Category Archives: Newsletter excerpts

Articles from recent newsletters.

Pastor’s Pen for April, 2013

And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual. (1 Corinthians 2.13)

Throughout the gospels, Jesus is repeatedly described as a teacher. Given the number of references to his teaching activity, you might be tempted to think of him as a college professor leading his students through a graduate-level degree program – something beyond the grasp of the ordinary man or woman on the street.

But such an image would not do justice to his teachings or to the nature of his students. For the most part, his primary audience was made up of people from the lower socio-economic classes. Those from the richer, more highly educated classes were usually his most vigorous opponents – the one’s primarily responsible for putting him to death. His message was basically quite simple: “The Reign of God is arriving, even as we speak!” The rest of his teaching involved illustrating that fact with down-to-earth stories, and demonstrating to people how they could recognize, experience and participate in that new way of life that God makes possible for everyone. He didn’t need a classroom, a textbook, or an expensive curriculum, but only the time necessary to get to know him and to engage him in some in-depth conversation. His goal was to offer people a richer relationship to God, not an intellectual body of knowledge – a changed life, not an academic degree.

Today, we tend to turn his profoundly simple approach into something much more complicated. We make his way of life into an education program – something we know about, rather than something we practice. Instead of coming together to talk about the opportunities and challenges of living each day in response to God’s love, we offer courses for acquiring information about the Bible.

The Church’s job is not to run programs and provide answers to unanswerable questions, but to share our unique adventures on this life-long journey into the Mystery of God’s love. It’s to invite others to let Jesus lead them into the heart of each moment, discovering God’s redeeming presence in even the most painful or demanding situations. We can’t explain all God’s ways to everyone’s satisfaction, but only acknowledge the miracles of mercy and resurrection revealed even in the somber tragedies we may have to endure.

The Church’s gift to the world isn’t knowledge or information, but joy and wonder. That’s what Jesus is still trying to teach us. And no matter how old we are, those are lessons we never stop needing to learn.

‑‑ Duane

Pastor’s Pen for March, 2013

Great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the maimed, the blind, the mute, and many others. They put them at his feet, and he cured them, so that the crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel. (Matthew 15:30-31

When Jesus walked the dusty roads of Palestine, he had a profound impact on those he met – especially those whose lives were a disaster of one kind or another. If a person was sick, mentally ill, or a despised social outcast, meeting Jesus made a dramatic difference. The person’s life was changed! He or she was never quite the same again. In the midst of desperate circumstances, Jesus made people’s lives healthy and whole.

The news of these encounters spread quickly, and people came from miles around to seek his help. No problem seemed too difficult for him. Rather than charging for his services, his help was free and unsolicited. And people spontaneously praised God for what was happening.

Today, things are different. We have hospitals, doctors, therapists and social workers to turn to when our bodies are broken and our lives are in chaos. A wealth of information and advice are available at our fingertips via the internet. We are infinitely better equipped to manage or personal crises than the people of biblical times. It’s no wonder that so many people nowadays are asking themselves: “Who needs Jesus (or his church) anymore?” It’s a good question, and one those of us in the church need to answer.

In order to understand Jesus’ significance today, we first need to understand that the miraculous events of his ministry were not the focus of his work, but the byproduct of it. His message was that God’s reign was at hand, even now being revealed among us. God, he insisted, was already at work restoring and renewing the world — within us and around us – to reveal God’s original design for Creation. The brokenness and injustice of our world was giving way to the loving and compassionate ways of God’s New Creation – a new world order that governments, armies, or even death itself could prevent from being victorious. This was the “main event” that Jesus’ life and ministry were all about. His miraculous healings were simply ripples that radiate outward from the tidal wave of God’s love washing over this world as we know it.

Consequently, Jesus is much more than a primitive faith healer who has been surpassed by medical science. Medical science, for all its majestic accomplishments, is ultimately a matter of technique and skill. It is about managing and manipulating our bodies and minds to bring about certain predetermined outcomes. But while it can significantly limit the ravages of disease and promote healing, it cannot provide us with scientific evidence that we are loved or loveable. It cannot give our lives meaning or purpose. It cannot inspire us to lay down our lives for a noble cause. It cannot convince us that we are now forgiven and free from the wounds and mistakes of our past. It cannot surround us with the loving arms of a caring community of imperfect people who have been transformed and made new by the power of God’s Holy Spirit.

