Dear Members and Friends, I like Spring. Days are longer and warmer. Daffodils and crocus’ bloom. The grass greens. I hear birds. I see them building nests. Bicycles come out. Joggers appear in ever greater numbers. We see people out and about, often with newfound spring resolutions to become more fit. There is energy. There…
Dear Members and Friends, I was visiting Berlin as part of a German partnership experience. This was soon after German reunification. My hosts were former East Germans. I was taken on a walking tour of a part of Berlin known as Museum Island, which had been under East German control. As we walked, rising before…
Dear Members and Friends: re·sil·ience [rəˈzilyəns] NOUN: the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.”the often remarkable resilience of so many British institutions,” the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity.”nylon is excellent in wearability and resilience” It is the new year and I wish everyone…
Dear Members and Friends: We’ve seen the pictures of God of “God the Creator” painted by Michelangelo showing God reaching out to Adam—touching but not quite. There God is portrayed as an elderly man with a full head of white hair and an equally bushy beard. Sometimes this elderly God is shown as…
Miracles! Gifts from God. Signs of the Holy Spirit. For some, the “proof” that God exists. Being a Part of the Miracle that Is our Church is the theme of our annual stewardship program which begins on October 14, culminating in Consecration Sunday on November 11. In these coming weeks, we will be exploring different…
Neighbors in Need (NIN) is a special mission offering of the United Church of Christ that supports ministries of justice and compassion throughout the United States. One-third of NIN funds support the Council for American Indian Ministry(CAIM). Two-thirds of this offering is used by the UCC’s Justice and Witness Ministries (JWM) to support a variety…
Dear Members and Friends: Several times over the past few days when I was giving Gracie (the Princess of the Congregational Manor House on New Estate Road) her morning brushing, I watched a monarch butterfly (or maybe it was the Viceroy, the monarch lookalike). It reminded me of the day I found myself…
Dear Members and Friends: When we speak about spirituality a lot of attention gets given to the “inner life.” We will speak of meditation, personal beliefs, getting right with the self. The religious tradition that most clearly emphasizes this thought process is Buddhism. In Christianity spirituality builds on Moses spending time on a mountain top,…
Dear Members and Friends: “No” or “I will not” are two clear, concise, definitive statements. Often they end conversations or communicate that an obstacle has appeared that may well be insurmountable. Sadly, once uttered, many people do dig in their heels and become immovable. People around here are pretty good about not uttering either…