On the first Sunday after Christmas the parking lot was full of ice and snow, the roads had not yet been plowed, and we were already seeing a huge surge in COVID-19 cases driven by the new Omicron variant, so we were pleased to have even 5 people in our worship service. On Sunday, a…
The most important thing I have to say this week is, “thank you.” Thank you for all you do to make this congregation so vital, so beautiful, so loving. Thank you for your continued support and participation through wave after wave of pandemic. Thank you for your prayers, your voices raised in song, and for…
In my youth, I dreamt of adventure and of things. I dreamt of airplanes and fishing, new cars, and sailboats. As I got older, I dreamt of meeting someone to love, and of a career and a family. Now, as a grandfather, I find that my hopes and dreams have changed. I’m not as interested…
We all hurt. We all suffer. We all experience loss and grief and shame and failure. Pain, even emotional pain, exists in our bodies, so we can name the physical location and nature of the pain. Pain, like loss, also seems to weigh on our sense of who we are and what we are feeling.…
What do you love? What have you lost? These are the first two questions in the “From Many, One” program we are exploring during the Season of Advent. Love and loss pull at our hearts deeply and powerfully. Love and loss are universal experiences, but we rarely share these parts of ourselves. And yet, so much of what we do and care…
On Sunday we answered four questions, starting with, “What do you love?” As I read out the answers during the prayers of the people, I realized that the things we love are also what we are most grateful for. Family, friends, community, loving relationships, grandkids, art, the beauty of nature, work that matters, all of…
Advent is almost here! The season of joyful anticipation and preparation for Christmas is just a week away. This year we are going all out with our decorations and celebrations of the season. In Liz Hinkofer’s article below you can read our exciting plans for the weeks leading up to advent. We will decorate a…
The original inspiration for our Story Sharing campaign was a desire to offer healing to those who are suffering, whether from the effects of the pandemic, racial injustices, political divisiveness, or the many other struggles we have faced these past few years. “From Many, One” is a resource developed by Bishop Michael Curry and his…
Dear friends, What do you love?What have you lost?Where does it hurt?What do you dream? These questions are an invitation to healing and to building relationship across divisions. These questions are an opportunity to be heard, to be understood, to be reconciled, and to find hope. So many of us have been hurt by the…
From ghoulies and ghostiesAnd long-leggitie beastiesAnd things that go bump in the night,Good Lord, deliver us! Dear friends, This ancient Scottish prayer captures the spirit of Halloween or All Hallows eve, the eve of All Hallows or All Saints day. On All Saints Day we celebrate the saints of our lives. On the eve of…