After worship this Sunday, we invite you to gather in the Churchyard for a time of remembrance of loved ones and those who served in the U.S. military. Flags will mark the resting places of those who served. If anyone wishes to wear a uniform, ribbon or other items representing their military service, or that of a family member, please do so. The Churchyard is a place of peace and reflection. You are welcome to visit at...
Dear Sisters, Brothers, and Friends, This past Thursday (5/20), I was pleased to announce Winnetka Congregational’s new masking and distancing guidelines, which align fully and without exception to the CDC’s new recommendations. Before sharing the announcement, I’d tested it with numerous people to ensure that the message I intended was the message people were hearing. However, a very helpful email exchange with a congregant yesterday (5/21) revealed that there was another way to interpret one key...
Chances are, at some point in your life, you’ve prayed. And chances are, that when you think about prayer, you think about how you, or others, pray to God. But, as often as you’ve stopped to pray about others, about the world, or about a personal need… have you ever stopped to think that you’re not the only one praying? Because you’re not. Even as you might pray to God… Jesus is praying for you....
The escalating violence between Israelis and Palestinians, triggered by recent events in Jerusalem are cause for global concern. Both because of the immediate impact this conflict is having on the people most directly affected, for whom God calls us to pray no less than if they were our across-the-fence neighbors, our closest kith and kin. And, also, because of the way in which these recent events and the overarching and ongoing conflict within that region...
Starting Sunday, May 9 at 9 am, along with our continuing online worship option, we will be offering worship outdoors on our church’s front lawn (unless weather conditions move us indoors). This setting will offer us plenty of space, with our sanctuary’s beautiful front porch as a backdrop.Have questions? Here are three that we’ve heard…answered. If you have more, don’t hesitate to be in touch. Photo by BP Miller on Unsplash 1. What will outdoor...
The conviction of ex-Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin on all three counts related to the murder and unlawful death of George Floyd is an important milestone. A chance to breathe. After a year of bated breath. And, at least partially, a source of relief and resolution. For the Floyd Family. For Minneapolis. For those who identify as people of color. And for all Americans. It speaks to the power of due process, to the truth being...
It isn’t easy to look at death and see a beginning. In the Christian tradition of trying to understand and follow Jesus, we pivot around Easter Sunday. We anchor our faith in a story of celebration. And of resurrection. But, honestly…? This story isn’t easy to believe. The idea that Jesus could die, be lifelessly sealed in a tomb, and then, on the third day, rise… just like that! It can sound fantastical. Maybe even scary.And...
This virtual challenge was inspired by one of the Winnetka Congregational Church Servants who decided she wanted to do something to give back during these strange and extraordinary times. Sparked by this motivation, a team of middle school and high school youth got together with our Outreach councilors to plan a virtual fundraiser to support The Harbour, a non-profit supported for many years by the church that offers immediate, stable and safe housing and support...
Sometimes it seems like we’re better at building walls than building bridges. Every morning, many of us wake up and log on to what can feel a little bit like a battlefield. We’re confronted with news bulletins and newsfeeds that outline, in thousands of strongly-held convictions and hastily written rebuttals, how our work of building the Beloved Community is clearly undone. We label and belittle. We partition and divide ourselves from one another. And we can feel...
When I started thinking about Lent this year, one word kept coming to my mind: Undone. Trying to seem like we have it all together is something many of us feel like we need to do…are expected to do. Even though feeling tired, overwhelmed, unsure, and a little bit like an imposter are fundamental human experiences that we ALL share, we can invest lots of time and energy and pasted-on smiles in trying to convince those...