Commentary
A Reconciling Congregation
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OK, so I am going to wade into the whole Santa Claus conundrum with my two cents worth even though I am not a parent.
Time and again, I hear parents concerned about how to talk or not talk to their children about Santa Claus. Maybe many parents have already figured out a good way to approach this discussion.
I wonder about the possibility of telling the story of St. Nicholas. From there say that even to this day there are grownups who like to pretend to be St. Nick or Santa Claus because they want to make children happy.
Playing guitar at Dumbarton about once a month is “a real gift for me,” says Joe Friebele, who takes weekly guitar lessons. He plays in an ensemble of string instruments that includes Melany Burrill, Cheryl Conway, Sarah McKnight and Miguel Carter as regulars. “Getting four to eight hymns, an offertory and music for meditation ready in a short time has helped me with sight reading and also learning the pieces quickly,” he says.
By Harry C. Kiely
I just need to take a minute to acknowledge how beautiful my congregation's service was the other day. It felt like just about everything that the Church does all wrapped up into one service.
First, it was All Saints Sunday- -the first Sunday after All Saints Day (November 1), when we remember the saints who have gone before us. This year was particularly difficult for me. November 4 was the anniversary of my grandfather's funeral, and the day was one month since the death of my good friend's father.
"It's quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, And don't take yourself too seriously— take God seriously." Micah 6
We are at a crossroad in our society – a time of deciding what kind of people, what kind of nation we want to be. Here are a few examples of the brokenness in our world that are troubling me:
• The death and destruction resulting from Japan’s tsunami leaves us with radiation poisoning that will be around long after we are gone;
• Climate destabilization and warming come from overuse of petroleum and coal.
• U.S.-financed wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya cause great loss of human life and massive destruction of societies. Bringing just 5,000 troops home from Afghanistan would free money up for life-giving programs for children and the elderly.
• Beyond the $700-billion bailout, the government has committed about $12.2 trillion and spent $2.5 trillion to support the financial system (according to the New York Times).
Yesterday I went out for a run. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, that is until some person for whatever reason felt the need to drive by us and turn at the next corner and then yell back towards us “you run like F*@#$ Faggots”. Then he sped away. Honestly I was in a bit of shock at first, caught completely off guard. I wasn't even sure what that meant other then it was meant to be insulting.
By Chett Pritchett
June 26 was what we United Methodists affectionately call, “Moving Day.” Our itinerant system in United Methodism provides that all clergy appointed to a new congregation (or set of congregations) begin their appointments on July 1. Thus, the Sunday prior to July 1 is “Moving Day” – a Sunday free of church obligations so that clergy may make final preparations for their move.
Many Facebook statuses this weekend wished clergy, “Happy Moving Day!” Typically, I would celebrate these milestones with my clergy friends, many with whom I studied in seminary. But in light of this past week’s trial of Rev. Amy DeLong in Wisconsin, I am reminded of all the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons who have felt the call to ministry who never have the opportunity for “Moving Day.”