Rev. Megan
Berkowitz
Rev. Amy
Clark Feldman
Pastor Amy
April 19, 2024
This past week, I traveled to Valley Forge, PA for a 3-day conference entitled “Space for Grace: Engaging Intergenerational Faith.” The conference was hosted by the same organization that is organizing our mission trip to Puerto Rico, the American Baptist Home Mission Society. ABHMS is strongly aligned with the mission and legacy of ABC pastor, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The keynote preachers and speakers brought a wide diversity of experiences and perspectives, which I look forward to sharing with all of you. We learned about what would mean to be a truly inclusive church of people with disabilities; about the role of joy and celebration in binding communities together; about what it means to create safe and resilient individuals and communities; and how trauma can show up through the generations. We thought and prayed about what it means to stand with the teachings of Jesus in a time when Christian nationalism is on the rise, and our world is seeing increasing violence and division.
In this Eastertide, we at the Union Church in Waban are thinking about what it means to Share from the Heart. The Space for Grace conference made me think about this in new ways. So often when engaging all ages of our intergenerational church, we have rightly focused on the importance of intergenerational relationships in terms of those relationships impact us as individuals of faith. We think about what it means for elders to experience connection and joy in the presence of our children and teens. We recognize the importance of relationships with elders and adults for our teenagers as they become more resilient and form their faith in face of the challenges of life. Throughout this conference, however, speakers focused not so much on individual faith, resilience, and well-being, as on building healthy, faithful, and resilient communities in which all people can thrive. It is one thing to support the spiritual well-being of an individual who uses a wheelchair, and another to make sure all people with disabilities have full and comfortable spaces within our pews and at our pulpit. It is one thing to deepen the resilience and faith of a child, and another to make sure that the home, school, and community they live in is free from violence and full of love. Beloved, as we explore what it means to share from the heart, I look forward to sharing more of my learnings, and inviting all of us to consider even more deeply what it means for our inclusive, welcoming, intergenerational, and mission-minded church to truly be a Space for Grace for all people, and to create a world where all can thrive.
Peace
Amy
Past Posts
- From Our Pastors
Rev. Megan Berkowitz
March 28, 2025 We’re drawing to the close of our Stewardship season for this year, and we’ll mark Stewardship Sunday in worship this week with a testimony and a focus in scripture and sermon on generosity. Learn More - From Our Pastors: March 21 2025Rev. Megan Berkowitz
March 21, 2025 I gave up social media for Lent this year. I’ve tried it in past years, and it never quite stuck. I always found reasons to log back in: an urgent question for a group of colleagues, a video of Rosey that was too good not to share, or even just an accidental slip. It’s sticking this year, though. Learn More - From Our Pastors: March 14, 2025Amy Clark Feldman
March 14, 2025 We are almost beginning the second week of our Lenten journey, walking in the wilderness together. It is always amazing to me how the liturgical seasons map onto the events and seasons in our world and lives. What wisdom and support we have in these deep traditions of our faith! This year it does indeed feel like Lenten wilderness times – each day with new revelations, challenges, news, and worries. Learn More - From Our Pastors: March 7, 2025Megan Berkowitz
March 7, 2025 It was a gift to pray with so many of you throughout the day on Ash Wednesday and at our ecumenical evening service. I appreciated how thoughtful and open everyone I spoke with was about the intentions they were setting for Lent. Learn More - From Our Pastors: February 14 2025Megan Berkowitz
February 14, 2025 I had the great privilege of visiting the new FamilyAid Family Navigation Center on Washington Street for the first time this week. Speeches were made, a ribbon was cut with many giant scissors, and people from throughout the Commonwealth who care about supporting homeless families gathered to celebrate and network together. The most inspiring part of the day for me, though, was the tour. Learn More - From Our Pastors: February 7, 2025Amy Clark Feldman
February 7, 2025 I’ve been especially grateful this week for our eight-week series on Spiritual Resiliency. Truth-be-told, I’ve had moments of doubting my resiliency in the face of the on-slaught of news this week, with a desire to pull the covers over my head. Learn More - From Our Pastors: January 31, 2025Pastor Megan
January 31, 2025 We’ll read in this Sunday’s scripture passage about conflicts between Jesus and other Jewish religious leaders at the time over the observance of Sabbath restrictions. This, and other similar passages, have given rise to generations of interpretation that sets Jesus against religious authority, against Judaism, and against the Law. Learn More - From Our Pastors: January 24 2025Pastor Megan
January 24, 2025Staying Grounded
Given the tremendous outpouring of news this week, beginning with TikTok and the Presidential inauguration and continuing through executive orders and new wildfires, I have been feeling overwhelmed. I’m working to take it all in a little bit at a time, to stay open and stay grounded. Learn More
