Pastor’s Corner – April 3, 2025

“The Lord God put Adam in the garden to till it and keep it.” (Genesis 2:18)

From the beginning God intended that humans would be caretakers of God’s creation. God is the Creator, Sustainer, and Provider and we are blessed to be God’s grateful stewards. This faith perspective that focuses us on using God’s gifts to care for our earthly home, ourselves, and others is beautifully revealed in the life of our Leader, Jesus.

One of the gifts we receive from God to cherish and use are talents. Each one has a talent that makes life better and more enjoyable. Inspired by Jesus, St. Paul envisioned the church, “the living body of Christ”, as a community of folks with God-given talents. “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” (I Corinthians 12:4-7)

Stewards identify their talent by paying attention to the gifts that feel natural, produce joy, and feed passion. Directing your activities toward your God-given talent will not only bless you but it will also be a blessing to the common good. Stewards serve God by serving others with their talent. It is one important way to make a positive difference and to leave a legacy that endures.

Yours in Christ,

Marc

Pastor’s Corner – March 27, 2025

Dear Beloved,

How has your season of Lent (the season from Ash Wednesday through Holy Week that offers us an opportunity for repentance and deeper reflection in preparation for remembering and celebrating the resurrection) started out?  I am grateful for Dr. Rev. Hannah Ingram’s message on Ash Wednesday and Pastor Marc’s Sunday messages throughout this season that are guiding me.  I am thankful for the choir, minister of music, and organist who help me be still in our community worship time.  I am thankful for artists, authors, prophets, and poets who help me grow and for the opportunities to be in conversation with you and with people, creatures, and the creation that I am blessed to be around.  One of the authors that I am grateful for this season is Mallory McDuff.  Her book Last Best Act is helping me take time to think about regenerative death and how my morality can bring life and blessings.  As a pastor’s kid, funerals were common dinner time topics.  I am grateful that we grew up talking about death.  I’m grateful that I grew up being taught that no matter what, not even death separates us from God’s love.  

As I grew up, I learned that it is important not to try to rush or hurry people’s hurt and pain.  Grief is complex and different for everyone.  Words often fail me, and in those times, I hope that I can stay present in whatever way the person or people need and in that presence to share God’s love and care.  I still have so much to learn about how to do this well.  

Being at funerals and the season of Lent lead me think about my mortality which helps me think about what truly matters most - often I fail to live that out, but by God’s grace I can keep trying.  I’m so grateful that God never gives up on us.  God’s love is unbounded and unending.  May this good news offer us hope and shalom this day and in whatever lies ahead - for God is with us in life, in death, and in life after death.  We are not alone.  May we share this good news near and far.

With gratitude and hope,

Sarah

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,  neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:38-39

Pastor’s Corner – March 20, 2025

“The Lord God put Adam in the garden to till it and keep it.” (Genesis 2:18)

From the beginning God intended that humans would be caretakers of God’s creation. God is the Creator, Sustainer, and Provider and we are blessed to be God’s grateful stewards. This faith perspective that focuses us on using God’s gifts to care for our earthly home, ourselves, and others is beautifully revealed in the life of our Leader, Jesus.

One of the gifts we care for are financial resources. Jesus was clear about the role of stewards with money: “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.” (Luke 6:38)

Stewardship is empowered by trust in God. Stewards trust God’s ability to provide for the needs of all, including our own. Our part in that is using our gifts and talents in a spirit of generosity. God loves to give and so should we!

Since our culture so highly values amassing wealth, God’s giving to meet the needs of all has been thwarted. Our society has given the green light to satisfying needs and wants and even rigs the way things work so a few get the most. This undermines fairness and leaves many lacking basic needs. Stewards counter this sin of greed with the Divine spirit of generosity and the work of making the playing field even. Of course, some people with challenges like illness and disabilities need a hand up. Stewards understand we need each other and are glad to do a little extra to provide that hand up knowing the time will come when that care is reciprocated.  

Stewards find deep satisfaction and joy in following Jesus with a generous and trusting heart.

