In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But…
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Thanksgiving
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and…
The Power of Words
As we continue to navigate our ever-changing world, with new chaos seemingly appearing every day and as the election season gains momentum and the rhetoric on all sides increases in volume and intensity it is so very important for each of us to remember the power of our words. What we say, what we write,…
Back to Normal?
Back in April, Sonya Renee Taylor tweeted something which has been bouncing around in my mind since. She proposes: “We will not go back to normal. Normal never was. Our pre-corona existence was never normal other than we normalized greed, inequity, exhaustion, depletion, extraction, disconnection, confusion, rage, hoarding, hate and lack. We should not long…
COVID-19 Face Mask Update
Dear Church family, One of our foundational beliefs as a community of faith is that we seek to be a space where all people are welcomed. As such, I know we have a variety of deeply held beliefs and thoughts around a great many issues. The issue at the forefront of my mind, and the…
Perspective
I want to share two images with you. Both are of the sanctuary here the church building. One was taken a little over a year ago, and the other was taken just under a month ago as we prepared to return to the sanctuary for in-person worship services. Quite different, right? The same space, close…
Recovery Continues
June 17, 2020 Dear Church, We are not “there” yet, but I do feel we are our way toward finding our new normal. Things will likely never be the same after our experiences with COVID-19, but I do believe that we will come out of this experience stronger and with a clearer understanding of…
Re-Entry
Ministry, like many jobs, has elements for which you cannot prepare. I remember some of those early ministry opportunities like the first funeral I officiated, or the first wedding. Sure, we talked about how to design the services during seminary. But, that is mainly a theoretical exercise. The thing about those ministry experiences is that…
COVID-19 Recovery Plan
Dear Church, I want to begin by offering you my sincere and heartfelt thanks. During these past weeks you have continued to be faithful in your support of our church, and our joint mission in the world. Many of us are deeply missing the fellowship and connections we experience when we gather for in-person worship…