From Our Pastors: September 13, 2024

Rev. Megan
Berkowitz

Rev. Amy
Clark Feldman

Pastor Amy
September 13, 2024

It was a joy and comfort to be together again as we kicked off the new church year last weekend.  Something special happens when we worship and are fed together at the communion table; when we hug, cry, and laugh together; when we celebrate together in the sunshine.  The church is called the Body of Christ, and each of us members of it, and we find a healing, strength, and comfort unlike any other when we gather, re-united in Christ.   

We will share additional information soon, but Pastor Megan has arranged two special times in the coming week to gather and heal.  On Thursday Sept. 19; and Sunday, Sept. 22, Riverside Community Care’s Trauma Center will lead Coping Groups, guiding us through a highly supportive and structured session designed to thoughtfully and sensitively process the recent loss in our community. The goal of the group is to provide support as well as a safe, non-judgmental, and confidential space to reflect on how each individual, and our community, can begin to work toward healing — and support each other in that process.  They have asked attendees to RSVP so that we can make sure the groups are an appropriate size.  Please email Pastor Megan or me if you would like to join either group.  

We will also be praying for one another in a special way throughout the month with a new “take a prayer; leave a prayer” prayer station in our sanctuary (see the flyer and description in the side bar).  If you won’t be in the sanctuary in person, but would like to participate, please share your prayers with either Pastor Megan or me, and we will add them, and share community prayers with you.  May we, connected, find a new wholeness and healing this year together.  

With the love of Christ Jesus, 
Pastor Amy

Past Posts

• 
  From Our Pastors
  Pastor Megan
  December 8, 2024
  Advent is the season of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love; it is the season of anticipation and joy in the gift of Christ we already know has entered the world and is eternally present among us; it is, for many of us, a season of parties and gift-giving and whirlwind celebrations. Learn More
• 
  From Our Pastors: November 29, 2024
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  November 29, 2024
  UCC Professional Development Program
  I returned last week from the fall gathering of NGLI, the UCC’s professional development program for young clergy. We gather each fall in Arizona for a time of creative learning, prayer, worship, music, and more. The setting, in the desert outside of Phoenix, is an intentional choice by the program organizers. Learn More
• 
  From Our Pastors: November 15, 2024
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  November 15, 2024
  Congregational Meeting Recap
  Thank you to everyone who joined in the Congregational Meeting last Sunday, and particular thanks to co-moderators Susan Hunt Stevens and Susan Gedrick for leading us, and to Jaap van Reijendam for ensuring those on Zoom could take part as well. The brief workshop Leila led on 1:1s, in the GBIO and community organizing model, gave us a tool for connecting with one another more deeply. Learn More
• 
  From Our Pastors: November 8, 2024
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  I want to share with you a small portion of how I opened our interfaith post-election gathering, as we prepare to gather in community together this Sunday for worship and the congregational meeting. Learn More
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  From Our Pastors: October 18, 2024
  Pastor Megan
  Octoberr 18, 2024
  Recent Celebrations
  Did you miss the recent celebrations at church? Here are some photos from our new sign celebration and the Blessing of the Animals! It has been a fall of connecting – with one another, the wider community, and God’s creation (including beloved pets like Barky, Felix, Jack, Rosey, and Lucy!). Learn More
• 
  From Our Pastors: October 11, 2024
  Pastor Megan
  Octoberr 11, 2024
  So much in the world at large and within our own community and families feels like it is in upheaval, right now. War, storms, the coming election, health challenges, grief, transitions, and more make it feel as though the ground is shifting for so many of us. I was reminded in a conversation this week of the framework offered by Joanna Macy in The Work that Reconnects. In it, she explains that how we choose to tell the story – of the world and society at large, but also of our lives – affects how we feel and how we act. Learn More
• 
  Hurricane Relief
  As I’m sure many of you have been, I have been devastated to see the pictures and reports coming out of communities in the Southeast that have been affected by Hurricane Helene, and wanting to find ways to help. One of the blessings of being affiliated with our two denominational partners is that our impact to help when disasters like this occur can be magnified by the existing systems of support that the denominations have in place. Learn More
• 
  From Our Pastors: September 13, 2024
  Pastor Amy
  September 13, 2024
  It was a joy and comfort to be together again as we kicked off the new church year last weekend.  Something special happens when we worship and are fed together at the communion table; when we hug, cry, and laugh together; when we celebrate together in the sunshine.  Learn More