
Cynthia Weems
Senior pastor, First UMC of Miami
Cynthia D. Weems is senior pastor of the First United Methodist Church of Miami, Florida. A graduate of Millsaps College and Yale Divinity School, she has served in mission in Cochabamba, Bolivia and has pastored suburban and urban multi-ethnic churches in the United States. Her current setting for ministry has an extensive outreach to the diverse homeless community in Miami.


Cynthia Weems: Worshipping on the edge of our seats

Seeing her daughter’s reaction to a Brazilian service with music and drama made a pastor wonder whether our traditional liturgy creates distance between us and a Jesus who acts in our midst.



Cynthia Weems: Let the story do the work

Complex moments don’t call for complex answers. They need stories.

Cynthia Weems: Disappointment in March Madness and church

Maybe we get so disgusted with our sports heroes because they are just like us -- unable to live up to expectations.

Cynthia Weems: Communion both Catholic and Protestant

I was a part of a Catholic Mass, in a Catholic church, where I stood at the altar alongside a Catholic priest.

Cynthia Weems: Church as body repair

A recent fender-bender shows something of the nature of God, God’s people, and those called to lead them.

Cynthia Weems: The peculiar, fragile phenomenon of marriage

Our institutions have to be based on something stronger than how we feel at a given moment. But what would that be precisely?

Cynthia Weems: "Toy Story" and church

We don't have problems welcoming people into church. We have problems ushering them deeper into discipleship.

Cynthia Weems: Amos as children's sermon

Great buildings showing tremendous wealth need architectural plumb lines. God uses a different plumb line to show Amos that human beings need more.

Cynthia Weems: Basic kindness in jail

A trip to the detention center, expected to be arduous, turned out to be pleasant. Are our churches this friendly and helpful?

Cynthia Weems: Confirmation and remedial grace

How do we entice outsiders to want more of the grace offered in the church? How do we entice ourselves?

Cynthia Weems: The gospel of the underdog

The tomb, meant to be the eternal home of a loser, was empty.

Cynthia Weems: Where's your Ark?

What is sacred to those who live or work or worship with you? How do you place that where it draws in everyone -- and tells the truth?

Resource guide for Holy Week
This guide from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship includes art, music, devotions, liturgies, books, sermons and other resources to help you plan worship for Holy Week.
Learn More