MVP Message

What stories shape who we become? This week we continue our summer podcast series,  Godly Artists: The Role of Creativity in All of Us . Drawing from 2 Samuel and the Gospel of Luke, we will explore how God uses the creative power of storytelling to reveal truth, awaken compassion, and call people toward justice. As our nation marks the 250th anniversary of its founding, we will reflect on the sto...

What can creation teach us about community? This week we continue our summer worship series, Godly Artists: The Role of Creativity in All of Us. Drawing from Psalm 104 and Matthew 10:37–42, we will reflect on God as the artist of life, creating a world where every creature depends on the gifts of another. Psalm 104 invites us to look closely at the beauty and wisdom woven into creation—springs tha...

Preacher: Rev. Michael A. Parker II Scripture: ⁠ Psalm 139:1–14 What does it mean to say yes to who God created us to be? This week we continue our summer worship series,  Godly Artists: The Role of Creativity in All of Us , as we welcome Rev. Michael A. Parker from Asbury UMC in Annapolis. Drawing from Psalm 139:1–14, Rev. Michael will invite us to reflect on the God who knows us fully, searches...

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Wanda Bynum Duckett Scripture: Jeremiah 29:1-11 What can poetry teach us about hope? This week we continue our summer worship series, Godly Artists: The Role of Creativity in All of Us, as we welcome guest preacher Rev. Dr. Wanda Bynum Duckett. Drawing from Jeremiah 29:1–11, Wanda will explore the power of creative resistance through the arts of poetry and the spoken word. Writt...

Preacher: Rev. Charles Anderson-Gray Scripture: Psalm 33:1-12 What can jazz teach us about faith? This week we welcome Rev. Charles Anderson-Gray as we continue our summer worship series, Godly Artists: The Role of Creativity in All of Us . Drawing from Psalm 33 and the invitation to "sing a new song" and play skillfully before God, Charles will explore how music offers a powerful image...

Preacher: Katherine Burns, Member of the MVP Community Scripture: Genesis 1:1-2:4a What does it mean to create with God in the midst of chaos? In a world shaped by exhaustion, noise, division, and uncertainty, it can be easy to mistake unfinishedness for failure or to assume that God only shows up once everything is clear and complete. Join us in this episode as we begin a new worship series, Godl...

Preacher: Lee Schriber Aber, Minister of Engagement & Discipleship Scripture: Acts 2:1-21 & 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13 What does it mean to truly understand one another? In a world shaped by division, suspicion, and noise, we long for connection that goes deeper than words alone. Where do we encounter a love capable of crossing the boundaries that so often separate us? Join us for this Penteco...

Preacher: Sam Pannell || Chair, Strategy, Accountability, and Leadership Table (SALT) Scripture: Psalm 96 This week we conclude our 6-week journey exploring the new guiding vision of our denomination: "The United Methodist Church forms disciples of Jesus Christ who, empowered by the Holy Spirit, love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in local communities and worldwide connections....

Preacher: Grace Rogers, Howard & Mary Martin Ministry Intern Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-20 This week we continue a 6-week journey exploring the new guiding vision of our denomination: "The United Methodist Church forms disciples of Jesus Christ who, empowered by the Holy Spirit, love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in local communities and worldwide connections." When f...

Preacher: Grace Rogers, Howard & Mary Martin Ministry Intern Scripture: Psalm 100 & Mark 10:42-45 This week we continue a 6-week journey exploring the new guiding vision of our denomination: "The United Methodist Church forms disciples of Jesus Christ who, empowered by the Holy Spirit, love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in local communities and worldwide connections.&...

Preacher: Grace Rogers, Howard & Mary Martin Ministry Intern Scripture: Mark 12:28-34 This week we continue a 6-week journey exploring the new guiding vision of our denomination: "The United Methodist Church forms disciples of Jesus Christ who, empowered by the Holy Spirit, love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in local communities and worldwide connections." What does it actuall...

Preacher: Grace Rogers, Howard & Mary Martin Ministry Intern Scripture: Acts 2:14, 36-47 Do you see the Holy Spirit active in your life? What does it mean to be empowered by the Holy Spirit? Join us this week as we explore the work of the Holy Spirit in the earliest church and discover where the Spirit is working in our lives today, empowering us to love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courag...