Yours in Christ,

Marc

Pastor’s Corner – March 13, 2025

Dear Beloved,

This winter I've been enjoying a gratitude journey with you.  A few Sundays ago when chatting with the children, I shared that I am grateful that God designed us to learn.  How wonderful it is that we can learn about each other - about neighbors near and far, God's creation, ourselves, and about the nature of God - God's love, God's work in the world, God's grace, God's call on our lives our whole lives long!!!  Learning with and from you are gifts for which I thank God.  As we prepare to celebrate the rite of confirmation with the confirmation students and their families and mentors next month on Palm Sunday, I give special thanks for the opportunity to learn with and from these students and the confirmation experience.  I would invite you to be keeping these young people in your prayers.  In the United Church of Christ (the denomination that Friedens is part of), people can be baptized at any age.  In the United Church of Christ, young people have an opportunity to go through the confirmation experience to consider more deeply and intentionally what they believe about God and whether they want to make a commitment to follow the Jesus way and become official members of Friedens United Church of Christ.  In this next month as the rite of confirmation approaches for these young people, I’d invite you to reflect upon your understanding of who God is and what it means for you to follow in the Jesus way.  Pastor Marc and I are always glad to chat with you and grow with you as we journey together as disciples of Jesus who share his unbounded love, so that all may know they are beloved and so we may all live together in shalom - the beloved community of wholeness and comprehensive well-being.  May you feel uplifted and encouraged by the joy and hope of the Creator, the compassion and peace of Jesus, and the comfort and guidance of the Spirit throughout this Lenten season. 

With appreciation and hope,

Sarah

 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God…  1 John 4:7

Pastor’s Corner – March 6, 2025

“The Lord God put Adam in the garden to till it and keep it.” (Genesis 2:18)

From the beginning God intended that humans would be caretakers of God’s creation. God is the Creator, Sustainer, and Provider and we are blessed to be God’s grateful stewards. This faith perspective that focuses us on using God’s gifts to care for our earthly home, ourselves, and others is beautifully revealed in the life of our Leader, Jesus.

One of the gifts we cherish and use as grateful stewards is time. Jesus looked to lessons in creation to teach about time: “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is bread baking in the oven, will he not much more clothe you?” (Matthew  6:28-30)

Today brings the gift of life. Tomorrow is a mystery. Stewards make the most of today by looking for opportunities to be the caring and kind servants of God we were created to be. This is the source of a truly satisfying and joyful life.

Stewards trust God with tomorrow. Like the wheat whose growth and beauty is transformed into life-nourishing bread that feeds others, so we trust that whatever changes come tomorrow can be used by the Creator for the greater good.

Yours in Christ,

Marc

Pastor’s Corner – February 27, 2025

Dear Beloved,

Even though Lent begins rather late this year, I can’t believe it is almost here! The season of Lent (the forty days, not counting Sundays, from Ash Wednesday through Holy Week that gives us space and time to prepare to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus) is almost here. It begins on Wednesday March 5th. The Lifelong Spiritual Formation Ministry Team invites everyone to stay after the 10:30 a.m. worship (or to come back if you worship at the 8:30 a.m. worship service) the Sunday before Lent for a light lunch and an informal chat about the season of Lent.

If you’ve had a chance to catch any of my notes this winter, I have been inviting us to take a gratitude journey of prayer and reflection as inspired by Philippians 4:4-7

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  

Today I’d like to rejoice in the gift of holidays, seasons of honoring, and seasons of preparation. Epiphany and Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr Day are my favorite winter holidays. I’m also grateful for this coming season of Lent. I’m grateful for Black History Month, Disability Awareness Month, and Women’s History Month. I am grateful for special months set aside to be intentional about learning, growing, remembering, and honoring in order to be mindful and grateful all year around. I would invite you to rejoice with me in all the people and organizations who help us grow – all the people and organizations who share stories and enable us to listen and learn. I rejoice that we as a community have covenants that help us stay focused on and committed to Jesus’ ways of embracing and affirming one another in the splendid diversity in which the Maker of the heavens and the earth designed us. If you’ve been learning something new during this Black History Month, I’d be excited to hear what you’ve learned – it will help me to grow, too. I rejoice in the opportunity to worship and serve with you, to pray and ponder, to cry and laugh, to be still and to sing out. Thank you for being you! You are loved and cherished by your church family and by God. 

      With appreciation for the journey with you,

              Sarah 

Pastor’s Corner – February 20, 2025

Did you know that I am not planning to retire when I turn 65 in March? I still feel called to serve as your Senior Pastor. I am still enthusiastic to serve as your Senior Pastor. I remain thankful to have the health and energy to fulfill this role. I feel a sense of responsibility and excitement to continue to do my part to position Friedens UCC for a vital future in an era of declining religious affiliation. We have been taking some positive steps forward in that regard, and I believe Christ is at work among us to fulfill a vision for greater impact that will prepare the way for the next chapter of leadership and ministry.

