Weaving Together the Beloved Community
“I hope you will take one of these many opportunities to be a part of something bigger.”
I am thankful to the people from Pilgrim who made it over to my installation service at St. Paul’s UCC. Thank you! That meant the world to me.
Beyond the friends and members of Pilgrim, so many other people helped to make that a special day. I am especially thankful to Eleanor Joyce for stepping in to play the piano and to Rev. Calandra Nevenzel, Southwest Association Minister, who delivered the sermon, Carole Sternaman, Executive Director at Hope Resources, who delivered the charge to the congregation and Rev. Dr. Tere Krueger who delivered the charge to me as your teacher and pastor.
I am so grateful when the wider church shows up for things like this.
In the day-to-day work of doing local church, we can often forget the many ways we are connected to a wider web of relationships within the Michigan Conference. All through October we have an opportunity to join with the wider church in piecing together relationships, providing solidarity and inspiration for one another, and learning how we might be “church” together.
I hope you will take one of these many opportunities to be a part of something bigger. We too often only key into the wider church when we need something from them. This is a chance to show ourselves as good covenant partners in our walk together.
Sunday, October 1, World Communion Sunday,
Communion Sunday; Exodus 17:1-7
The Children of Israel have lived so long in the land of Egypt that they have appropriated what it means to be a slave deep into their bones. As a result, they must walk long in the wilderness to shed slavery to become a free people.
Tuesday, October 3, Blessing of the Pets, 5:30 p.m.,
Pilgrim Congregational UCC, St. Joseph
You are invited to a Blessing of the Animals service that will remember the pets/animals that are important to our lives. It is the Eve of the Feast Day for St. Francis of Assisi! Please make sure your beloved pet/animal is under control so that it does not harm others or cannot be harmed by others.
Sunday, October 8, Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Exodus 20
The summary of the Ten Commandments is this: “Thou shalt not live like Egypt.” Many of the commandments were about not dispossessing the have-nots from what little they had in the world so that all could live on the land with the material bases of life.
Sunday, October 8, 7:00 p.m., Open Meditation,
Pilgrim Congregational UCC, St. Joseph
In the rotation of our meditation, this is our opportunity for total silence. It is a time for our soul to rest in the shadows. The great Celtic mystic, John O’Donohue, wrote that our souls love the shadows. If our souls do not receive enough shadow time, when we step forward in courage in the world our souls may not step forward with us. Join us for this service that lasts anywhere from 30 to 40 minutes. Give your soul time in the shadows.
Wednesday, October 11, 5:30-7:00 p.m., Lakeshore Gathering
our Imagination Group at Zion UCC in Baroda
Come to participate and learn what it might mean to bring our churches together to do bigger things! We had a great meeting last month at Tower Hill where we developed an initial focus around children and youth. What might it mean if we could harness our collective will to see God moving in our midst? Please let Rev. Mulberry know if you are interested as dinner will be served.
Sunday, October 15, Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Exodus 32:1-14
Theologian Dan Clendenin writes, “Idols lure us with powerful illusions and misplaced hopes. They make seductive promises. These false gods come in all sizes and shapes. They promise much but deliver little. Our personal gods are so petty and pathetic that they would be laughable if they weren't so insidious and corrosive.” But national idols. National idols. “Personal idols are child's play compared to national idols,” Clendenin states. “[National idols] wreak far more violence upon humanity than our household gods.” They screw up our priorities and displace our devotion. What golden calf have we been worshipping?
Friday, October 20th, 5:00 p.m., Installation of Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia A. Thompson as the new General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ.
To register for the livestream of the event, please go here: https://www.ucc.org/gmp-installation/?inf_contact_key=cf73d63b06a436501962ca057f3a3e58b7af0999dac2af6212784c39e05d2aef.
This will be a historic moment in the life of our wider church!
Sunday, October 22, Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Exodus 33:12-23
Many of our models for faith end up being people who are not very perfect, complain to God quite a bit about their predicament, and will not let their relationship with God go. They challenge God. They make God own up to stated values. So it is with Moses.
Sunday, October 22, Southwest Association Meeting, 2:00 p.m., Portage UCC will be hosting.
The Southwest Association Council announces the 2023 Southwest Association Fall Meeting to be held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 22, 2023. Please join us as we conduct the important and necessary business of the Association, including approving a budget and nominations for 2024. After the business portion of the meeting, Rev. Mak Kneebone will lead a discussion on the UCC open and affirming movement. The meeting will be held at: Portage UCC; 2731 West Milham Avenue, Portage, MI 49024
Alternatively, delegates, and visitors may attend online via Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88114482931?pwd=dUJPRmVTWklWOVc3QVd0U3duR0VIdz09
Meeting ID: 881 1448 2931; Passcode: 617498
The meeting will be paper-less. You must pre-register to receive the meeting reports, etc., which will be sent via email prior to the meeting. The agenda and nominations for 2024 are also attached.
Saturday, October 28, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., Michigan Conference Annual Meeting, Plymouth UCC, Grand Rapids
Please participate in these wider events to help bring health and life and well-being to all of us within the Michigan Conference. To register for the Annual Meeting of the Michigan Conference, you can go register here:
http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=vvgfsudab&oeidk=a07ejusbaky9d53cec4
Sunday, October 29, Reformation Sunday, Deuteronomy 34
One of the reasons I preach Bible so strongly is that Bible stories known deep down in our bones have been the things that have moved our country to a greater love and justice in the world. Do we know the Exodus story deep in our bones? Is it a story we regularly use as a discernment tool for the way we want the world to move?
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