Dear Congregation,   Halloween is coming soon and brings back happy memories from my childhood. Attending the children’s Halloween party at First Evangelical and Reformed Church, Sandusky, OH, was a big part of the fun. The annual event was held in the basement of the two-story red brick church, staffed by Sunday School teachers and […]

Dear Congregation, I hope things are well with you and yours. This will be short as my computer is in the shop being repaired! I simply want to encourage each of you to vote and to encourage your friends and family. As you know, this is a very important election coming up on Tuesday, November […]

Dear Congregation, Greetings! I pray that things are well with you and yours. In worship this Sunday we will celebrate the Blessing of the Animals. This service is typically held by many churches on or around October 4th, the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi. He was the friar designated by the Roman Catholic […]

Dear Congregation,   October greetings to you all! This e-blast is coming to you a little early this week as our Administrative Assistant Miriam and I will be at the Florida Conference Annual Gathering at The Community Church of Vero Beach from Thursday through Saturday noon. We will be joined by Daniel Best and Graham […]

Dear Congregation, Grace and peace to you. I’m sure we are all grateful that Hurricane Ian has passed us by, even as we pray for those on the west coast of Florida and beyond who have suffered such devastation. I am waiting to hear how our churches in Naples, Ft. Myers, the Orlando area, and […]

“My grandmother’s hands feel leathery. They are never soft or smooth. No amount of lotion can unharden the skin after years spent cleaning, scrubbing, cooking. Hands immersed in dirty water, clean water, harsh chemicals—hands that, combined with elbow grease, shined floors and windows and baseboards in white women’s kitchens. Hands of an older, Southern Black […]

Dear Congregation, This coming Just Peace Sunday will be special at CCC. I hope and pray that you’ll be with us, either in person or on Facebook, during the worship service focused on peace and justice, and, in person or on ZOOM, for the Churchwide Visioning Day afterward led by Neal Watkins, Minister for Congregational […]

Dear Congregation. The peace of Christ to each of you! On Wednesday Karen Kett and I attended the Miami-Dade County School Board meeting, which was quite an experience! We got there early to get a seat for the 3:30 p.m. meeting, as we had heard that it would probably be crowded. It certainly was as eventually there was […]

Dear Congregation,   When I was a child, Labor Day used to mark the end of summer vacation, as school would begin again right after the holiday. It signaled to us kids that it was time to get back to work. Now, here in Miami, and in many other places, school starts in August, before […]

Dear Congregation, I hope you are doing well! I was happy to finally receive my new UCC Desk Calendar and Plan Book this week. (Sometimes it’s the small things in which we find joy!) In addition to the monthly calendar pages, it contains the scripture lessons for each Sunday and for holy days, lists Special […]