Of course, you also have a responsibility to discern if I should remain as your Senior Pastor for a few more years. I serve at God’s call and at your pleasure. We are congregationally organized. The congregation shares in determining clergy leadership.

I invite your prayerful discernment. If you feel our partnership should continue, then I invite you to join me in a spirit of renewed faith and energy to fulfill the vison Christ is giving us to secure a vital future for Christ’s mission in the community through the disciples and ministries of Friedens Church. If not, you have the freedom and responsibility to speak your truth at a congregational meeting. This is the way our United Church of Christ functions to ensure health and well-being in leadership.

I am grateful for our three decades together and I look forward to our years ahead continuing to work together to share the love of Christ.

Yours in Christ,

Marc

Pastor’s Corner – February 13, 2025

Dear Beloved,

How is your wintering going, my friends?  Are you a fan of winter – someone who loves bundling up and playing in the snow.  To be honest, winter isn’t my favorite.  Yet with each passing year as I grow older, each moment becomes more precious, so each year I have tried to embrace winter a little more.  I must admit, I struggled a bit when a huge snowstorm came before we even finished the first week of January, but the idea of rejoicing has always helped me through it – there is always something to rejoice about.  And in this winter season, I am extra grateful to be on a journey of gratitude, reflection, and prayer with you which was inspired by one of our Advent sermon texts -Philippians 4:4-7 - 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  

For me, one of the gifts of winter in our geographical region is the darkness – the beautiful darkness – perhaps a special invitation from the Creator of dark and light to move more mindfully, to wonder and ponder more deeply, to be amazed by the hush of a gorgeous black sky and tiny sparkling stars, to follow a rhythm of a more sleep, to dream about what God is birthing or regenerating in us, to cuddle under a warm blanket, to share a simmering cup of tea or a bowl of soup with a neighbor, to be attentive to God’s whispers…..  How about you?  What are you grateful for this winter?

 I won’t pretend that I’m not ecstatic when warmer weather comes again, but for now I’m going to try to rejoice in the present – in the transforming grace of the Creator who is with us in every season – in the opportunity to reach out to one another when winter seems too long – in the gift of the Holy Spirit who journeys with us and connects us one to another.

With prayers and the songs of night skies,

   Sarah

Pastor’s Corner – February 6, 2025

Did you know that in this era of declining religious affiliation in the United States, growth needs to be measured in ways other than membership and attendance figures? Across the nation those metrics are declining. So how do we measure growth today? Here are a few ideas:

In discipleship rather than membership. Jesus never called the church to make members. Jesus called the church to make disciples (Matthew 28:19). For a long time in our nation it was believed that good citizenship included religious membership. This filled the rolls and the pews with nominal members who were there out of obligation rather than in commitment to Christ. When religious membership no longer was connected to good citizenship, rolls and pews started diminishing. Those left were there because Christ and his way really mattered. Today we can count and celebrate disciples who love and serve Christ and his church.

In service to the community rather than in the size of staff, programs, facilities, and budgets. Jesus made it clear: I came to serve not to be served (Mark 10:45). Jesus expects the same from us. The difference we make in the lives of the people in our community is a powerful metric of vitality for the church today.

In a spirit of unity not uniformity. In the prayer of Jesus on the eve of his death, recorded in John 17, this was Jesus petition: I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one…so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me. A healthy metric of growth for the church of Jesus Christ has always been the spirit of unity among a widely diverse group of disciples created by love, not uniformity in doctrine, practice, or appearance. At the beginning of this same gospel this point is driven home with these words: to all who received Christ, Christ gave power to become children of God (John 1:12). Have we allowed Christ to transform us into loved and loving children of God? If so, we ourselves bear witness to the growth of Christ’s church!

Can you think of some other ways we can measure the church’s growth today? Please share them with me so we may embrace the future together in a spirit of hope.

Yours in Christ,

Marc

Pastor’s Corner – January 30, 2025

Dear Beloved,

When I wrote you last, I shared that for this season I will be praying and sharing about some of my experiences of Philippians 4 - 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  

I’m thinking it might be fun to share different experiences of gratitude.  Perhaps you’d like to develop your own gratitude practices, piece of art, or journal.  In the winter weather, I am extra grateful for heat and shelter.  I’m thankful for the people behind the scenes who keep our heat going.  The winter also makes me more mindful of and prayerful with our siblings without safe shelter.  How do we live as good neighbors to our siblings without safe shelter?  Today, will you join me in giving thanks for organizations that work for warm and safe spaces for our siblings who are unsheltered and for organizations working to address the underlying causes of challenges to safe spaces to dwell? 

