Sunday, October 12, 2025 at 6 pm at Brecksville United Methodist Church

Before God named him Abraham, he was called Abram, and before God called her Sarah, she was known as Sarai. Jesus recognized gifts in his follower Simon that Simon himself could not see, and Jesus renamed him Peter, to signify the man Jesus knew he was. These are just a few examples of many stories of renaming found in the Bible. But this is not just history. For many today, particularly for our transgender siblings, God is still renaming us, and calling us to who we are meant to be. For some, our new names and identities come to us in a flash of revelation, like Saul, who became Paul. For others, God whispers our true names to us in our ear countless times from birth, until we finally listen. During this service, we will celebrate and affirm those who have heard their true names, and commission them to live the life God has known for them. Rev. Dianne Tobey Covault, Rev. Joy Fenton-Jones, and Rev. Dr. Joelle Henneman will join Pastor Heidi for this ecumenical service. All are welcome to attend and surround our siblings with the love of God.

If you would like your name to be celebrated during the service, please reach out to Pastor Heidi.