Autumn Greetings~
It’s finally Fall! And today is a perfect, crisp, sky-blue example. I’m grateful!
Yesterday the Kojo Nnamdi Show featured the Japanese art of forest bathing, Shinrin yoku, the practice of intentionally immersing oneself in nature to relax and restore. Happily, it’s come to the US, and one of Kojo’s guests, Melanie Choukas-Bradley, a Naturalist with the Audubon Society, leads forest bathing experiences in DC.
I’m sharing this, because I’ve observed (both within and outside our
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Pastor's Page
I invite you to read my bi-weekly newsletters below for reflections on Sunday worship and updates on congregational life. I hope, and believe, you will also enjoy my Sermons. I look forward to seeing you and sharing worship with you.
Blessings,
Pastor Ellen
Please call or e-mail to schedule time with Pastor Ellen:
M, W, Th: Appointments and visits
Tuesday: Day off
Friday: Sermon and study day
Here are some spiritual resources that I find myself returning to time and again. I hope you will also enjoy them.
UCC Feed Your Spirit
Bite in the Apple
Patheos.com
The Listening Hermit
RickMorley.com
Larry Patten.com
From Rev. Ellen Jennings
Fall Greetings~
This Sunday, we’ll hold our annual Blessing of the Animals in the sanctuary as part of the 10:30 am worship service. If you have a four-legged, winged or finned friend, you’re welcome to bring it (on a leash or in a crate/cage) to be blessed! We’ll also happily bless photos of pets and/or stuffed animals.
In addition, we’ll welcome five new members on Sunday. We often say that each time someone joins us, we become a brand-new church,
Read More “From Rev. Ellen Jennings”
From Rev. Ellen Jennings
Fall Greetings~
Last Sunday, I preached about repentance, beginning with Mary Oliver’s beloved poem, Wild Geese.
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. Meanwhile
the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear
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From Rev. Ellen Jennings
Dear Church Friends,
I hope you’ll join us for this Sunday’s Welcome Back Service & Harvest Lunch. The service is designed for all ages, and afterward the Deacons will provide a delicious sandwich and salad picnic (if the weather cooperates, we’ll have outdoor seating).
The View from Here: In the midst of national chaos, it can be difficult to know the best role for a church. From my perspective, we’re both unavoidably located within the cultural context of our
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From Rev. Ellen Jennings
Dear Church,
This Sunday, we have two special events: Rev. Matt Braddock will preach about his new book, The Space Between: Spiritual Activism in an Age of Fear, and we’ll hold our second annual midyear “un-meeting.”
Matt is a friend and colleague from Christ Congregational UCC in Silver Spring and I’m excited to hear his sermon (I’ll be leading worship). As his website explains:
This book explores the overlapping spaces between contemplative action and active contemplation.
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