For that reason, Jesus and his church, will continue to have a place in the world. He can do what no other person, group, or organization can do: demonstrate to us how deeply and unconditionally we are loved – despite our less-than-admirable track record. He is the only one who will always be able to look at us with a smile, embrace us, and assure us that he has a special place for us in his community. It’s one thing to know certain things about Jesus, but it’s another thing entirely to know Jesus and experience God’s love personally through him.

That is the experience that Jesus keeps alive at the heart of the church’s life. Despite our human fallibilities and the encrusted nature of our traditions, that is the wondrous mystery that not only keeps us going, but which makes us long to share it . . . especially with those for whom it seems impossible and much too good to be true. If that describes you, then I invite you to come to Jesus, like those so long ago, who came to discover for themselves what nothing less than their own experience could teach them: the power of the love that God has for you . . . now and always.

– Duane

Pastor’s Pen for February, 2013

But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knitted together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:15-16)

The Gospels are quite clear that those who want to be Jesus’ disciples are to love God and serve others. Each of us is called by God and empowered in some way for ministry in Christ’s name. We all know this, but most churches don’t know how to promote, coordinate and support this process.

Over the past year, I have had many conversations with the Deacons about how we might do this more effectively as a church. Our goal is to help people (members or non-members) to: 1) Recognize God’s presence and activity in their lives, 2) Identify the ministry for which God has uniquely called and equipped them, and 3) Coordinate the encouragement and support for their ministry through the resources the church has to offer them. We also believe that this process should be as enjoyable, encouraging, and individualized as possible – not burdensome, discouraging, or rigid. We recognize that God calls most people to ministries outside the structure of the institutional church, and for that reason, the focus must be on each person’s spiritual energy rather than on institutional considerations.

After much deliberation, we think that we may have found a way to do this. The process involves an individual 1-hour consultation to discuss three simple worksheets designed to sharpen the awareness of God’s presence in one’s life, to help decide how to respond to that divine activity, and to explore ways the church may be able to help. There will be no pressure to think or act in any preconceived way, nor any assumption that a person is doing anything “wrong” or isn’t doing “enough.” There will be no attempt to teach something you aren’t interested in, persuade you to do something you don’t want to do, or to critique your life in any way. Instead, the emphasis will to discover, explore and affirm the motivations and resources that are yours already. We intend it to be an exciting opportunity for growth, and not a burdensome or irrelevant obligation . . . and certainly NOT a waste of your precious time!

During the coming year, I invite you to meet with me to engage in this process of support and discovery. This process can take place in the comfort of your home, or in my office, whichever is more convenient for you. A sign-up sheet will be available in Steele Chapel during Coffee Hour, or you may call or email me to set up an appointment. The more people that participate, the more effective the results will be – for individuals, and for us as a church. I look forward to all the exciting conversations that I will be having in the year ahead!

– Duane

Pastor’s Pen for January, 2013

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. (John 14.27)

Like people all around the country, last month’s shootings in Newtown, Connecticut have raised a lot of troubling questions for which there are no easy or obvious answers. No one wants to see such tragedies repeated, but how to prevent them seems elusive. Many are calling now for more stringent gun control legislation, banning assault weapons, better mental health screening, and beefing up school security. And while these steps are long overdue and will probably help to some degree, no one is suggesting that they will provide the ultimate solution. A few have argued that the solution lies in allowing more people to own and carry weapons for self-defense, but it seems to me that only encourages people to become more suspicious, fearful, and prone to violence than they already are. If we intend to take our faith seriously, we can’t ignore the fact that Jesus rejected retaliatory violence in favor of turning the other cheek (Matthew 5:38-39), despite the extremely violent society in which he lived.

