Now that Ward Parkway has been repaved, we can drive at full speed. Winter slowed us down. Between the icy sidewalks, the sub-zero temps and the potholes, we were forced to pause. Spring brings a new urgency.
A Little Different
By Rev. Joe Walker, Minister of Congregational Care Summer is all about doing things a little differently, isn’t it? Get out of your comfort zone, leave your Zip Code in the rearview mirror. Explore exotic locales, eat food you can’t identify, get bit by different kinds of mosquitos, sleep in a …
On Good Friday…
Jesus had modeled for them a way of peace. Welcoming the stranger, dining with sinners, turning the other cheek, healing the outcasts, empowering the poor, reconciling families.
Seeing and Feeling Puerto Rico
Rev. Corey Meyer, Director of Mission Partnerships It has been tough to answer the question, “How was Puerto Rico?!” without immediately thinking of the warm 80-degree weather every day and stunning view of mountains for miles all around us. I was amazed at the beauty of the island from the …
Joy and Pain
I try to write this column about one theme. But today I cannot decide. Part of me wants to describe the overwhelming joy unfolding. I could recount the electric energy of 300 folks at the Spring Fling last Sunday, the beaming smiles of toddlers hunting Easter eggs and petting the …
No Way!
Lisa McCleish, Director of Early Childhood Programs The cold and snowy winter frequently prevented the children from playing outside the past few months. We are blessed to have large spaces like the Social Hall and the Pine Room where we can run around and use up some of that endless …
Notes of the Unknown
By Rev. Tyler Heston, Minister to Youth “I’m the only girl in my P. E. class.” “I didn’t know my friend was adopted.” “I remember being overwhelmed the first day of calculus, when I was the only freshman in an all-junior class.” “I didn’t know that childhood friend was actually a …
What Is Saving Your Life?
What is saving your life right now? Years ago Barbara Brown Taylor was invited to speak at an Episcopal church. “What should I talk about?” she asked the priest. “Just talk about what is saving your life right now,” the priest responded. It’s a wonderful question that rolls around in …
Try Out Pick-Up Choir and Orffestra
Dina Pannabecker Evans, Executive Director of Operations If you were in the sanctuary for the 11:00 a.m. service on Sun., Mar. 10, you heard Steve Bough make an announcement about the next scheduled Pick-Up Choir and Pick-Up Orffestra for Sun., Mar. 31. Steve’s lively announcement started with his informing the …
A Lifetime of Faith
My father in law, Jacob Ehman, was a German farm boy in North Dakota. He met my mother-in-law, Helen, a German farm girl, on a Ferris wheel ride in Ashley, North Dakota. Helen and Jake bought a small mobile home and hauled it to New York, parking it near the …
Carla’s Candids for March 8
I met Tim when I was visiting Yale Divinity School as a prospective student. We became fast friends when I began my first year and he began his last. He was Southern Baptist from Back Swamp, North Carolina. After dinner he sat at the piano in the common room sang …
Snow Days
By Lara Schopp, Director of Communications The snow crunches under my running shoes. I exhale a white cloud, inhale ice crystals. My fleece, thermal socks and ear warmer have coordinating bright orange details. I have cabin fever and have decided frigid temps, gray skies and slush-covered streets won’t keep me …
Not in Latin
Dr. Mike Graves, Scholar in Residence and Minister of Spiritual Formation Among the church staff, there is something of a standing joke. When it’s your turn to write a piece like this one for the newsletter, if you don’t have it in by Tuesday noon when we meet, the draft …