ministry team contact is Rita Lundin)
Late summer is also the time for strategic ministry planning for the year to come. As you know, we are blessed to have Rev. Emily’s appointment renewed. Now is the time to begin considering how we will serve in the new year. Our Nominations Committee is beginning their work to nominate three members to join the One Body as the Class of 2026 three members retire from the board. This is intentionally separate from the work of the One Body. Rev. Emily is the convener of the Nominations Committee, so if you have any questions or are interested in serving on the Committee, please contact her.
Another area is leadership development, and to that end we are having the first of our annual leadership retreats, a regular feature of the Simplified Accountable Structure we now use, on August 27-28. One item we will plan is our meeting schedule for the balance of 2026 and into 2027. Please watch this space for upcoming dates and remember that any member of DUMC is welcome to attend our meetings, the only “private” part being any staff/parish relations sections which are closed out of consideration of individuals’ privacy.
If you attend you will see first hand that we continue our work to achieve the church’s mission based on our values of offering welcome and affirmation, living, teaching, and experiencing the love of Jesus Christ. You will see this plays out in our deliberations and decision-making. You are invited to be a part of building this faith community into the future.
For the One Body,
Dori Marshall Ray, Chair
You can reach all of us at onebody@davisumc.org. Blessings!
Click here to see our past updates