So in the shadow of these recent events, I find myself asking what other insight’s Jesus’ life and teachings deserve our renewed attention. Several come to mind:

Nonviolence – War, terrorism, injustice and violence were as much a part of 1^st Century life as they are today. But nowhere in Jesus’ ministry do we see him engage in, advocate, or endorse violence as a solution to the problems of life. His strategy was to combat these harsh realities with love, not force. Even when his own life was threatened, he refused to resort to violence, or to let his disciples do so. It was a costly choice, but one that was vindicated afterwards. In his life, death, and resurrection lie the seeds of an alternative to the violent culture of our world – the seeds of a new way of life that God is introducing to us through him.

Today, we tend to regard nonviolence as a naive approach to the harsh realities of life. We accept war and armed conflict as inevitable necessities for which there are no alternatives. We accept without question the violence idolized in our televised entertainment and on the video games that our children grow up with. Our country has always had a Department of War (renamed in 1949 as the Department of Defense) but has never had a comparable Department of Peace. Perhaps if we are to change our violent culture, the Church must offer a kind of leadership that secular governments are unable or unwilling to provide.

Security – It’s only human to want to feel safe and secure. Most of us tend to measure security in terms of our homes, our bank accounts, our jobs, and our nation’s military. Jesus teaches us that God is our only real source of security. God is there when all the other forms of security collapse. For most of us, that’s hard to imagine. But given the turbulent state of our world today, perhaps we need to explore that alternative more seriously.

Reconciliation – Conflicting interests happen all the time between individuals and groups. When conflicts occur, they often become power struggles, in which one side wins and the other side loses. Jesus shows us a different way to deal with our conflicts. He defines victory, not in terms of which side gets what they want, but in terms of the quality of the relationship that results from their interaction. Even when his enemies killed him, he forgave them, rather than let hatred divide them. Not even his own death could stand in the way of Jesus’ willingness to be reconciled with them. I wonder how our world would be different if relationships, not outcomes, were the results we cherished the most?

Self-interest – The most remarkable thing about Jesus is his ability to put God’s will above his own self-interest. That stands as one of the greatest mysteries his life reveals to us. Over and over again, he put his own welfare aside in favor of God’s will for others. In my experience, that’s amazingly hard to do! It takes an openness to God’s Spirit that few of us even try to cultivate. Our own inner wounds often interfere with our openness. Maybe that’s why Jesus spent so much time in prayer. Maybe that’s how he overcame his own resistance, and in doing so, offers us hope that we can too.

These are not meant to be a list of quick-fix, easy answers. There aren’t any. They are only meant to be some of the things I’m reflecting on as I try to hear God’s voice in the midst of this recent tragedy. As this new year begins, let’s all commit ourselves to spend some time listening together for the words of Peace that God is speaking to us.

– Duane

Pastor’s Pen for December, 2012

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. (Matthew 23:1-3)

In last month’s newsletter, I discussed the three central functions of the Christian Life: Identity, Spirituality, and Mission. You may have noticed that I did NOT mention anything about beliefs. That was not an oversight, but the result of my growing conviction that beliefs are not the most important thing we should be concerned about.

For one thing, beliefs change and evolve. Most of us recognize (and rejoice!) in the fact that our childish ideas about life that we held in grade school have long ago given way to a more mature worldview. As we grow, learn, and experience new things, our beliefs inevitably need to be reexamined and reformulated, over and over again.

Also, beliefs may not tell us much about the person that holds them. Some folks say they believe in Jesus’ call to “love your neighbor,” but don’t actually demonstrate that belief in the way they live. In that case, does what they believe matter, since it doesn’t seem to shape their behavior in any significant way? It is often those unconscious, unexamined or contradictory convictions that determine our actions more than the noble words we so readily profess.

Therefore, a better approach would seem to be to focus, not on what to believe, but on how to believe. Asking the “how” question helps focus our attention on what we actually do, rather than on just what we think or say. If our words are consistent with our actions, then that harmony will be obvious. But if actions and words don’t align, then the question of “how” we believe will help us to address faith issues at a more appropriate and effective level. Although how we think about our faith is important, the way we live it is a much more critical concern.

The implications of this change of focus can be significant. The church can be less concerned with helping people acquire information, and focus more on helping people find appropriate practices that deepen their sense of God’s presence in their lives and results in behavior that effectively expresses God’s love for the world. Membership can then become what it’s meant to be: not a matter of verbal acceptance of religious ideas, but a matter of participating in an ongoing process of discovering new public and private practices that allow us to walk in Jesus’ footsteps, energized by the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit.

