Russell Knight, Kennedy Grace & Jeff Goodwin

Russell Knight
& Jeff Goodwin
HUMC members since 2001

Russ is finishing his Phd dissertation and is also a stay at home dad.  Jeff manages online marketing and development for a major toy company.  Kennedy Grace will celebrate her first birthday on December 2nd and is learning to walk.

Did you grow up a Methodist? 
No, Russ grew up Catholic (he was an altar boy until 18!) and Jeff grew up in a Southern Baptist home.

What brought you to HUMC?
We literally stumbled upon HUMC as we were driving around one morning searching for a church (and thankfully, our friends Russ & Danielle Conklin were already members!) 
 
What keeps you at HUMC?
The message and the people... we also love the fact that the congregation is such a wonderful blend of young and old, gay and straight, singles and families. HUMC is a true reflection of our community.
 
How do you support HUMC – in gifts and in service?
In addition to tithing, we’ve worked as parking lot attendants during Hollywood Bowl events, greeters, and Sunday School teachers.  Jeff has also been a member of the board of trustees for many years.

Where do you sense God is calling you to use your gifts in the near future?
We continue to be called to support HUMC’s growing children’s ministries.

Where do you sense God is calling us as a congregation?
We believe God continues to call us to be an affirming, welcoming place for all.  In a world that has become so divisive, his message of peace, love and inclusion is more important than ever.

David & Deborah Sabo Whittaker

Deborah Sabo
HUMC member since 2007

''The Promise of Rainbows''

Technically I know what causes rainbows, but I have always felt in my heart that they are a special sign and a gift from God.  To me they have always symbolized hope and the promise of new beginnings.  A ''Family Circus'' cartoon on my refrigerator shows a lovely rainbow and the little girl is looking at it upside down saying ''If you look at it like this you can see God smiling.''

In March 1999, as I was in the middle of reading a story to my first grade class, I received a phone call.  I was surprised to find it was a doctor I had never met before asking if I could come to his office that afternoon because he had test results to share with me.  I asked to know what was wrong.  He stated that he did not like to give news like this over the phone.  That of course led me to insist that I needed to know now.  It was then I received the news of uterine cancer.  Stunned, I hung up the phone and did the only thing I could do, which was to return to work.  The hustle and bustle of caring for a roomful of energetic first graders kept my mind occupied.  It did not prevent however the formation of a huge, tight lump of fear in the pit of my stomach.  Through numbness and pure strength of will I managed to get through till Tuesday’s appointment where I learned the prognosis that the cancer was in an early stage and probably had not spread.  A hysterectomy was necessary, as well as a biopsy of lymph nodes that would tell if the cancer had spread.

Meanwhile I was trying to be as positive as possible for my own sake as well as for my teenage daughter and son.  As long as I remained calm they seemed to be okay, though I know they were as scared as I.  On Saturday I decided to go bike riding along the ocean with my son.  My daughter unfortunately stayed home to write a report for school.  After biking for a while in the refreshing ocean breeze, my son asked if we could take a drive in the mountains.  Since this is one of our favorite pastimes, I willingly agreed.

As we were driving though hazy layers of coastal mountains it began to rain.  We even crossed sections where streams cut across the road.  Soon, however, the sun began to reappear and I said, “We have rain and sun, and Lord I could sure use a rainbow right now!”.  A few moments later we came around a mountain curve and saw the most breathtaking rainbow I have ever seen.  People were pulling off the road to gaze at it.  It was a full arc set against layers of misty, green, blue & purple mountains.  The wide bands of color were absolutely brilliant.  I felt, not exactly heard, a voice in my head that said “Do not be afraid.  I am here.  Everything will be okay”.  At the same time the huge knot of fear in my stomach just melted away, never to return.  I knew that although my ordeal may not be pleasant, God is watching over my children and I.  In the next hour my son and I saw five more rainbows as we wound through the mountains.  It was for us an awe-inspiring expression of God’s loving care for us.   

True to His promise, I came through surgery okay, and the cancer had not spread.  My prognosis for recovery is very good and the chances of cancer recurring are slim.  I am home recovering from surgery, enjoying my children and two dogs, and looking forward to returning to work in June.  Thanks be to God!

In times of fear, loneliness, or great sorrow, may the promise of rainbows fill your heart with faith and hope.

© 1999 Deborah Sabo

Jay & Rae Sowell

Jay & Rae Sowell
HUMC members since 2004 & 2007

Ray and Jay Sowell began attending the church in 2003.  Jay became a member in 2004; Rae joined earlier this year.  We asked them a few questions about how they came to be members at Hollywood United Methodist Church.

Did you grow up a Methodist?  If not, what was your previous church involvement?  Rae:  I was born and raised Catholic.

Jay:  I have Methodist DNA -- both parents are UMC clergy (I was born in Atlanta while Dad was in seminary at Emory University).  My father teaches religion at a Methodist college. My family has been Methodist for generations on both sides.

What brought you to HUMC?
Jay:  HUMC's reputation for being open to people who are gay.

Rae:  The way Rev. Kathy and Rev. Ed and the congregation responded when Jay was in the hospital with a serious illness.  Not just that they were there and supportive, but because it was so obvious that they weren’t there out of a sense of duty, but because they really cared about him. 