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol, Pastor Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-16 In this episode we begin a 6-week journey exploring the new guiding vision of our denomination: "The United Methodist Church forms disciples of Jesus Christ who, empowered by the Holy Spirit, love boldly , serve joyfully , and l ead courageously in local communities and worldwide connections." This week’s episode...

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol || Pastor Scripture: Matthew 28:1-10 The resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of our faith and the source of countless promises that have the power to fill us with bright hope no matter what we are experiencing in life. Easter is not only a celebration of new life, it is a remembrance of the most transformational change of events that has ever taken place...

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol || Pastor Scripture: Psalm 22:1-24 & John 19:14-22 Holy Week continues on Friday when we remember Jesus' crucifixion on a cross. Join us for this episode during which we will spend time with some of Jesus' final words and ponder part of the meaning of the cross for us today.

Preacher: Lee Schriber Aber || Minister of Engagement & Discipleship Scripture: John 13:1-17, 31-35 At the table on Maundy Thursday, love moves from idea to action in the quiet, disruptive act of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet. This message takes an honest look at a phrase that can feel overused and asks what it really means to receive a love we cannot control. As Jesus lays aside what sepa...

This week’s episode opens with a compelling monologue that vividly explores the passion narrative, inviting listeners into the depth and drama of the story. Based on Matthew 26:14–27:66, this piece was written by Rev. McKennon Shea and was performed by one of our gifted members. A Dramatic Presentation of the Passion Narrative Drew Kopas || Performing SERMON: We Need a King Who Will Save Us Matthe...

Psalm 130 What do you do when you are in the depths—the deep places where it feels like you are treading water, engulfed in sadness, suffocated by shame, or filled with regret? To whom to do you call or depend on in these moments or chapters of life? Psalm 130 not only grants permission, but teaches us how to cry out to God from the depths—before anchoring ourselves in hope that enables us to wait...

Preacher: Grace Rogers || Howard & Mary Martin Ministry Intern John 11:1-45 Are you hopeful? Or...are you having a hard time believing that things can ever be better than they are now?  We want to believe people can change, wrongs can be made right, and life can come from death. We all want to believe the dead can rise again, but that is much easier said than done. However, what if that belief...

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol Scripture: John 9:1-40 How well do you see? Is your sight becoming clearer? Or do you see the world around you through a lens that is a little hazy? What if we were to answer these questions not through the lens of our recent eye exam but through a theological lens? How well do you see? Is your capacity to see Jesus at work in your life and the world around...

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol || Pastor Scripture: John 4:5-30 How thirsty are you—really? Where do you go to quench that thirst? If we’re honest, we’re all thirsty. And we’ve all drawn from wells that promise satisfaction but leave us coming back for more. But what if there was a different kind of well—one from a source that doesn’t run dry. This week we meet an unnamed woman who walks...

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol Scripture: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 & Matthew 4:1-11 While we often pretend to have it all together, Lent calls us to name what hides behind the mask and to tell the truth about what is really happening in our hearts, minds, and lives. Our Lenten worship series, “Let’s Be Honest,” dares us to face the truths we often avoid but desperately need to admit. We...

Preacher: Grace Rogers Scripture: Psalm 51:1-17 While we often pretend to have it all together, Lent calls us to name what hides behind the mask and to tell the truth about what is really happening in our hearts, minds, and lives. Our Lenten worship series, “Let’s Be Honest,” dares us to face the truths we often avoid but desperately need to admit. We need cleaner hearts. Temptation is real. We ar...

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol Scripture: Matthew 5:38-48 Who do you love? How wide is the circle of your love? Is your love reserved for those who love you back, or at least agree with you? How do you respond to those who oppose you, frustrate you, or even despise you? Most of us are good at loving the neighbors and friends we have chosen. But loving our enemies? That's a different k...

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol, Pastor Scripture: Matthew 5:21-26 Most of us assume we’re doing just fine if we haven’t broken any of the Ten Commandments. But Jesus refuses to stop with such a low bar. He instead points straight to the anger, resentment, and fractured relationships that quietly shape our lives before calling his followers to something deeper. This week, we continue our j...