Today, more and more people are turned off by the institutional aspects of the churches they have known. Petty conflicts, theological bickering, time-consuming and mind-numbing committee meetings, and endless financial appeals have driven many younger people to think that churches have nothing worthwhile to offer them. While they may be longing for a more dynamic spiritual life, a greater purpose, and a richer sense of communion with others, they have serious doubts that churches can help them in their quest.

Every week our bulletins proudly proclaim that “No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.” That is a profound expression of the inclusive nature of God’s hospitality. But people today are looking for more than just hospitality and a place where they will be accepted. They are also looking for a place where they can find the help they need to actually live the kind of life that Jesus lived – a life overflowing with love, compassion, and the mystery of the healing power of God – a quality of life they long to experience, not just talk about.

My dream is to see churches like this one become places where people come, not only to learn what to think about Jesus, but to get practical support in how to live a Christ-like and Christ-centered life. We all know that churches today must change if they are to survive. Shifting our emphasis from what we believe to how we believe may be an important first step.

– Duane

Pastor’s Pen for November, 2012

– Duane

Pastor’s Pen for October, 2012

The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-13)

In recent months, I have been thinking a lot about the Christian life and what makes it unique. I’ve come to the conclusion that it has three distinct but interrelated parts: Identity, Spirituality, and Mission.

“Identity” refers to how we understand ourselves as a result of God’s activity in our lives through Jesus Christ. The New Testament consistently maintains that a person’s life is significantly different after they form an intimate relationship with Jesus. As Paul says, “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” (2 Corinthians 5:17) It may take some time to fully grasp the extent of that change, or to find the right words to describe it, but it’s clear that things are no longer the way they used to be. This change is more than just a shift in what doctrines or religious ideas we believe, but a change that makes a noticeable difference in how we think, feel, and act – a change that has taken place in us that others can’t help but notice.

“Spirituality” refers to the specific practices we regularly engage in to keep our relationship with God alive and well. These are the things we do on a daily and weekly basis that keep us attuned to Jesus’ presence in our lives. Just as a marriage suffers when a couple fails to spend enough time with each other, so our spiritual life suffers when we fail to cultivate a personal relationship to the Divine. Some of these activities will be personal and private, (e.g. prayer, devotional reading, contemplation, etc.) while others will be public and interpersonal (e.g. worship, singing, conversation, etc.). Both public and private aspects are essential, because Jesus the whole person, not just our hearts and minds.

“Mission” refers to how we go about sharing God’s love with others. It has to do with how we join together to help those around us to experience God’s gift of new life in some concrete way. Whether it’s in our families, our community, our workplace, our recreational activities, or in the church, every faithful disciple of Jesus is given a mission in life. While the particular mission may change over time, we are always called to serve others in Jesus’ name. Sometimes, it will take a lot of prayer and the insights of other Christians to help us figure out what exactly God wants us to do, but we can be sure that God always has a mission for us, no matter who we are or what our circumstances may be.

Many of us find that some of those aspects are easier to deal with than others. But like a three-legged stool, they all need to be firmly in place if our faith is to be stable, mature and effective. For that reason, the church needs to be prepared to help people strengthen and coordinate these three aspects of the Christian life.

Over the last several years, I have been gathering tools that I think will be useful to help people do this. The Deacons and I are currently exploring ways to help every person in the congregation assess, strengthen, and integrate their Christian Identity, Spirituality, and Mission. I hope you will find our efforts welcome and effective. The goal is not to judge anyone else’s behavior or theology, but to enable people to assess their own needs and to help them discover the resources that will keep them moving forward in their faith development. We also want to help people identify others who can partner with them in their journey toward the fullness of Christ.

Whether you are already a church member or whether you are simply someone searching for spiritual growth, I invite you to contact me about learning more about the kind of “spiritual health check-up” that I’ve been describing. You have nothing to lose, and much to gain!

