'community' Tagged Posts
Pastor’s Column – July/Aug 2024
Will we be faithless and held captive by deliberate and destructive disinformation and loyalty to the lies of the false prophets of our day, or will we be faithful to the truth that Jesus promise can set us free?” The false white gospel, by Jim Wallis Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the…
Pastor’s Column – Oct 2022
“He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow.” Deuteronomy 10:18 For the past couple years my grandmother has been going through her things and offering sentimental items to any grandkid that wants them. Knowing my love for history and being a pastor she has passed on a number of daily devotionals from my Great Grandpa Weller (b. 1889). The verse I shared above comes from the month of October in one such devotional. The teeny tiny book measures…
Pastor’s Column – July 2022
She began her sermon with a question, “What is the address of the church?” Those in the pews did not know whether they should respond or not. To be honest, her question felt like a trap and they did not want to fall for it. She asked the question again, “what is the address of the church?” One congregation member who found the silence unsettling raised his hand and gave the mailing address of the church. She said, “Very good.…
Souper Bowl of Caring 2022
It is again time for the Souper Bowl of Caring. We’ve actually been talking about it during announcements in worship for several weeks, but I was a little slow getting it posted here. for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me Matthew 25:35 (NRSV) The quote from Matthew is central to several of our core values, namely, love and welcoming community.…
Pastor’s Column – Aug 2021
I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you. Philippians 1:3-5 In this time of Covid and social distancing, I have developed a new appreciation for the ways in which Paul greets churches that are out of his reach. They are either too far away or in the context of Philippians, Paul is restricted to his tiny jail cell, not able to leave even if he…
Returning to In-Person Worship
To our Grace Church family and friends, As promised, church council has been meeting every two weeks to review the possibility of returning to sanctuary services. We met again on April 8 and agreed to return to in-person worship services on May 9. Selecting this date will allow us to accomplish a number of important objectives. While many of our members have been fully vaccinated, this date allows for many of the younger members of the church to complete the…
Pastor’s Column – Apr 2021
And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. Mark 16:3-4 The resurrection of Christ is transformative. It changes everything! No longer will death have the final word, but life…
Souper Bowl of Caring 2019
It is again time for the Souper Bowl of Caring for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me Matthew 25:35 (NRSV) The quote from Matthew is central to several of our core values, namely, love and welcoming community. This year, for the 19th consecutive year, we are participating in the Souper Bowl of Caring to benefit the hungry of Fairfield County.…
Souper Bowl of Giving Results
Thank you to everyone who contributed to our 2018 Souper Bowl of Giving food collection this year. We had 455 items dropped in the shopping cart and another 33 lbs of food given online this year. We can’t forget, however, that hunger is a problem in Fairfield County all year long. While this is a great start to the year, Jesus calls on us to feed the hungry and clothe the naked all the time. [slideshow_deploy id=’5390′]
Hurricane Harvey Response
Folks have been asking how we can help those in Texas who have been devastated by Hurricane Harvey. At this point in time, what is needed most is money, but soon there will also be a need for cleanup buckets. This page describes how the UCC at the national level is responding. If you wish to give money, you can give directly through this link, or write a check and on the memo line write “Hurricane Harvey” and we will…