by Kent French, November 30, 2023
For this Advent and Christmastide, we are deepening into the question of How Does a Weary World Rejoice? You can follow along with daily devotionals on our Facebook and Instagram pages. This past Spring, our nation’s Surgeon General issued a report that we have an “epidemic of loneliness” in this country. He wrote that loneliness “fundamentally affects our mental, physical, and societal health,” increasing the risk for mental health challenges and premature death comparable to the effects of smoking daily. Furthermore, Dr. Murthy emphasized that “our relationships are a source of healing and well-being hiding in plain sight – one… Read More
by UPB Editor, November 30, 2023
The seventh annual Christmas Market will take place Friday, December 8 through Sunday, December 31, 2023. Make a gift and/or tell your friends and family that you’ve made gifts in their honor to organizations doing good in the world. Perfect for gifts or stocking stuffers. You determine the amount you want to give. Missions Giving will match all donations received. Click here to view the brochure to learn more about the organizations we’re supporting this year. Then, choose which organizations you’d like to support with a financial contribution. There are two ways to do this: 1. Click here to fill… Read More
by Kate Baker-Carr, November 20, 2023
We are entering a busy time. This week, Thanksgiving, is a chance to “set our tables for peace” and to welcome our neighbors for a feast in Willett Hall. It is a joyous time when we gather with family and friends and a poignant time when we note keenly those absent from us. One of the things I love about the Sunday after Thanksgiving is seeing United Parish’s college students and young adults who are home. It’s also a chance to meet grandparents, aunts and uncles, and treasured kin of my United Parish family. So too, we are entering a… Read More
by UPB Editor, November 17, 2023
Join us on Thursdays, December 7, 14, and 21 from 6:15-6:45pm in the Chapel for contemplative worship. We invite you to deepen into Advent during the bustle of the holiday season by stepping into the quiet and candlelight for some centering time of prayer, song and reflection on our theme: How Does a Weary World Rejoice? The Longest Night: A Service for the Weary – December 21 For those who have experienced loss, the joy of the holiday season can often feel elusive and out of reach. Friends, this service is for you. Bring your grief. Bring your weariness. Bring… Read More
by Christine VanDeWege, November 16, 2023
This autumn, our worship follows our Church School curriculum, Seeking Peace Together. We are learning in worship alongside the youngest members of our community. There’s a popular saying, engraved on bracelets and emblazoned on t-shirts with the acronym WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?). Not a bad question to ponder when faced with an important decision, but I was recently tickled when I saw a meme poking good-humored fun of the saying: Most people wear “What Would Jesus Do” bracelets, but I rock my “Jesus Probably Would Not Have Gotten Himself Into This Situation In The First Place” bracelet. As Ben Franklin put it,… Read More
by Kent French, November 08, 2023
This autumn, our worship follows our Church School curriculum, Seeking Peace Together. We are learning in worship alongside the youngest members of our community. In the early stories of the Hebrew Bible, Isaac gets very little air time. He’s often overshadowed by his father Abraham and son Jacob. There is one story, however, that says a lot about his character. In Genesis 26, we learn that Isaac became quite successful as a rancher. He had lots of flocks, herds and servants. He also had access to his father’s wells — a necessity for surviving and thriving in that dry part of… Read More
by Kent French, November 02, 2023
REMINDER: Daylight Savings ends this Sunday, set clocks back one hour. This autumn, our worship follows our Church School curriculum, Seeking Peace Together. We are learning in worship alongside the youngest members of our community. What do you spend most of your time thinking about? When you wake up in the morning? When you go to bed? As you go throughout your day, what thoughts hang out the most in your head? In short, what preoccupies your mind? In the closing of his letter to the early Christians in Philippi (in northeastern Greece), Paul encouraged the faithful to keep… Read More
by Christine VanDeWege, October 26, 2023
I spent this morning at a regional airport, celebrating my 20-year-old son’s first solo flight. This is a big day in the life of a would-be pilot, so three of his flight instructors came to observe and congratulate. There were lots of smiles and swells of humble pride. Then three moms arrived with their babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. The children ran as fast as their little legs could carry them toward the airport’s viewing platform. They shouted with glee, pointing at the planes as the children danced, unable to keep still in their excitement. Already very happy for my son,… Read More
by Kent French, October 19, 2023
This autumn, our worship follows our Church School curriculum, Seeking Peace Together. We are learning in worship alongside the youngest members of our community. What do you worry about? Job security? Your health? Your kids? Your aging parents? Loneliness? Climate change? War? The political future of our country? Any number of things that pop up on your regular media source? Would you like to worry less? In two of the Gospels, Jesus tells his disciples very clearly, “Do not worry,” and then goes on to talk about the natural world and how grass, wild flowers and birds “neither… Read More
by Kent French, October 12, 2023
This autumn, our worship follows our Church School curriculum, Seeking Peace Together. We are learning in worship alongside the youngest members of our community. How do you perceive God? Is God a hard-driving, task-master who always gives you the impression you come up short? Or a kind, loving, benevolent, generalized feeling, like the air on a warm summer day or a comforting morning mist? Is God in the feeling you get from music that moves you down to your core? Is God like Santa Claus, keeping a list of when you’re naughty and nice, and rewarding you accordingly? Our perceptions… Read More
