It was a bittersweet experience on Sunday as  Damen preached a great sermon, but it was also his last at First UCC, Northfield.  Damen has finished his time with us and is moving ahead on his journey to become a minister.  What an honor it has been to have him with us over these last many months.

  Damen and his fan club.  Parents David and Karen, Aunt Kathryn, Aunt Teresa and Uncle Denny Birdwell.  They traveled from various points in Iowa to be with Damen on this special day. 

One of the many social happenings at UCC is a group called 9 to Dine.  This project brings together 9 people who get together for “pot luck” meals shared at each of their homes throughout the year.  Many friendships are formed with these random groupings of people.  Some groups even have reunions even though they have moved on to new groups over the years.  This group formed in 2006 and still manage to get together once a year to catch up and socialize.  Pictured here are Ed and Doris Srsen, Julie Maxson, Elizabeth Olson, Bob Kahn, Sue Mieska, Liz Hankins, Garda Kahn and Jerry Hankins. 

Imagine a place where everybody counts. Where all kids look out for little ones, and little ones make faces at wee ones. And everybody laughs out loud.

A place where the sunrise tastes like strawberry ice cream; the sunsets glow like the face of a contented grandparent; where the breeze travels over the glistening lake….. And whispers your name.

Such a place exists and it’s named Pilgrim Point Camp. Where is it? Just far enough away…yet within reach….Alexandria, Minnesota. More than a destination, it’s a mind set; a spiritual oasis attended annually by many youth and adults. All shapes, sizes, ages and numbers are welcome.

Pilgrim Point Camp is a place where bonds are strengthened; where strangers discover their similarities; where goodness is given and where crickets and frogs sing a cappella ‘til dawn. It’s a place where campfires crackle, stories are retold and fowl language is for the birds.

It is also a state of “being.” Where now-ness replaces practicality; where a dinner bell replaces watches and clocks; where imagination is stronger than fact; and where God is as close as your breath.

This beautiful lakeside destination offers the traveler a place to cleanse their soul. An open air sanctuary invites quiet, while offering a chance to reflect, recharge, rekindle, reawaken. It’s as if the trees seem to say, “Whatever was troubling you will just have to wait.”

It’s a place where piggyback rides are the preferred mode of transportation and shooting stars and lightening bugs point to the heavens. A place that makes your heart sing and toes tingle. A place where God is found in moments of kindness and love…. And conversations can be had without speaking a word.

As you wander toward the place for which the camp is named a hand painted sign greets you, “all who enter here do so in silence for this is sacred space.” And indeed it is.

John R. Beard

Pilgrim Point Camp — Think about it for your Family this summer. Click HERE for more information.

Our congregation is honored to host a showing of the moving video, For the Bible Tells Me So, on Friday evening, May 16 at 7:00 pm at the church (300 Union Street in Northfield).

Does God really condemn loving homosexual relationships? Is the chasm separating Christianity from gays and lesbians too wide to cross? Is the Bible an excuse to hate? These questions and more are answered in this award-winning documentary, which brilliantly reconciles homosexuality and Biblical scripture – and reveals that religious anti-gay bias is based almost solely upon a misinterpretation of the Bible.

Through the experiences of five very normal, Christian, American families – including those of former House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt and Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson – we discover how people of faith handle the realization of having a gay child or family member.

Offering healing, clarity and understanding to anyone caught in the crosshairs of scripture and sexual identity, this landmark film “boldly takes on a loaded topic and examines it both intellectually and emotionally; the result may well leave you blinking away a few tears.” (Seattle Times)

Many UCC members, along with 50,000 other folks, participated in the 16th annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure at the Mall of America today.  It’s become an annual tradition for many at UCC to attend this important fund raising event to help find a cure for Breast Cancer.

The 3rd Annual Blessing of the Bikes drew such a large crowd that we couldn’t fit them all in one photo.  It was a glorious day and Sandy blessed us all with great care and concern.  We’re all ready for the 2008 riding season.  What a fun event. 

