A stack of umbrellas sits in a container at the entrance to Sewickley United Methodist Church. While they represent a functional use, they also have a deeper meaning.
To demonstrate that deeper meaning, the Rev. Hannah Loughman stood holding an open umbrella during a recent rainy Sunday at a service in December.
She was preaching the message to “do the good that is yours to do.”
“I know some of you might be superstitious about having an open umbrella inside,” said Loughman, who has been pastor there for 41/2 years. “But I want you to think about what it means when you offer someone an umbrella when it’s raining and they don’t have one. This offering is a simple act of kindness and protection. For some, this offering is the good that is yours to do. For others, the offering can shift into something more. The good that is yours to do might look like gathering the person next to you, under the shared umbrella and walking them to where they have to go. The point is, it may look different but we each have the ability to do good in this world. No one has an excuse to not do the good that is yours to do.”
That image of lending an umbrella or walking with someone under an umbrella, if you are comfortable with that, was part of the message Loughman was sharing that day. It is her calling, she said, to help people think about the good that is theirs to do and inspire them to do it.
That umbrella message complements the words in her email signature, which reads, “Breathe in God, find life. Breathe out God, give life,” written in bold letters.
“If I live by those words, then I can do the good that is mine to do,” said Loughman, who added that the church is more than a building. “The church has to be a mobile unit and go out to where the people are and be present in the community.”
You will see Loughman at events throughout Sewickley, where she lives with her husband, Todd, a caseworker for Children, Youth and Family Services in Allegheny County, and their children. The annual Sewickley Light Up Night is always a fun evening, Loughman said.
The church hosted the Longest Night Prayer Vigil on Dec. 21 to remember and honor those who have lost their lives to gun violence and the loved ones who continue to mourn them. There was a Memorial to the Lost Victims Quilt, which represents the 65 lives lost to gun violence in Allegheny County from October 2021 through June 2022. This display is inspired by the work of Heeding God’s Call, an organization working to stop gun violence.
They hosted a toy drive, a Christmas pageant and a breakfast for baby Jesus.
Loughman said her family loves being part of the Sewickley community and would be members of this church even if she wasn’t pastor.
One of the things she does to engage the community is share a message on social media midweek each week. She hopes to inspire people, she said. The communication via Facebook is a precursor to her upcoming sermon. On Jan. 1, she shared her thoughts for the new year, which is a time for new beginnings, she said. For her Christmas Eve message, she said God truly knows us and her wish is that everyone feels that love.
As a church leader, she’s made it her mission to welcome everyone.
“I believe everyone belongs here, no matter their background,” Loughman said. “Or where they came from. We are here for everyone. It is important for people to know someone is listening. God loves everyone as they are.”
The cover photo on Facebook has a church image with colors of the rainbow that reads “You Belong Here.”
At the beginning of that recent Sunday service, Loughman gathered the children at the front of the church and shared God’s love for them as she does every time. She incorporated an umbrella story about a woman walking in the rain who was asked if she wanted an umbrella. She initially declined but eventually took the umbrella once the giver insisted, Loughman said. The woman said “thank you” and then decided to start an umbrella ministry. She purchased more umbrellas and loaded them in her car and drove around when it was raining and she passed out umbrellas to people when it was raining. Her ministry grew to include Scripture and encouraging words along with the umbrellas.
“She thought, ‘I can do this good in the world,’ ” Loughman said of the woman. “I can do this one thing. I can buy umbrellas and I can help people stay dry. And maybe those encouraging words touched someone’s heart.”
Those words weren’t just meant for the children, member Pam Honeychurch said after the 11 a.m. service. She said she also is inspired by the umbrella ministry.
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“(Loughman) brings a message that is down to earth and relatable to daily living,” Honeychurch said.
Loughman is an amazing leader, who is compassionate and empathetic, said Jere Cowden, a liturgist at the church.
“She cares about everyone,” Cowden said.
The Sewickley United Methodist Church has 200 active members and 150 who regularly attend services. Sunday church services are at 9 a.m. for the contemporary and 11 a.m. for the traditional.
Loughman was born and raised in Western Pennsylvania and lived in several counties. She is an Indiana University of Pennsylvania graduate and has a Master of Divinity degree from the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.
The ministry of doing for others, Loughman said, she learned from her parents.
Her father, Bruce Judy, is an ordained minister who recently retired from the United Methodist Church. Loughman has three brothers — two who are also pastors and a third who is a licensed therapist and has his own practice.
Their mother, Bonnie Judy, has also been a religious and family-first role model, Loughman said. Bonnie Judy always brought the children to services and encouraged them to be kind.
Her experience includes being part of a therapeutic staff support in the home setting and at a private school for children on the autism spectrum. She has a passion for addiction recovery, small group life and creating safe spaces for all people to worship and grow and engage the community, she said, all part of her ministry.
Loughman said Sewickley has become her family’s home.
It was in the Sewickley area that an umbrella ministry was started in 2010 (not at Sewickley UMC), which a member shared with her.
“That is why we have umbrellas at the door — in case someone needs to take an umbrella,” Loughman said. “We provide umbrellas for people to carry or to give to someone else who needs one. That is a message of Jesus Christ. It is not uncommon to see two people under one umbrella.”