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I am so grateful to everyone for the wonderful celebration of our ministry together, for the beautiful fabric art by Dawn Carlson Conn that was commissioned for the church in honor of my time with you, and for the substantial donations made to my seminary, Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley. Thanks [...] Several folks have asked about the two stories I read in church on December 27. Here they are — I’ve given you the links to amazon.com because they have full publication information. Snowmen at Christmas, by Caralyn Buehner, pictures by Mark Buehner Great Joy by Kate Dicamillo, Illustrated by Bagram [...] The UCC has a long record of advocating for change in our health care system, and a commitment to health care for all. Here’s a link to information about our position, and about things you can do to move this important work forward. Here’s an excerpt from the Pastoral Letter: As people of [...] Many of you have asked for an easy way to print the items posted here — sermons, announcements, even pictures. Here’s how to do it: Click on the title of the post you want to print; this will take you to the whole item on its own page Scroll down to the bottom, where [...]
Damen is pictured in our sanctuary, speaking with long-time member Ian Barbour, one of the many people who have helped Damen to live a life of curiosity and faithfulness. Here’s the article: Damen Heitmann ‘09 ranks his confirmation class at Trinity United Church of Christ in Victor, Iowa, high on his list of formative experiences. “When Pastor David Mears said whatever language we used to write our personal religious creeds was the right language,” Damen explains, “he took the Divine out of a box that previously had only one key and gave everyone equal access.” The UCC General Synod (our biennial national gathering) honors many individuals and groups — and this year, that included us! Our congregation was recognized for our extraordinary generosity to Our Church’s Wider Mission — we’re in the top tier of givers, with over $60,000 contributed last year. We are one of the smallest [...] The United Church of Christ General Synod begins Friday, June 26, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Every two years, delegates from all over the country come together to worship, work, and make decisions for our church. This year you can follow all the action from home. Click here to get details on all the [...] If you are like me, you are a little wary of “devotional” readings. They often seem trite or simplistic, or worse, are based on a theology that I don’t agree with. I want to encourage you to try out the UCC’s Daily Devotional. These are thoughtful reflections, written by clergy and lay leaders [...] I’d like to invite you to add some conversation to our website. Whenever you see something new posted here, there’s a place at the bottom to click if you would like to make a comment about what you have just read. (Don’t be confused if it says “No Comments” — that just [...]
Follow Me Jonah 3:1-5, 10 Mark 1:14-20 I have always been glad that the story of the calling of the first disciples is not the only story of calling in the Bible.
The passage we chose this year was Isaiah 60:1-6, which begins “Arise, shine; for your light has come, If you are hoping to have a more meaningful Christmas with your family this year, consider sharing this simple service sometime on Christmas Eve. Take a few minutes for everyone to settle down, gather around your table, light a candle, and read the words of scripture that make this truly a “holy night.” [...] Want to liven up your Christmas caroling this year? How about singing an old standard (Irving Berlin’s White Christmas), but in LATIN? Here are the words, compliments of our music director Chris Brunelle (who also teaches classics at St. Olaf). Te decent nives, nox Christi, similliman praeteritis: renitet cacumen, in natum numen pubes [...] As you and your family get ready for Christmas, I hope you will do more than wrap gifts and send greeting cards. The church gets ready for Christmas by celebrating the season of Advent, a time of watching and waiting. Why not start a tradition of lighting Advent Candles each week to help [...] |
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I had the honor of offering the opening prayer for the Minnesota House of Representatives at their session on Monday afternoon. I have done this several times in the past (also for the State Senate) and think of it as my yearly civics lesson. This time, I took my inspiration from the 
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