Moderator's Memos

Yours Are the Hands

Thank you to all who joined our mid-year meeting this past Sunday. We opened with a beautiful rendition of Amazing Grace from our own LaTia Barrett, followed by this quote from 16th century nun, author, and mystic, St Teresa of Avila:

Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks

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The Gospel of Naps

In Matthew Chapter 5, Jesus declares “The meek shall inherit the Earth” and everyone is like “Okay, got it. Please heal my leprosy.” Later, in Matthew 21, Jesus is like “Remember the Sermon on the Mount? I meant what I said,” and flips tables at a temple. Everyone responds “Woah. You can’t just do that, Jesus. I mean sure we can bless the poor in spirit, but we can’t actually change policy to do it.” Thoughts

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God Is Nonbinary

This week is non-binary awareness week, where we learn what it means to exist outside the gender binary. So, let’s talk about it!

What is the gender binary?
The gender binary is the concept that there are only two genders: male and female. Some people now recognize gender as a spectrum.

What does nonbinary mean?
A nonbinary person does not fit within traditional man/woman dualism. They might identify as a mix of genders, or identify as a-gender

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Lord, Prepare Me to be a Sanctuary

I was heartened to see nearly 40 people stay after worship this past Sunday for a conversation on our upcoming Racial Justice Audit. I didn’t know how folks would react to the idea of an audit, and I quickly realized my worries had been for naught. Thank you for the the care and thought each of you brought to the discussion.

Our coffee hour conversation reminded me that churches ought to provide a

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As we near the halfway mark of 2021, I think back to our stewardship theme this year, “For Such a Time as This.” The phrase comes from the book of Esther, in which Queen Esther convinces her husband, King Xerces, to spare the Jews from state-sanctioned slaughter. This comes at great risk to Esther, who Xerces does not realize is Jewish. At one point, Esther falters, terrified of the repercussions she might face for revealing her identity and attempting to

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