ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress to Prioritize Grace Over Greed in FY 2026 Appropriations

The United States Congress has less than two weeks to avoid a government shutdown by passing a funding measure for the 2026 fiscal year. As the appropriations process continues, our call remains the same – to advocate for the prioritization of grace over greed.

This Nonviolent Life: Things We Can Do

A good one…

Blessings,

Dan Gleckler/Dad

Wednesday, August 20, 2025

“To hold our tongues when everyone is gossiping, to smile without hostility at people and institutions, to compensate for the shortage of love in the world with more love in small, private matters; to be more faithful in our work, to show greater patience, to forgo the cheap revenge obtainable from mockery and criticism: all these are things we can do.”

—Hermann Hesse

Bishop's message: Call to prayer following plane crash

We pray together.

Dan Gleckler

January 30, 2025

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

— Psalm 34:18

Beloved,

The leaders and members of the Baltimore-Washington and Peninsula-Delaware Area join me in grieving the loss of life aboard American Eagle Flight 5342 and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter, which were involved in a mid-air collision Wednesday night. After the collision, both aircraft plunged into the icy Potomac River near Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. Our hearts break for the 64 people on the flight from Wichita, Kansas, and the three soldiers on the helicopter. We pray for their families, loved ones and friends struggling to come to terms with this tragic news. We also pray for the first responders, who are recovering bodies from the water. As of this morning, no survivors have been found.

Our heartfelt condolences go out to all who mourn those lost in this tragedy. It can feel impossible to make sense of this terrifying and horrible loss. And, so we pray, confident that God will be present with all those who have been affected.

In our sorrow, we seek God’s mercy and consolation for those whose lives have been shattered. In this time of difficulty, we turn to God’s sacred and healing light and lean on the promise of God’s uplifting and abiding love. May we also support one another in our grief and pain as the days unfold.

Blessings and peace,

Bishop LaTrelle Miller Easterling

Baltimore-Washington and Peninsula-Delaware Area

The United Methodist Church

Óscar Romero: Preacher of Love and Justice

As we approach the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Jan. 18-25), this reflection is helpful for our prayerful reflecion.

Blessings to all ..

Dan Gleckler

Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditations

From the Center for Action and Contemplation

Óscar Romero: Preacher of Love and Justice

Let us not tire of preaching love, for this is the force that will overcome the world. Let us never tire of preaching love. Even if we see waves of violence coming to drown out the fire of Christian love, love must win out. It is the only thing that can.

—Óscar Romero, homily, September 25, 1977

Religion scholar Kerry Walters writes of the transformative life of Archbishop Óscar Romero.

Oscar Romero [1917–1980], Archbishop of San Salvador, was gunned down on March 24, 1980, while celebrating Mass. Over the next few days, his body lay in state in the cathedral where he had so often preached. Thousands of mourners filed past his coffin, many of them campesinos, landless peasants and field workers, who had traveled miles to be there.

Church and Society Opposes Mass Deportation in U.S.

Let us pray for wisdom, courage, and charity.

Dan Gleckler

Church and Society Opposes Mass Deportation in U.S.

A statement from The General Board of Church and Society calls for a bold witness to stand against U.S. immigration and mass deportation policies influenced by misinformation, hate, fear and harm.

General Board of Church and Society January 13, 2025