What keeps you at HUMC?
Rae and Jay:  The people.  Plus…

Rae:  HUMC is what ALL churches should strive to be, what the very essence of a church should be: a safe and accepting place for spiritual growth for people of ALL kinds without judging or telling some people they can come as they are, then trying to change them.

Jay:  The sense that HUMC has a unique opportunity to be the church that Jesus envisioned, due to our urban location in Hollywood with the very real and intense social and spiritual issues the community faces, and our witness to the truth of inclusiveness.

How do you support HUMC – in gifts and in service?
Rae:  For now, with the email prayer chain and book club.  I’ve just joined so I’m still sorting out what other areas I feel called for.

Jay:  By pledging a percentage of our income on a regular basis -- twice a month, same schedule as my paycheck -- and giving for special needs as they arise and we are able. By serving as co-Lay Leader and going to a lot of meetings to help plan and carry out the business of the church. And, my favorite way, by volunteering time for mission work like the Tijuana house builds and Bowl parking and greeting.

I guess I'd also add that being present is a form of service, too, by building bonds with other people that make us a community, that allow us to know and care for each other -- but I get more out of that than I give, so I don't think of it as service.

Where do you sense God is calling you to use your gifts in the near future?
Rae:  I’m really not sure but think more things related to prayer.

Jay:  To continue to help us organize ourselves for growth, to meet the needs of the growing Hollywood population.  We have to look ahead 1-2-5 years, anticipate the needs of our community and how we can best meet them, and make sure that we have the staff, structure, and facilities in place in advance to allow us to meet those needs and be the church in Hollywood.

Where do you sense God is calling us as a congregation?
Rae:  To not lose sight as we grow of what we stand for, a place that welcomes everyone as they are, no matter what any one else tries to tell us.

Jay:  To focus on the social issues of AIDS and homelessness.  To meet the spiritual needs of the people of Hollywood, where rejection and materialism seem to be pervasive.  To serve families, with our unique ability to nurture families in an inclusive environment.  To prepare for growth, as more people discover that HUMC is uniquely positioned to meet their spiritual needs.

Michael Peters

Michael Peters
HUMC member since 2005

Michael is an educator – a dean – at a middle school in Los Angeles.  We asked him a few questions about how he came to be a member at Hollywood United Methodist Church.

Did you grow up a Methodist?
No, the household I grew up in was not Methodist; it was Southern Baptist and Traditional French Catholic.  That’s right, every Sunday I went to 6:30 am Mass and then the 11:00 am worship service.

What brought you here to the church? 
An invitation by Max Maldonado.
 
What keeps you here?       
The smile and gentle hug of Elvera Fleenor when I’ve just had the worst week ever; the sincerity and conviction of Jay Sowell; the fireball determination and heart-warming messages of Rev. Kathy, and before that, Rev. Ed Hansen; the love and strength of character I witness in Eddie Lucero as he goes through one of the most challenging ordeals that a loved one could face.

How do you support the church?     
In a class one Saturday, I was moved by a statement Jay Sowell made; he asked “how do you spend your time and money?”  I took this to mean, what’s really in my heart?  I can support this body by simply showing up and lending a hand.

Where do you sense God is calling you to use your gifts in the near future?
I’d like to work more closely with two of the major ministries of the church:  working with the homeless of LA and supporting the growth of the AIDS ministry.
 
Where do you sense God is calling us as a congregation?
By God’s grace, to activism.  We’ve seen what being passive has gotten us—there is much to be done.  Let’s begin!

And as I journey along this Spiritual pinball machine called Life, I see the truly blessed gifts are those moments of exchange of Spirit.  That day was a gift to me.  I received God's love in the minute of interaction and felt His love.  So I'm thankful, because if I had not heard the message in the service that Sunday, I most likely would have driven by without stopping, fearful for what actions this stranger might take, and too busy with my own immediate concerns.  Gifts like these are all around us, we just have to take the first step."

Josh Ledesma (right), with friend Eddie Delgado

Josh Ledesma
HUMC member since 2006

A story about Josh, as told by Rev. Kathy Cooper-Ledesma:

"One day I was paying bills at my desk in the kitchen.  All the windows were open as it was a warm spring day.

I heard Josh with his friend Jerry just outside the window.  I wasn’t paying much attention until I heard Jerry say, ”that’s so gay.”  I heard Josh reply, “Dude, that’s not cool.”  Twice.

I scooted my chair closer to the window so I could hear better.  This was a long-time friend and a basically good kid (who eats forever). Jerry responded, “it’s no big deal.” A bit later he said it again.  When he said it a third time. Josh said, “Dude, if you keep saying that, then you need to leave.  You can’t hang out here any more.  That’s offensive to me, to my family, and it makes you sound really ignorant.  So decide.”

There was a long pause.  Jerry replied: “Sorry.  I didn’t realize.”  And they went back to whatever they were doing, and he never uttered the phrase again.

I talked with Josh about it later that night, and told him how proud I was.  Once he got beyond the fact that I had been eavesdropping, he didn’t think that it was anything extraordinary.  “I just told him the truth, Mom.  Saying stuff like that is wrong.  No big deal.”

When teenagers consider it second nature to call out injustice and make it stop, I believe it’s a sign that the kingdom of God has come near."