You’ll want to be at Babcock Park at 5:00 pm on Sunday May 4 for the big season opener between our own Fighting Apostles and St. Dominic’s Blue Team.

Fighting Apostles spokesman Scott Richardson says St. Dominic’s is a tough opponent.  “They actually practice!” he said.

Families of team members were delighted that this year’s opener is not on Mother’s Day.  “It keeps me out of the doghouse,” opined Greg Muth.

The team’s entry fee to the Church Softball League is covered by the proceeds of last Sunday’s French Toast Breakfast.  If you liked eating with them, you’ll love watching them play!

First UCC will hold it’s 3rd Annual Blessing of the Bikes on Sunday,  May 4 right after worship.  Bring your bike, trike, wagon, moped or motorcycle to be included in Sandy’s Blessing.   We’ll meet in the church parking lot.  Bring your friends and neighbors.  It’s a fun event and we always have a great blessing.

I had the pleasure of preaching at Kathy’s ordination on April 19, and of presenting her the gifts from our congregation — a beautiful red stole that Mary Wood brought home from Bethlehem, and a quilt filled with signatures and good wishes of members and friends.

She chose First Corinthians 13 as the text for the sermon — the famous words about love that are often read at weddings.  Here’s what I had to say about that …

Love and Work

This is not a wedding. I know it seems like it could be: we received beautiful invitations, many of us have traveled to get here, the church is decorated with flowers, the people are dressed in special clothing, promises will be made, there will be a reception afterwards, and – of course – we just heard a reading of First Corinthians 13.

Continue…

Our good friend and former Pastoral Care Coordinator, Kathy Baughman, is being ordained on April 19 as a minister in the Unitarian Universalist Association.

I’ll be preaching the sermon for the ordination service, and Sue Mieska and I will be presenting this beautiful quilt that Tanya is holding in the picture.  There are 48 white squares, each one with a message of love and good wishes for Kathy.

I had the honor (and delight!) of stitching the blocks together and doing the decorative quilting (using one of the long-armed quilting machines at Quilt Yourself up in Savage).   Thanks to everyone who helped make this quilt-ful of good wishes!

Who are Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego? And what are they doing in Northfield?The answers will be revealed Sunday morning at First UCC, when energetic young singers and actors lead the service with their presentation of “It’s Cool in the Furnace.”

The narrative comes from the third chapter of the Book of Daniel, but reading the Bible won’t be nearly as much fun as seeing nearly 30 children and youth bring the story to life. You’ll be humming the theme songs when you leave the building.

Some of our adult members have been humming them for 20 years! About a half dozen (mostly now parents) remember being part of productions of “It’s Cool in the Furnace” when they were kids. We’ll see if they really do remember all the words.

The service is at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 16, at First UCC, 3^rd and Union Streets in Northfield.

Kathy Baughman, our former Pastoral Care Coordinator, is being ordained in Topeka, Kansas in the Unitarian Univeralist Association on Saturday, April 19. (Pastor Sandy will be preaching the ordination) To honor Kathy and her dedicated service to our congregation and her work in the wider church we would like to make a quilt for her and present it to her on her ordination.

The quilt we are imagining would include hand written squares from any members/friends of UCC Northfield who would like to join in honoring Kathy’s great work. Sandy has offered to vounteer her time to put the quilt together and get the sqaures ready for those who wish to deocrate them. (Don’t be intimidated if you are not an artist) You can simply write a message on a square. Squares will be available after worship on Sunday, March 2nd and Sunday, March 9th. You can write on them at church and leave them with us.

We have a small book that you can sign along with any message you have for Kathy. It will be in the church office and also in the fellowship hall after worship each Sunday. If you’d like to make a contribution to cover the cost of the quilt you can do so by leaving a check in the church office in the envelopes marked “Quilt for Kathy”. Please know that you do not need to make a contribution to decorate a square and you don’t need to decorate a square to make a contribution.

Mary Wood has a stole from her items from Bethlehem that we would also include in our gift to Kathy. The cost of this stole is $49 and we would be happy to take any donations people would like to give.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at 507-645-4312 or smieska@cardinalcorp.com.