1020 S 10th Ave, Safford, AZ 85546, US
From the Pastor
July 2026
Hello Friends,
On Saturday, June 20, I got to experience something that I had been looking forward to for nearly as long as I can remember- I was commissioned as a Provisional Elder in the United Methodist Church. That’s a whole lot of words to say I am officially a pastor!
I still have one more year of school, to earn my Masters of Divinity, and I still have a little work to do to be fully ordained, but I am a Pastor. I wasn’t always completely sure that it would happen. Sometimes, it felt like this was a carrot- just out of reach.
Suddenly, I caught it- the day was here. I tied my cincture, said a prayer, and tightened my brand new red and pink Nike Dunks and stepped into this new season.
The shoe choice was intentional. The Nike Dunks so I don’t trip- I am not what you may call….coordinated. Heels and I just don’t really get along. And I think that Nikes look cool! But why red?
In the early 1900s, Abigail Harkniss and her husband Daniel were shunned from their local Quaker community. It’s hard to imagine what atrocities were committed to make this happen. The situation that resulted in them being shunned was shocking. Abigail wore a red coat to church. In this context, it was considered to be improper for a woman to wear such worldly clothing, and neither Daniel nor Abigail were willing to apologize for this immodesty. They, and her red coat, found a home in the Methodist Church. Going forward, red was seen as a color of courage and empowerment, especially for women, and those that support them!
Red is also liturgically the color of the Holy Spirit, and she is certainly present at these special worship services where candidates for ministry are commissioned and ordained. Choosing these special shoes was a fun search, and I think that it was meant to be when I walked into a shoe store in May and found shoes that had one pair of the red and pink Valentine’s Dunks left. In my size!
I pray that these shoes honor the roots of our shared faith and walk in the ways that the Holy Spirit guides me.
Join me on Sunday, July 5th as we explore more of our roots together!
Blessings,
Pastor Rachel Mosher
NEW PASTOR OFFICE HOURS COMING SOON!
FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
1020 S. 10th Avenue
Safford, AZ 85546
(928) 424-1190
