Sian's Shenanigans (Page 9)

            To transform our lives and communities by living our Principles.             We have a new mission statement! At our June annual meeting, the congregation approved a new Mission Statement as shown above. It may seem kind of awkward to see it at first glance – after all, what does it mean? How do we do this? What communities? What part of our lives? Great questions! The Worship Committee and I are going to be exploring those questions all year…

Summer is here! Here at church, it’s going to be a wonderful summer. We are continuing two services to keep momentum going and although the choir is taking a break, we’ve got planned some wonderful musicians and music for you! Summer is a fun time to experiment with worship and try new ideas. For example, Rayna, our Director of Religious Education, is going to be hosting Dr. Who classes for our youth and any adults who would like to join…

Our worship theme this month is Transcendence. It’s not a very easy word to define. Yet, we all have felt it: Sometimes it’s felt as a sense of awe or wonder – like when you are in the Grand Canyon or looking at the night sky; or when we feel a deep sense of gratitude for all those around us and feel a sense of deep connection; and other times it comes when we use our imagination to transport us…

If you’ve ever been around a young child, you know about Transformers, the toys. When my nephew Max turned 5, he loved them. Only he was 5 years old and thus had a hard time transforming them himself. So with tears of frustration after trying, he would turn to his patient mother and father who got very good at transforming the toy back and forth between the car and the robot. He would watch in fascination and expectation as it…

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” ― Maya Angelou I love stories! I love doing the “Time For All Ages” on Sunday morning and you might have noticed that most of my sermons start with a story. Or that I’ll tell at least one story in the sermon. Whether it is my own or that of another person, I just know that stories are powerful. Stories take us to another place and time, they…

Minister’s Message My Committee On Ministry (COM) recently asked me to evaluate how I think things are going in the first 100 days of my ministry here. It was somewhat tongue-in-cheek, reminiscent of analysis the media likes to do of our political leaders. But it did get me thinking. Most ministers take their first year just listening, getting to know people and settling into the position. We haven’t had that luxury due to our current financial situation. Instead, we’ve been…

My thanks to everyone who showed up for our wonderful worship retreat on Saturday!  With 16 people showing up and 6 others who want to be involved, it’s shaping up to be a great year for worship. I can’t wait! I’ll say more in the Casual Comments section of our website, but we are going to be making some changes starting in September to parts of Worship, experimenting as needed. Everyone was gracious and patient on Sunday as we began…

Saturday August 10th Rev. Sian will be reviving the Worship Committee as one of her first tasks.  She will be hosting a mini-retreat at the church on Saturday, August 10, from 1pm-5pm, and she’s inviting all those who are interested in contributing to worship.  The Worship Committee needs people with all types of talents and interests to participate.  Do you find yourself on the list below? Creative people who would like to collaborate on developing worship with Rev. Sian and staff Public speakers who would like to be lay…