Annual Report 2025-2026
Please take a moment to celebrate and give thanks for God’s Spirit of love and grace, alive in our faith community, by reading the Annual Report HERE.
Full Circle
Earlier this summer, our incredible Green Team decided to find Paris Coral Bells for the Columbarium garden outside the Combs Chapel.
A Journey’s Vision
I’m writing this on the plane home from Greece. Forty-one pilgrims followed in the footsteps of Paul’s second missionary journey through Greece and Turkey. Even though I have studied Paul for decades, this trip has transformed him from a stick figure to a living, breathing, spirit-filled leader. How can I ever forget seeing his prison cell in Phillipi?
Picture Picture
Last Saturday, we laid my Uncle Bill to rest in beautiful Colorado. Surrounded by those who loved him most, we remembered his remarkable life and prayed to God that we might live the rest of ours a little bit like he lived his.
The Simplicity
Sixteen years ago, the farmer/poet/novelist Wendell Berry spoke from our pulpit to a jam-packed sanctuary on a Thursday night. I watched young people who had never set foot in a church arrive and enthusiastically lean in to catch his every soft-spoken word.
The Recipe for Friendship
Some of the best nuggets for a sermon end up on the cutting room floor. During the current series “Back to the School of Discipleship,” I’ve been reading lessons from the Apostle Paul on how to follow Jesus.
Never Alone
The great spiritual leader of our time, Father Richard Rohr, describes how we are all called to engage in an intimate relationship with the living God. All of us are called.
Seeking the Solitude
The hardest part of my job is also the hardest part of my faith. I’ve been trying to master it for decades, but it still eludes me. There is plenty for me to blame it on.
Give a Little Kindness
I stepped out into the soft green grass on the front lawn of the church so I could see the faces of the kids as they sang.
The Forever Goodbyes
I met Mary when I was nine years old, and she became like a second mother to me. Tennis matches every Saturday, family vacations to the Lake every summer, mother-daughter excursions, neighborhood game nights, in-home manicures, and scavenger hunts at the farm were just a smattering of the joyful chapters we shared.
Between the Plans
Bike rides, alpine slides, train rides, mountain hikes. We tried to cram a plethora of fun into our long-awaited week with the 12 of us. The first miracle was that we all showed up!
Traveling
A couple of summers ago, Carol and I, along with our kids and grandkids, spent a lovely week in the mountains of Colorado thanks to some dear friends who offered the use of their place.
Continue the Work
As I sat in the circle of chairs, I was incredibly nervous for the response to my question, "Why did you join this study?"
Re-inspired After 250 Years
The top item on their lists surprised me. I thought they would want to see the White House, the Spy Museum, or the Lunar landing module. But my granddaughter Ella, age 12, wanted to see the Declaration of Independence and Constitution.
Tell Us About Pat
One day a week, she stuffed envelopes, answered the phone, greeted guests, and stapled documents. She was part of the cadre of women who volunteered in the main office, but there was some rare sparkle to Pat.
