STUDIES & GATHERINGS

Growing in faith is a journey that lasts a lifetime.

Falling into Fall and Onward

Christ-Centered Meditation

Wendy C. and Pastor Brad host an online Christian meditation time each Friday morning at 7 am on Zoom. Sessions started September 25. If you’d like to join us, contact Brad at pastor@umcAnacortes for the Zoom invitation.

We’re also considering adding a weekly or biweekly in-person meditation gathering, depending on interest. If that’s something you might attend, please let Pastor Brad know. More details will be coming soon on the website and through email. For more information, click here.

Autumn Book Study:

SUBVERSIVE WITNESS: Scripture’s Call to Leverage Privilege

Thursdays, 3:00–4:00 pm
October 1 – November 19 (8 weeks)

What do we do with the privilege and power we have?

In Subversive Witness, pastor and author Dominique DuBois Gilliard invites us to look again at familiar biblical stories and notice how people such as Esther, Moses, Paul and Silas, Zacchaeus, and Jesus navigate privilege and power. Rather than simply feeling guilty about privilege or pretending it doesn’t exist, Gilliard asks how it might be used, and sometimes surrendered, in the service of our neighbors, justice, and God’s work in the world.

Each Thursday we’ll gather for an hour. We’ll have a few minutes to arrive and settle in, watch one session from Gilliard’s eight-part video study, spend time in conversation and discussion, and close with prayer. The videos are short, about 15-20 minutes each, leaving plenty of time for us to wrestle with the ideas together.

Participants are encouraged to read one chapter of Subversive Witness each week, but reading is not required. If you haven’t finished the chapter, or haven’t started the book at all, come anyway! The video and conversation will provide plenty of ways to participate.

Come ready to listen, ask questions, encounter Scripture from some fresh angles, and explore together what faithful Christian witness might look like in the world around us.

Book Studies Coming in 2027

Look for the following book studies in the new year:

  • January: a 6-week exploration of environmental theology using Grounded by Diana Butler Bass

  • Lent: a 4-week study of Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan’s The Last Week, exploring the events of Holy Week and helping us see the journey toward Easter with new eyes.

Interested in knowing more? More information will be coming!

Church Office: 360-293-0604 or email: office@umcanacortes.com or pastor@umcanacortes.com

Great Decisions - February 24 - April 14, 2027, 3-5 pm

Starting on February 24, 2027, the Anacortes United Methodist Church will once again host the nonpartisan Foreign Policy Association (FPA) program "Great Decisions". This is America's longest-standing and largest civic global affairs discussion program. The UMCA has hosted Great Decisions locally since 2003.

Great Decisions is an eight-week lecture (video) and discussion series based on a Briefing Book published annually by FPA (www.fpa.prg/great_decisions). The Great Decisions Briefing book features impartial, thought-provoking analyses on eight issues of concern to U.S. policymakers today. This series encourages participants to develop an informed opinion on the role the United States should play in world affairs.

Each participant receives a Briefing Book with about dozen pages for each of the eight topics to be discussed and the two-hour class starts with a ½ hour video produced by Foreign Policy Association. The remaining class time is an open discussion on the video and material from the booklet and relevant articles provided from current press.

The topics for 2027 are:
1) American Foreign Policy and the Future of Multilateralism
2) American Options in the Middle East
3) The Future of Germany in Europe and the Atlantic World
4) U.S.-China: The Case for Engagement
5) Brazil and the Global South: Confronting a New America,
6) AI and American Choices
7) Energy Security: Challenges for American Foreign Policy, and 8) Organized Crime in the Americas.

Please contact the office at office@umcanacortes.com or 360-293-0604 if you think you might be interested in attending so the pre-ordered Briefing Booklet can be reserved for you. The cost to attend is $35 per attendee or couple, but payment would not be until January 18, 2027.  

UnSCRIPTed - What is it?

Led by the Spirit • Grounded in the Word • Connected in Community

Looking for a space to connect, reflect, and simply be yourself?

UnSCRIPTed is a relaxed gathering focused on real conversation about life, relationships, faith, and the experiences that shape us. It's a place where people can share honestly, listen deeply, and build meaningful connections in a safe, supportive, and judgment-free environment.

We're intentionally setting church business aside to make room for what matters most: community, encouragement, and authentic relationships.

Each gathering begins with a short inspirational reading. It might come from Scripture, a devotional, or another meaningful source chosen by the facilitator for that day. From there, the conversation is guided by the people in the room and wherever the Spirit leads.

Bring a favorite Scripture, song, quote, story, or simply come as you are. Whether you're feeling inspired, searching for encouragement, or just looking for connection, there's a place for you here.

Everyone is welcome, including friends from the community and church. Even our pastor is invited to leave the work behind and simply enjoy the fellowship.

Our next gathering will be announced her and on Facebook, but in the meantime…..

Interested in knowing more or being on message list or check here for next gathering.

 Becky Kongs: rdkongs@gmail.com
 Church Office: 360-293-0604

No pressure. No program. No agenda. Just people growing together in faith, friendship, and community.

How it started: On Sunday, August 16, 14 of us gathered on the deck of the church to share an UnSCRIPTED time. The leader started by sharing how UnSCRIPTed started!

UnSCRIPTed started late one night after a few of us rebels got together and were very busy planning ways for the church to become more active - and more relevant in our own church family. I texted Magan with this message:

I had a thought that you inspired. See what you think. We (definitely me) are so focused on doing and engaging, that I often forget about the spiritual feeding that we and others need. Just a thought- maybe once a month we have an "Unscripted" breakfast, 4 o'clock, whatever. We start off with a devotional like what we are talking about for Cedar, but the rest of the time is giving opportunity to talk about verses, sayings, experiences etc. It would be great to have the new pastor there but not lead. Have someone like you just keep it going - or rotate???? Definitely when working people and/or people with kids can come. Kids come too? I can deal with that.

Just rattling now.

And open to everyone- what do you think? 

Immediately a response came

I like that idea a lot and was thinking of suggesting something similar, just a low key supportive meetup for everyone to feel spiritually fed. It’s a different way of relating than the committees and planning for sure, and church and fellowship hour can feel so formal at times. 

Then she sent me a handwritten note that she had jotted down previously that said - crazy idea- small supportive group/study.

Here we are. Ready, or not!