– Duane

Pastor’s Pen for August, 2012

And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

According to a study that came out earlier this year, Vermont and New Hampshire are two of the least religious states in the country. People in these parts seem to see the Church and what it stands for as pretty irrelevant to their lives. Yes, they want a church to be married in and for a place to have their funeral, but for the rest of the time, the church seems pretty extraneous to the things that matter to them in life. It’s not so much that they’re openly hostile toward the church, but just indifferent (or at least ambivalent).

As I’ve listened to people’s comments about the church over the years, there are two major misconceptions that seem to be responsible for people’s avoidance of churches. The first myth is: Getting involved in a church means that you have to go to worship every week. It’s hard to know exactly where that idea came from, since there is nothing in the Bible to support it. When the Torah bids us to “remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy,” it means much more than just attending a worship service. Jesus never made it one of the criteria for faithful discipleship, and there’s no indication that he and his disciples attended services in the Temple or synagogue every Sabbath. (And it’s certainly no secret that even the most dedicated church members often miss services for weeks or even months at a time!) In other words, this myth seems to be a “straw man” – i.e. a flimsy excuse – used to justify one’s reluctance to change or to get involved or to stand up and be counted.

The fact is that Sunday worship is not what the church is all about. Attending worship once a week does not define the life of faith. Christianity is a way of life that seeks to follow Jesus’ leadership every hour of the day, every day of the week – not just for an hour on Sunday. It is a lifestyle that rejects the materialism, the violence, and the self-centeredness of our modern culture in favor of the healing, sacrificial, and reconciling values of Jesus. It is a way of life that isn’t easy to practice. It’s hard to resist the seductive influence of our secular world. We can’t seem to ever get it quite right. We fail to achieve his level of faithfulness to God over and over again. Our own resources just aren’t enough, and we need to keep coming back, again and again, to strengthen our resolve, refocus our attention, and draw support and insight from others who also are trying to walk in Jesus’ ways. It isn’t that Sunday worship has all the answers we need, but that in sharing our lives and our struggles with one another, we find the Spirit of Christ revealed in our midst, no matter what day of the week it happens to be.

This leads us to the second myth that is subverting the life of the Church: The only thing that matters is what I believe in my heart. This one is subtle, because our inner life obviously is important to the life of the Spirit, but only to the extent that it expresses itself outwardly in our behavior. Private beliefs are only as good as the quality of life they enable us to live. It’s not about our moral purity or about being good citizens, but about our ability to love enemies, embrace misfortunes, and offer healing to those who wound us. Most of us find that our private beliefs aren’t enough to generate those qualities, but that we need abundant doses of God’s help to bring them into the light of day. And in most cases, the help God sends our way comes through the broken, humble, ordinary lives of other people. Without the support of a compassionate community of faith around us, our noblest beliefs are nothing more than pipe dreams and good intentions. There can be no spiritual life without a spiritual community.

The “Church” isn’t just a building, and it isn’t just the people who gather on Sunday mornings. The Church is the group of people whose lives are inextricably woven together by their commitment to follow Jesus through the twists and turns of daily life. If we try to follow him individually, we tend to get distracted or to lose sight of him as he turns this way and that way to minister to people we don’t even see. Only in the company of other disciples can we keep him constantly in view, and signal one another as to which way he’s headed now. But watch out! As he makes his way through this needy world of ours, he tends to move pretty quickly, so if you wait till Sunday, he may have left you completely in the dust. And if you wait until Christmas or Easter, well . . . God help you!

– Duane

Pastor’s Pen for July, 2012

Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years; and though she had spent all she had on physicians, no one could cure her. She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his clothes, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped. Then Jesus asked, ‘Who touched me?’ When all denied it, Peter said, ‘Master, the crowds surround you and press in on you.’ But Jesus said, ‘Someone touched me; for I noticed that power had gone out from me.’ (Luke 8:43-46)

We never know for sure what sort of influence our lives are having on other people. Over the course of my ministry, people occasionally come up to me after a worship service and tell me about something I said that was particularly helpful to them. Often, when they tell me what it was that they found so meaningful, I realize that what they “heard” was not something I actually said! Nevertheless, what they “heard” had made a positive difference in their lives. Was this a case of they’re having misunderstood something I said, or was it a case of them hearing God speaking to them in a voice they thought was mine?

