Dear friends, What a horrible, horrifying week this has been. Fires are raging in California; an “unsurvivable” hurricane has battered Louisiana—horrible. Jacob Blake is paralyzed after being shot in the back seven times by a police officer; demonstrators Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber were killed by a 17-year-old with an assault rifle—horrifying. A reminder of […]
Staff
A Cup of Cold Water
…and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward. Matthew 10:42 Dear friends, In the time that I have been at Edwards Church, I have come to appreciate the congregation’s commitment at its […]
Ordinary People
Dear friends, I recently read a book entitled Why We Act: Turning Bystanders into Moral Rebels, by Catherine A. Sanderson, a professor at Amherst College. Dr. Sanderson reviews a wide range of sociological studies as she pursues the question of why some people step forward to help when they see harm being done. Are […]
A Letter from your Pastors
Dear friends, Ahmaud Arberry. Breanna Taylor. George Floyd. Three beloved children of God. Ahmaud loved to jog. Breanna was an EMT. George was a father. Each of them loved and was loved. Each brought gifts to offer our world. The world is poorer because of their deaths. We grieve the loss of these our sister […]
June Music Appreciation
We have so much going on musically this summer, I’m excited to tell you about it here. Our Thursday evening music appreciation classes have been a lot of fun to prepare and lead. And from what I hear, they have given people a lot to think about too. Recent topics have been “Beethoven’s Unusual Openings,: […]
Ordinary Time
Come Holy Spirit, come. Open our eyes to the mystery of Christ’s presence in these ordinary things in these our ordinary lives. May they be for us the very essence of the living Christ in our midst. —Adapted from communion service for Ordinary Time,The First Congregational Church of Malone, New York Dear friends, Welcome to […]
Pentecost Sunday
Dear friends, This coming Sunday, May 31, is Pentecost, the birthday of the church. The church finds itself in a similar position to those of us who have had birthdays during this “stay-at-home” time. We are challenged to rethink our usual ways of celebrating, to dive deeper into the intention behind our traditions, to […]
Strong Relationships
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what […]
Planning for the Future
Dear friends, “When can we go back to the way it used to be?“ That question has been on my mind since mid-March. It’s a question for which we don’t have an answer. And I’m beginning to realize that it’s not even the right question to ask. Our lives have changed drastically in the […]
Music as Mindfulness
Dear friends, Are you feeling a little distanced these days? Are you looking for a new way to broaden your interest in music? Are you always trying to be more mindful but have a “mind” that’s already quite “full”? I am offering an online music class to anyone who wants to be part of a new […]