Thank you for the opportunity to reflect and pray with you.  I rejoice in God’s Spirit who joins us together through prayer – who interweaves us into community.  I rejoice in God’s listening and invitation to worship and share our hearts.  I rejoice in you and the ways you share the love and faith of Jesus.  Thank you for being you!

      With warmth and hope,

               Sarah

Pastor’s Corner – January 23, 2025

Did you know that one of the biggest challenges of churches in this era of decline in religious affiliation is maintaining aging buildings that are larger than the needs of the congregations who use them? We all know stories of churches forced to close their doors because they could no longer afford to maintain their campuses. Not only are the lives of the members diminished by the closing of their church, but the neighborhood they once served suffers too.

We are working at Friedens to avoid this sad outcome. We continue to meet our financial obligations and we continue to be able to care for our large church campus. However, if the cultural decline in religious affiliation continues, and there is no evidence that is changing anytime soon, there may come a time when a smaller congregation struggles to stay in the Friedens Church campus.

One way we have already been taking action on this concern is to reimagine the church campus as an asset for revenue. Welcoming community partners into the campus to use space and provide rental income can help ensure a future home for the members and friends who meet at Friedens Church.

We have had many groups who have rented our beautiful space for one time or short-term events like conferences, meetings, worship services, practices, or banquets. Those help our community learn about us and they add rental revenue to our overall income, but what we really need for more long-term security is a partner who sees the Friedens Church campus as their home too—a partnership that invests significantly in the long-term maintenance of the buildings and grounds.

Please join our church leaders in praying and thinking about connections you may have with community organizations who are looking for a space to invest in as a new home. Please send along any information to our Congregational President, Sheila Denman, at 13sdenman@gmail.com  or our Vice President, Bobby Dake, at sarge.army@gmail.com.

Yours in Christ,

Marc

Pastor’s Corner – January 16, 2025

Dear Beloved,

How are you as 2025 begins? As 2025 begins, I am continuing to ponder our Bible passage from the third Sunday of Advent from Philippians 4 - 4 Rejoicein the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  

As Pastor Marc, the worship leader of the day, and I prepared to pray before the 8:30 a.m. worship service began, the worship leader said, “This one is a good one.” I agree. This passage from Philippians is one of those passages we can carry with us throughout the day. It is one that can encourage and uplift us if we let God hold us and trust that God still loves us even when we still feel anxious even in the midst of rejoicing, giving thanks, and seeking to live in the paths of courageous and liberating gentleness made known by Jesus. In the midst of my deepest valleys when I have questioned whether it was worth going on, thanking God has been a lifeline back to the hope and peace God faithfully and continually offers. Perhaps that is why God has taught me to understand gratitude as a way of life. For this season and maybe beyond, I hope to spend time meditating on this passage with you. If you’d like to chat about it, please feel free to reach out. I will be praying it for us. I am thanking God for you and the opportunity to worship God with you. I rejoice in the opportunity to grow, learn, and serve with you as we seek to reflect the gentleness and peace of Jesus each day. May we invite God’s Spirit to guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, and may you always know that you are a loved child of God on the best days, on the worst days, and in all the days in between. You are cherished. You are appreciated.

With joy for the journey,

   Sarah 

Pastor’s Corner – January 9, 2025

Did you know that I am the only full-time employee at Friedens UCC? This is another trend in church life influenced by the decline in religious affiliation in America. The church in America is relying more and more on part-time employees and the gifts and talents of members and friends.

At Friedens we are blessed with a dedicated and talented team of part-timers: Associate Pastor, Sarah Haas; Music Director, Kristin Petty; Office Manager, Heidi Richmond; Organist, Heather Orvek; AV Technician, Michael Kendall; and Child Caregiver, Katie Yager. David Orvek receives a stipend from the Choral Scholars fund to lead singing and support the Chancel Choir.

We are also blessed with a generous sharing of time and energy from a host of volunteers who are the backbone of church life. From musicians and singers to ushers, from children’s leaders to meal preparers, from the church council to ministry teams, from weekender back sack volunteers to visitors of our elders, from gardeners to entry way sweepers, from worship leaders to card writers…the list goes on and on!

