Church Update: Growing with RIDE.

As some of you might know, the RIDE. Committee was formerly known as the Reconciling Committee. But in the last year, we’ve rebranded. That means, as a RIDE. Committee, we acknowledge that we live in a world of profound social, economic, and political inequities. So, as followers of Jesus, we commit ourselves to the pursuit of justice and pledge to stand in solidarity with all who are marginalized and oppressed. I’ve listed the acronym spelled out below:

Reconciling – at the heart of our ministry, we affirm and support the queer community – LGBTQIA+

Inclusion – all voices are heard and valued

Diversity – everyone belongs here and is safe

Equity – we promote fairness & justice in all we do

. — (yes, there’s a period) while not perfect, we strive to be the best humans we can possibly be, period.

Since our rebranding, we have doubled in size! We now have 10 current members on the committee. The Committee's leadership positions are held by Kerry Dolan (Executive Chair), Paula Hills (Reconciling Chair), and Jamie Rettinger (Equity Chair). Our goal is to fill three more open positions on the committee: Outreach Chair, Diversity and Equity Chair, and a liaison to the Mission and Outreach Committee.

In the last few months, you might have seen posters and flags posted around the Narthex and social hall promoting and celebrating Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Autism Acceptance Month, and AANHPI (Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander — you can thank the RIDE. Committee for that! We’ve also spent time after church services passing out ICE whistles in solidarity with the immigrant and migrant communities.

The RIDE. Committee also celebrates and affirms that all belong here by providing educational content on the TV in the Narthex, sponsoring Stole Sunday (the second Sunday of each month), and maintaining the Inclusive Library collection displayed in the Narthex.

Over the last few months, we have been planning our Pride Month events in June and July! Please join us for any and all of the following events:

June 1^st - Auburn Pride Flag raising, City Hall

June 14^th - AFUMC Pride Service - guest speaker Rev. Kathleen Weber

June 27^th - Second Annual Pride Pancake Breakfast and Silent Auction

(benefiting Oasis Youth Center in Tacoma), AFUMC

June 28^th - Auburn Farmer's Pride Market RIDE. Booth, Les Gove Park, Auburn

June 28^th - March in the Seattle Pride Parade, Seattle

July 11^th - Tacoma PrideFest Booth, Wright Park, Tacoma