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…
News and Events
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…
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…
Looking Ahead
I, like many of you, am sitting here at the end of April sensing loss. There is a part of me that wants to stay positive for everyone else. But there is another part of me which deeply longs for this time to be over. One of the things I have learned to appreciate about…
What a Difference a Month Makes
Just a month ago I was writing you looking forward to a full and vibrant Holy Week celebration. We were busy preparing for worship which would have been very similar to what we have experienced in the past. Now, we are uncertain when we will be able to gather in one place to worship next….