Sincere appreciation to everyone who lends a hand in large or small ways. Thank you to our part-time staff who juggle two jobs, community activities, and family life. Everyone’s gift is important! The living Spirit of Christ takes each effort and multiplies it for the sake of advancing God’s reign of compassion, justice, and peace.

As a new year dawns, you might like to get more involved. Pastor Sarah and I will be very happy to share about the many opportunities to share the love of Christ.

Yours in Christ,

Marc

Pastor’s Corner – January 2, 2025

Dear Beloved,

I hope you continue to enjoy Christmastide and the hope, love, joy, and peace of Jesus. I give thanks for you and the opportunities we’ve had to worship and serve God together in 2024. I’m grateful that we can pray together and for each other and the world. I’m grateful for those who have come before us, and I’m grateful for God’s mercy. For those of you who have known me for a bit, you know that I love opportunities for fresh starts. For me, I see the new calendar year and each new season of life, as an opportunity for a new beginning. I am reminded that God’s mercies are new all the time. Is there something that is yearning for refreshment and renewal in your life, a place you want to allow yourself to receive God’s grace, a new or different spiritual practice you’d like to try, a new perspective or attitude about something….? I pray that we can take our past experiences to God and allow God to use them - to help us be more and more transformed into the followers of Jesus we are invited to be - forgiven and free to more fully embrace and reflect God’s never-ending, ever-faithful, through-out-the-ages compassion and kindness. You are loved. You are cherished. May you feel God’s love leading you into 2025.  

  With gratitude for you and for God’s steadfast compassion,

        Sarah

Great is your mercy, O Lord;

    be gracious to me according to your justice.  Psalm 119:156

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast.  Ephesians 2:8-9

Pastor’s Corner – December 26, 2024

Did you know that charitable giving to churches represents 27% of all charitable giving in the United States, according to research by Nucleus. Not surprisingly, this represents another downward trend connected to the decline in religious affiliation.

Giving in America has diversified to many different non-profit organizations. People give directly to the causes they prefer, no longer looking to the church to make those decisions for them. Nor is it surprising that more and more people prefer the convenience of online giving. Thankfully, Friedens has that option at our website, www.FriedensUCC.org.

As the year comes to a close, many people give to charitable organizations in the spirit of generosity of the Christmas season as well as to take advantage of the related tax deduction. A strong conclusion to Friedens’ financial year allows more funds to be directed to the ministries of the national and international work of our denomination called Our Church’s Wider Mission. These funds empower support of a variety of local ministries of welcome, education, advocacy, justice, and reconciliation, as well as projects of compassion with partners around the globe in times of war, displacement, and disaster. If you would like to know more about Our Church’s Wider Mission and how you can help, please reach out to the Friedens Moving Outward Council Representative, Tim Tjarks at timtjarks@gmail.com. Wise stewardship of our resources is one way we share the love of Christ.

Yours in Christ,

Marc

Pastor’s Corner – December 19, 2024

Dear Beloved,

How are you as we near the end of Advent - a special season of repentance, reflection, and preparation to welcome Jesus into our lives? By the time this reaches your inbox, it will be a few days until Christmas. By the time another message from me reaches your inbox, it will be 2025, so I would like to invite you to spend some time this Christmas season considering what Christmas means to you? How does the good news of Christmas impact the way you view the world and who we are? As I sit with these questions, Mary the mother of Jesus comes to mind. I appreciate how she pondered and treasured things in her heart. This year I feel enfolded by the mystery and wonder of the incarnation - that God would choose to come and live among us - to be born to a young woman and a common worker who quickly had to flee for their safety. Words fail me, when I consider that Maker of the stars and seas would choose to come and live among - to experience our pain and joy, to show us how to live as beloved and loving children of God, to show us how to live as peacemakers. In the silence that arises as written and spoken human language escapes me, I feel movement in my heart. By God’s grace, I want to grow deeper in my love for God and neighbor, and I want to share the good news of Emmanuel - God with us! I pray that everyone would know that they are never alone and that they are loved. I pray that you would know that you are never alone - you are loved. You are called by name. You are embraced and accepted by the Creator of the sky and the soil. May you feel the hope, love, joy, and peace of Jesus this Christmas and throughout Christmastide, and may the good news of God with us encourage you each and every day.

