By Chrissy Tatum Williamson What will make your heart sing? Strange question, isn’t it? That’s the prompt for the Lilly Grant for Clergy Renewal. “What will make your heart sing?” Two years ago when I began working on the grant proposal, this question was a barrier for me. It was easy to think of ways … Continued
By Chrissy Tatum Williamson I can’t remember the name of the book I was reading, but I know it was written by Barbara Brown Taylor. I can tell you exactly where the words were on the page (left side, last couple of lines on the page). When I read the words, I felt utterly convicted: … Continued
By Chrissy Tatum Williamson Words for the Beginning. Beginnings are exciting, they fly on the wings of vulnerable hopes; and they are tethered by risk of not becoming reality. Advent is a season of beginnings. These are characterized by hope and fear, reward and risk, preparation and whimsy, and the reality that before anything can … Continued
Throughout the next ministry year, we will offer small groups again as part of our Faith Formation opportunities. Much like last year, the small groups will pair with once-a-month Faith Forums which will focus on various topics throughout the year. Campbell professor and New Testament Scholar, Dr. Jennifer Garcia Bashaw will be here this fall to … Continued
By Christian McIvor We look forward to seeing you in Sunday morning worship on April 7 for this year’s Easter cantata! The full title of the work, which was composed by Joseph Martin, is A Journey to Hope (A Cantata Inspired by Spirituals). Throughout the cantata, Martin weaves together original material with lyrics and musical … Continued
By Christian McIvor As we follow the steps of Peter and explore his wandering exploration of faith throughout this Lenten season, we be reminded that as we wander through our own individual faith journeys – through all of our ups and downs, missteps and mistakes – God is always with us. You may have noticed … Continued
By Chrissy Tatum Williamson Sometimes the spiritual path is simple and straightforward. Faith comes effortlessly and life feels full of hope. More often – I would dare to say – the path is not so straight, but rather windy and sometimes even repetitively so. Often times when we turn to our Bibles, we find a … Continued
By Chrissy Tatum Williamson How does a weary world rejoice? It must have been early June when the staff began planning the 2023 Advent season. We shared some possible series themes with the Adult Christian Education Committee (now called the Adult Faith Formation Council) and prayed for wisdom in discerning which themes might speak to … Continued
By Bob Millikan October was first declared as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month in 1989. Since then, October has been a time to acknowledge domestic violence survivors and be a voice for its victims. Domestic violence is prevalent in every community, and affects all people regardless of age, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, gender, race, religion, … Continued