As you all probably know by now, Halloween is my very favorite holiday. My first year at seminary, I made cards and gave out candy to all the ladies in my hall and I was really looking forward to the Halloween party in one of the other dorms. One day, I said as much to my friend Becca, and asked what she was dressing up as. She said she wasn’t. What??? I got very indignant and was about to … [Read more...]

As we talk about the story of our church and the role that it plays in our community and the world, it's good to be able to name some of the programs and activities that we sponsor. What specifically do we offer to the community? How are we unique among other local churches? One of the things that I love about our church is our active involvement with our neighbors in different ways. I think that … [Read more...]

“I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ,” (Philippians 1:3-6). A month ago, we began a worship series on stewardship using the … [Read more...]

As we enter into October, the air laden with the smell of pumpkin spice, I'd like to share a few more ideas for new spiritual practices as suggested by my colleague in ministry, the Rev. Linda Kurtz, who serves at the First Presbyterian Church of Lexington, Kentucky. As the leaves change, I invite you to consider changing up the way you pray and seeing if one of these practices might enrich your … [Read more...]

This week, we lost a living legend in the notorious Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She was a fascinating, brilliant, and passionate defender of human rights, justice, and civility; the subject of a recent Oscar-nominated documentary ("RBG," 2018); and even a fashion icon. When a Jewish person dies, it is traditional to say, "may their memory be a blessing," rather than "may they rest … [Read more...]

I've done a LOT more work on the church website over the past six months than I ever anticipated needing to do in ministry. New pages, new features, new graphics, a blog, fifty-nine (!) sermon audio files and counting, plus editing and updating information that was already there and trying to make everything as user-friendly as possible--it's been a learning experience and a labor of love (with … [Read more...]

Other than Halloween, which is, of course, my favorite holiday of the year, hands down, there are several smaller holidays (or perhaps "holidays") that I enjoy. There are of course, Groundhog Day (Feb 2) and International Women's Day (Mar 8), which most people know about. March 25 marks the day that the One Ring was destroyed and the first day of the Gondorian calendar in JRR Tolkien's The Lord … [Read more...]

As we enter into September and the beginning of fall, I'd like to invite you to take on a new spiritual practice. This has certainly been a season of trying new things, and I encourage you to see if one of these practices might enrich your conversation with God. Here are a few ideas as suggested by my colleague in ministry, the Rev. Linda Kurtz, who serves at the First Presbyterian Church of … [Read more...]

Every now and then, during these past five months, I've tried to make the habit of coming up with a handful of good things that have come about as a result of our recent lifestyle changes. Some weeks, the practice is easier than others. Other weeks, the list is very short. Here are a few I've come up with recently: I've been significantly less affected by seasonal allergies, given that a mask … [Read more...]

We have another guest writer for our newsletter this week! One of my colleagues in ministry, the Rev. Alina M. Kanaski, wrote this lovely article and gave me permission to share it with you all. Pastor Alina serves two churches: Chartiers Valley United Presbyterian Church and Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, both in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ~~~ I started a new practice a few weeks ago. I … [Read more...]