With the hope, love, joy, and peace of the Creator of the heavens and the earth~

Sarah 

15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the child lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them, 19 and Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told them.  Luke 2:15-20

Pastor’s Corner – December 12, 2024

Did you know that religious affiliation continues to be in decline in the United States? Gallup polling reported that in 2000 42% of American adults attended worship regularly. In 2023 that number dropped to 30%. It is little wonder that today the average church in America reports average attendance of just 50 congregants.

No need to panic. It is the reality that we have been adjusting to for several years at Friedens. Our focus is on our mission of sharing the love of Christ with everyone, with a special emphasis of serving children and young people in our community. We have welcomed new members because we are a Just Peace and Open and Affirming congregation. We have new partnerships with the Cooperative Play Academy and St. Barnabas. We have hosted three Chin congregations who needed a temporary place to worship. We have sponsored community events like the recent Growing Gratitude program, featured in the Spirit and Place Festival, and we have sponsored a booth at Greenwood PRIDE. We have also received leadership training and a planning grant through Sacred Spaces IN. And recently, the congregation approved capital improvement projects for 2025 to ensure people can come and go safely in our church campus.

Like most other congregations we have fewer members, but the good news at Friedens—we have more disciples of Jesus. Those of us at Friedens UCC today are deeply committed to the way of Christ.  Our church staff and council continue to pray and work to be vital in this new era. If you would like to get more involved in this effort please reach out to our Congregational President, Sheila Denman, at 13sdenman@gmail.com, or our Vice President, Bobby Dake, at sarge.army@gmail.com.

Yours in Christ,

Marc

Pastor’s Corner – December 5, 2024

Dear Beloved,

This message will reach your inbox a few days after we have lit the Advent candle of Hope. With this candle and worship experience in mind, I would invite you to reflect upon where/how you find hope and where/how do you share hope with others? Maybe should back up a bit first and reflect on what hope means to you? For me, hope is a gift from God. It is a gift that allows me to keep on keeping on, to trust in God’s never ending love rather even in the midst of despair and weariness, to rest when there is always more to do, to reach out to others on this journey of life. I receive God’s gift of hope when I spend time with children, when I rest in God’s creation, when allow myself to be still with God, when I pray with others, when I remember others are praying for me, when I give thanks for all the people and organizations working for healing and equity, when I listen to stories from the Bible and modern-day neighbors who share how God is at work their lives….I pray that I offer hope when I speak uplifting words, when I pray with others, when I listen carefully….May you feel God’s hope offering you renewal and strength this Advent season. May you know you are a beloved child of Immanuel - God with us. By God’s grace, may we reflect the hope of the Maker of the heavens and the earth this Advent season.  

  With gratitude and hope,

        Sarah 

Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you. 

Psalm 33:22

Pastor’s Corner – November 28, 2024

Lessons I Live By 6

The older I get the more I want to keep things focused on what really matters. This fall I am sharing some of the lessons I have learned that help me do that. My hope is that my reflections will encourage you to think about the lessons that matter most to you. Choose to live those lessons and share them with those who look to you for encouragement and inspiration.

The sixth and final lesson I am sharing in this series has to do with self-care. I have learned that self-care makes me a more caring person. My leader, Jesus, regularly went off by himself for prayer and solitude. He needed to renew and recharge so he could return to his life of service.

Taking care of myself is not selfish, it is a necessary part of a healthy and balanced life of discipleship. As I have often heard and believe to be true, I cannot fill others if my cup is empty.

Of course, the lessons I have shared in this series are not the only ones I have learned and am learning. I have been blessed with many good and faithful companions along the way who teach me so graciously and generously—good and faithful companions like you! Let’s be sure to continue to learn together so that we might grow into the full stature of Christ (Ephesians 4:13).

Most sincerely,

Marc

Pastor’s Corner – November 14, 2024

Lessons I Live By 5

The older I get the more I want to keep things focused on what really matters. This fall I am sharing some of the lessons I have learned that help me do that. My hope is that my reflections will encourage you to think about the lessons that matter most to you. Choose to live those lessons and share them with those who look to you for encouragement and inspiration.

The fifth lesson I’ve learned is that the playing field is not level. Though our nation is founded on liberty and justice for all, there is plenty of work to do to make that aspiration true. I am finding purpose in my latter years in doing this work. I enjoy mentoring and encouraging younger people, I am learning more about the injustice that withholds equal opportunity, I am making a point to make room at the table for those who are on the outside looking in, and I am voting and advocating with that value in mind.

What lesson have you learned about how the world works that is inspiring you to think beyond your own interests?

Yours in Christ,

Marc