Rector – Reflections on the College for Congregational Development The first week of June, Vestry member Heather Albertson and I traveled to Seattle to attend the Diocese of Olympia’s College for Congregational Development. Below are some observations and thoughts I’d like to share about the work we did. Heather will be offering her reflections at…
Rector – The Summer Day I’m away at the College for Congregational Development this week, and so instead of an article I offer you a poem for prayer and reflection. Yours in God’s peace, Kristin+ “The Summer Day” by Mary Oliver Who made the world? Who made the swan, and the black bear? Who made the grasshopper? This grasshopper, I mean-…
From the Rector- Transformation, Building a Stronger Church One of the questions the Vestry and I return to over and over, in various forms, is how can we be a vibrant, healthy faith community in a changing world – and specifically a world in which the role of faith communities is rapidly shifting. As with most things, there’s no silver bullet answer. …
From the Rector – Sabbath in the Daily Life One of the most counter-cultural things I think religion has to offer our over-scheduled and over-stressed world is the practice of sabbath. It is a foundational part of our faith found in the first creation story in Genesis: after six days of work God rested, and…
From the Rector – The Church Does Not Need Volunteers Over the summer at our Vestry meetings, we began taking a few minutes each month to reflect on a brief article or resource about congregational life. One that really struck a chord with all of us was an article written by Erin Wathen about volunteering…
From the Rector – Celebrating 10 Years on North Main Street This Sunday, as we kick off another program year, we will also be celebrating that 10 years ago St. James’ made the move into this “new” building on North Main Street. In honor of this anniversary we are asking everyone to bring 10 items…