SERVICES

The Bible tells us to be connected and concerned with the well-being of all those in our world. We do better when everyone else around us does better. We have a vested interest in the well-being of others.

In July as we learn from five bold and important female leaders in the Old Testament. What do you know about these five powerful women: Esther Deborah, Hagar, Miriam, Rahab.  Join us as we hear and connect with their stories. 

Over the past few months, a small group of us have been meeting to plan a sermon series. Sarah Nelson, Sarah Heyd Johnson, Peter Cleaveland and myself have crafted together a theme called ROOTED. Over 5 weeks, we will explore the concept of nourishment, connection, growth, understanding one another, and how strong roots can ground us through the ups and downs of life. 

For three weeks in May, we explore meaningful topics that include the ways imperfection makes this world beautiful, our District Superintendent, Rev. Cynthia Williams, preaches on the story of Jesus healing a woman on the sabbath, and Rev. Susan Mullin's sermon "Things Look Dire: Be Not Afraid". 

Throughout Lent, we examined different questions that arose in encounters with Jesus. This week and next, we'll examine two of the questions that Jesus himself asked after he was resurrected. 

Throughout the gospels, Jesus encounters people who are seeking. They are seeking a new beginning, a different life, a deeper faith. The exchange between them is one of questions and exploration. We are also seeking many things. Lent offers us a season to engage in this spiritual practice of seeking and asking questions. Each week, we will seek good questions rather than easy answers. Our faith will be shaped by our growth, curiosity, and wonder.

Join us as we explore the concept of belonging. It's a desire and need that we all have to belong. What does it mean to truly belong? How can we create belonging? To whom do we belong?

Angels play a prominent part in the Advent and Christmas story. Whenever they appear, they first always say, "Do not fear." We'll reflect on what our fear teaches us about ourselves and how we can look for the ways God is present in our fear. God may not always eliminate our fears, but God does make sure we are not alone. This was enough of a comfort to Mary and Joseph so that they could face the future with hope and faith. May it be the same for us.

Love is a simple word with a lot of complexity behind it. When questioned about the most important commandment, Jesus said that loving God and loving others were the greatest of priorities. Paul wrote some of the most beautiful words about love, saying that love was greater even than hope and faith. We will kick off our fall talking, sharing, and practicing loving God and others. From the delight of loving our children to the challenge of loving our enemies, love is a wonder and a mystery. Loving others sounds wonderful, but is often the hardest work we will ever do. Good thing we get to wrestle with it together!

Join us for 4 weeks in worship as we connect more deeply with creation and claim God’s call on us to be caretakers of the earth. For many of us, God is never more present or real than when we can experience God out in nature. Together, we will be sharing our love of nature along with urgent needs of environmental justice.