Thank You & Mabuhay!
Intro by the Rev. David V. Valera
More than a decade ago, The Pacific Northwest Conference made clear its desire to increase its ability to connect and communicate internally and with its mission field.
Jesse Love joined our team at that point, and year after year, grace and upon grace, God has blessed the connection through Jesse’s gifts, talents and great work ethic.
He is collaborative and very thorough (Patrick Scriven and I later found out he likes to talk about pixels and vectors). Our Conference has been honored with several awards from United Methodist Association of Communicators because of Jesse’s work. A number of our recent Conference Journal covers have become the historical showcase of Jesse’s design work.
So I say thank you Jesse, on behalf of a grateful connection. May your gifts continue to be blessed as you inspire others in what God has planned for you next!
The Rev. David V. Valera serves as the Executive Director of Connectional Ministries, The Pacific Northwest Conference of The United Methodist Church.
You Have Welcomed Me
By Jesse N. Love
The time for rest is needed.
I will resign my position as the Conference’s Graphic Designer and Print Manager effective February 28, 2018.
Since 2007, I have served The United Methodist Church in The Pacific Northwest Conference in the ways I can best and humbly offer: particularly through my work as a printer/key operator, storyteller, graphic designer, illustrator, photographer, beginning videographer/podcaster, and of course as a United Methodist.
It has been a great privilege to serve this diverse community – including our older adults, people of color, our PNW disaster response leadership, and young adults answering the call to global mission work.
The personal successes I’ve had in my service have centered on 1) treating every collaboration with care while 2) being the hands and feet for the body of Christ.
The challenges of the church seem never-ending. From my small corner of the office, the best way I’ve been able to process each challenge is to take them on, one at a time: one project at a time, one meeting at a time, one day at a time…even though we are in a rapidly changing, multitasking kind-of-world.
A challenge we face every day in the church is the idea of simply going out into the neighborhoods and meeting people. We must always remind each other to go outward and develop connections with people who are seeking a path toward fulfillment, understanding, and peace.
We must also remind the neighborhoods that we are there for them. We need to welcome others, just as you have welcomed me…a California outsider, a trained graphic designer who started with a low church admin/political IQ, and a person of color in an environment that was primarily staffed with white church insiders. We need to welcome people with untapped potential and nurture it with Christ.
As a layperson, I know we have something good: it’s a combination of our theology, our service, our view of God. It isn’t perfect all the time, but when we meet the needs of people God has brought before us, we do it well. We welcome everyone to the table, we work to feed those who are hungry, we seek justice, and we process (although slowly) issues that are before us in order to make the right decisions on each stance. And, although we cannot make everyone happy, we work and take stands with reason and authority.
With that, I pray that our Conference continues to equip and support clergy, laity, and the communities they serve so they may create faithful followers of Christ for the transformation of lives — in everyday workplaces, in small impoverished villages, and in areas destroyed by disasters.
Thank you for welcoming me.
Thank you for trusting me as your resource and friend. If it weren’t for the faith instilled in me through those who I’ve had the pleasure to serve, I would not be here reflecting on the wisdom I have gained through serving the church.
Thank you to the staff of The PNWUMC over the last 10 years who has helped nurture and guide me on this journey of servanthood. Thank you also the readers and contributors to Channels who I have collaborated with for over 100 issues.
I will continue to support the Conference as they transition some of my responsibilities to our capable staff. I’ll also continue to support the ministries of my local church, ‘being on the ground’ to meet the needs and to fulfill a vision of a brighter future (even though life sometimes feels as if we are in a long season of uncertainty). Last, but not least, I will continue to serve as a witness to the great things the future holds for us as a community of faith.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” – Romans 15:13
Your servant,
Jesse N. Love
Graphic Designer and Print Manager
The Pacific Northwest Conference of The United Methodist Church
Jesse, you’ve really boosted our communication quotient in the PNW, and I appreciated your patient cooperation when you sought articles from me. Although you’ll be greatly missed in PNWUMC, I pray that your next niche will fulfill God’s calling in your life. Yes, the God of hope fill you!