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)

Through the experiences of five very normal, very Christian, very American families — including those of former House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt and Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson — we discover how insightful people of faith handle the realization of having a gay child. Informed by such respected voices as Bishop Desmond Tutu, Harvard’s Peter Gomes, Orthodox Rabbi Steve Greenberg and Reverend Jimmy Creech, FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO offers healing, clarity and understanding to anyone caught in the crosshairs of scripture and sexual identity.

This presentation is part of First UCC’s commitment (since 1994) to be an Open and Affirming congregation:  No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here!

Please invite your neighbors and friends to join us for this important look at the lives of families of faith.

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. 

Caring for the earth is a spiritual discipline.  As Sandy said in her sermon on Sunday, we care for creation because God loves creation and we love God.  In that spirit, the Green Task Force is asking First UCC members to make their own pledge of carbon reduction.

FIRST, read the pledge below and check one or more things you will do.

SECOND, fill out the Minnesota Energy Challenge online (there’s a long and a short version).

Third, post this pledge where you can see it, give thanks to God’s creation by pursuing your goals, & return next year to report on what you have done & pledge action anew.

You can learn what other UCC churches are doing by reading this article from the United Church News.

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 We had a great Earth Day on May 4 — lots of displays and information after the service, and a sermon during the service that invited everyone to dig in the dirt, play in the water, and says Thanks to a tree.

Here’s the sermon — the title comes from the story of the Ascension in the book of Acts.

The Ends of the Earth

Acts 1:6-14 ;1 Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11 

It is an irresistible image for the artist: gather up your crayons, stir up the paints, unfold the easel, grab your camera. Jesus is lifted up to heaven on a cloud. The problem for us, of course, is that all of those wonderful works of art seem either quaint or naïve to us – we who know that heaven isn’t up and that clouds are not elevators.

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May 2008 Chronicle