On the other hand, I’ve also had people accuse me of personally “attacking” them in a sermon, even though that was never my intent. Was this a case of poor communication on my part, or were they hearing the voice of God telling them something that they didn’t want to hear?

In the passage above, Jesus found himself having an unintended healing impact on the life of the woman with a hemorrhage. He didn’t know who it was that unexpectedly touched him, but he realized that it had a more profound meaning than just random jostling from the crowd. He may not have immediately realized what results that gentle touch had produced, but he knew that some divine energy had passed between himself and that particular stranger.

Similar things may happen to us without our knowing it. God may touch others through us without our realizing it. Our simple act of thoughtfulness and compassion may bring healing to someone hungry to receive it. Likewise, our insensitivity or careless gesture may bring all sorts of unintended harm. For instance, simply coming to church on Sunday may give an enormous lift to your fellow worshipers, while your absence may bring pain and discouragement to those who long for the touch of God, acting through your presence and support.

Jesus could have such a powerful impact on the woman with the hemorrhage because he cultivated his relationship with God so that his life simply flowed with the energy and love of God. Our lives have that potential too . . . but we will need to be just as intentional as Jesus was about cultivating our relationship with God if that’s going to happen. The Church isn’t about our becoming perfect people – it’s about us becoming God-saturated people. Worship isn’t about participating in archaic rituals – it’s about opening ourselves to God’s love for us . . . and experiencing it through the touch of the people around us!

So how will God’s power leak out of your life today? Who will you draw near enough to so that you can feel the full force of it? What crowd will you have to wade through to touch the fringe of Jesus’ garment and find the healing you so desperately need? That healing energy is what draws us into the Church, and it is our desire to become better conduits of that life-giving energy that keeps us coming back. Join us – you never know what sort of power may flow into your life . . . or out of you and into the life of a stranger!

– Duane

Pastor’s Pen for June, 2012

For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.’ (Matthew 18:20)

Although Jesus spent a lot of time and energy showing even the most discouraged individuals that their lives were infinitely important to God, he never minimized the important role relationships play in reshaping people’s lives. His healing miracles were never impersonal or mechanical, but always conveyed his sensitivity to the uniqueness of the individual, thereby establishing a relationship with them through which God’s power could flow.

When it came to developing disciples, his took a similar approach. His method of spiritual formation was to invite them into a special relationship with himself and with each other. He also made it clear to them that he expected those conversations to continue, even after his death and resurrection.

Those first disciples didn’t start out as spiritually giants – they were just a bunch of ordinary folks, (some of whom had very noticeable character flaws!) most of whom were pretty slow to catch on to what Jesus was trying to teach them. In other words, they were just like most of us! But Jesus never lost confidence in their potential to become spiritual leaders if they would just keep the conversation going with him and with each other.

Conversation is the life’s blood of relationships, and if we let Jesus be part of our conversations, our relationships can be transforming – even something holy. If the right spirit is present among us, even mundane, everyday topic can open us to something divine. It doesn’t matter whether the participants consider themselves “religious,” “secular,” or “agnostic.” It doesn’t matter whether they agree with each other or not – God can use the conversation to lead everyone into a deeper appreciation of what respect, compassion and love can mean.

Contrary to popular opinion, the church’s job isn’t to convert people to their way of thinking – Jesus says that’s God’s job (John 6:44). Instead, our job is to initiate conversations about things that matter to people – to engage them in a process of discovering deeper levels of meaning than they were able to find on their own.

Therefore, in order to foster such conversations, the Sharon Congregational Church will be sponsoring a new adventure we’re calling “The Lighthouse Café.” On the second Thursday of each month, you are invited to join us in Steele Chapel for a time to spend an hour or so exploring a topic of current interest. Join your friends and neighbors over a good cup of coffee to share insights, questions, and experiences related to the topic of the day. The goal is not to reach consensus, but to deepen our appreciation of each other’s perspectives.

This adventure will begin on Thursday, June 14 at 7:00 p.m. The topic of the evening will be: “Caught Between Parents and Kids” – a phenomenon commonly referred to as the “sandwich generation.” Please mark your calendars, and plan to join us for some meaningful conversation.

– Duane

Sharon Congregational Church, UCC

No matter who you are, or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here.

Category Archives: Newsletter excerpts