by the Rev. Jeremy Pridgeon O God, our hope and refuge,in our distress we come quickly to you.Shock and horror of that tragic day have subsided,replaced now with an emptiness,a longing for an innocence lost. We come remembering those who lost their livesin New York, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania. We are mindful of the sacrifice […]

Legend has it that Howard Thurman, an African American theologian, prayed the same verse of scripture every day: “How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! I try to count them – they are more than the sand;” (Psalm 139:17-18a) Everyday, year after year, he prayed using […]

Kids are heading back to school. Teachers are getting back into the routine of teaching. The stores are filled with school supplies and there is a feeling of excitement in the air as another school year begins. And at First Congregational, there is excitement as we prepare to launch our new Sunday School program! This […]

This summer our congregation took a big leap and tried something new. For five weeks we moved ourselves out of our sanctuary and worshiped in the park on Thursday evenings. Surrounded by wildlife, bluffs, water, and people playing softball, we worshiped God in the midst of God’s glory. Here are few pictures of a successful […]

We are one week into our five-week summer series of worshipping on Thursday afternoons in the park.  We are one week into a five-week experiment. When asked if they like to try new things, most people will say they do.   It is easy for people to say, in the abstract, that trying new things is […]

The 32rd General Synod of the UCC will begin this Friday, June 21st in Milwaukee, WI.  The theme of this gathering will be drawn from Matthew 8, “Let Your Light Shine.” General Synod is a very important event in the life of our denomination.  The business of the UCC is done, worship is had, learning […]

Today is Trinity Sunday in the Christian church.  The day, one of my colleagues said, when the Holy Spirit is not regulated to the background but is brought front and center with God and Christ.  I said last week that it has been my observation and experience in midwestern Protestantism that the Holy Spirit is […]

I have always enjoyed Pentecost. I find myself reading the scriptures about the early Jesus Movement and wondering what it would have been like to be there. I find myself thinking about the Holy Spirit and if ancient times were set apart, or if people were better able to describe what they were experiencing using […]

By Melissa Musick Nussbaum Christmas Day and Easter Sunday share a similar problem. On the Feast of the Nativity, we want to linger before the baby in the crib; on the Feast of the Resurrection, we want to linger before the empty tomb. We’re like Peter, James and John before Jesus on the mountain — […]

Beloved Community, I offer my gratitude that you have given me the time and space to be away at a conference that is both challenging and uplifting. The Festival of Homiletics (in other words, a preaching conference for those who preach a progressive understanding of the Good News) is a conference I have wanted to […]