Category Archives: Church News

Dear Congregation,   This Sunday we will celebrate the first Sunday of Advent with the traditional Hanging of the Greens worship service. The purple candle of HOPE will be lit on the Advent Wreath by Lorrie LeGrand, Jose Otalora, Isabella LeGrand, and Jose’s mother Herminia Linares. After worship you are invited to take part in decorating the […]

Dear Congregation,   As we approach Thanksgiving, I thought I’d share with you this thought-provoking piece about being grateful from an American Profile article by Nancy Henderson. In it, Leah Dieterich expresses a different idea for expressing gratitude. “As a teen, she hated it when her mom nagged her to write thank-you notes. But as […]

Dear Congregation,   I trust that you have all received your Stewardship letters and Pledge Cards by now. As some of you know, it is actually the second batch of that mailing from the church. The first batch of 43 letters and Pledge Cards, deposited at the General Mail Facility on October 21st, seems to […]

Dear Congregation,   I thought it was important for you to see this statement. I have signed it.   I know that we all are appalled at the Antisemitism that has raised its ugly head in our country. Let us be intentional in our support of our Jewish congregations and neighbors, as a church and […]

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 […]