Pastor’s Corner – March 10, 2022

I follow the way of Jesus because I want to live well and I want to die well. I pray my life and death will be marked by faith, hope, love, and peace. Maybe you share this same desire?

Between now and Easter I want to remind you of the words Jesus spoke while dying. These words can serve as a guide for living and dying well. So far, we have explored Jesus’ lamentation on the cross from Mark and Matthew, and the way he ensured his mother’s well-being with his final breaths as recorded in John.

The Gospel According to John also tells of two other words from Jesus from the cross. In 19:28 as life is waning Jesus states, I am thirsty. The gospel writer connects this request to a verse in Psalm 69, an ancient song seeking deliverance in a time of persecution. This is the second time on the cross Jesus has found solace in the sacred writings of his people. In like fashion, countless generations of the faithful have also turned to the scriptures for comfort at the time of death. Let us not forget this rich reservoir of faith available in the Psalms in particular, and the Bible more generally. Jesus’ declaration of thirst is also a poignant symbol of Jesus’ suffering, another reminder that God through Christ has experienced the fullness of the human condition.

John’s telling of the crucifixion concludes with these words, When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, it is finished. Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. The simple statement, it is finished, not only acknowledges Jesus’ death but it also suggests something deeper. This phrase might also be translated it is completed. Jesus understands that he has fulfilled the work of his earthly journey. From that perspective it is a statement of grateful contentment for a life fully lived. Following suit, we might bring more urgency and purpose to each new day, so that we too can live and die well—with contentment for a life well lived.

Yours in Christ,

Marc

Pastor’s Corner – March 3, 2022

Dear Beloved,

How are you in this new month and this special season of Lent?

Thank you for your continued prayers for the Engaging Young Adult program with the Center for Congregations which the young adults name the Conscious Caring Community. While the Conscious Caring Community is designed specifically for adults between the ages of 20 to 35 and focused on wellness, creativity, and social justice, some of the workshops are open to everyone. One of those workshops is coming up! We hope you’ll join us in person on Sunday, March 13th at 3 p.m. in the kitchen or on IG Live. Please contact pastorsarah.friedensucc@outlook.com register. This is a workshop on gluten-free cooking led by Leo Colon. Leo was the young person who did the work to make it possible for Friedens kitchen to have a shared kitchen license which allows vendors to rent kitchen space to prepare food. Leo lives on the northside and worships with us virtually. I have been to at least three of his workshops now, and they have all been really fun. Hope you can join us and invite others.

There are also young adult vendors at the winter farmers’ market which is in Hayden Hall from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every Saturday. You can come by and greet them and show your support.

Several of the Conscious Caring Community participants are also expecting or have recently delivered babies. You can be keeping them in your prayers as well.

There are opportunities to mentor young adults as well as opportunities to help with transportation and sometimes meals as well as community outreach programs. Please be in touch if you would like to be contacted when needs arise. I have always known Friedens to bless others in this way! Serving with you is something for which I continue to thank God. May we know the imaginative beauty of our Creator, the shalom of Jesus, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. You are a loved and loving child of God.

Lenten blessings,

Sarah

5 May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in
harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, 6 so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 15:5-6

Pastor’s Corner – February 24, 2022

I follow the way of Jesus because I want to live well and I want to die well. I pray my life and death will be marked by faith, hope, love, and peace. Maybe you share this same desire?

Between now and Easter I want to remind you of the words Jesus spoke while dying. These words can serve as a guide for living and dying well.

The Gospel According to John records a moment on the cross unique to his telling. In John 19:26,27 Jesus fulfills a family responsibility. As the oldest son in his family Jesus had a responsibility to care for his widowed mother. A disciple described as one who Jesus loved, brings Mary to the cross. We can imagine what a heartbreaking moment this was.

Jesus summons the strength to say to his mother, Woman here is your son. And, to the disciple, Here is your mother. With these words Jesus fulfilled his familial responsibility. He ensured that Mary would be cared for the rest of her life. John tells us as much, with these words, And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

Part of living well and dying well is fulfilling our responsibilities. There are certain obligations we take on as family members, friends, neighbors, and citizens. When we embrace these obligations, not as a burden but as the responsibility of living in community, we experience the true meaning and purpose of the life God has given us.

Jesus shows us the way. Let us follow with devotion.

Yours in Christ,

Marc

Pastor’s Corner – February 17, 2022

Wonder, awe, being together, sharing based on everyone’s need, glad and generous hearts, praising God….These are some of the words that were lifted up in the message from Pastor Marc on January 29th. (If you missed it, you can catch it online at www.friedensucc.org.)

Friends, I am praising God for all God’s awesome works. I see signs of God’s love and healing power in the healthcare workers, custodians, researchers, vaccine clinic workers, mask manufactures, cleaning products manufactures, delivery drivers and so many others during this pandemic. I see signs of God’s care in all the first responders, electricians, and road crews in the winter storms. I feel wonder when we gather together through God’s Spirit whether live or virtually. My heart is glad when I hear of the ways individuals and organizations work for equity and kindness and offer care and support to one another. Praises come forth in each new day and in the beauty of all the diversity God has created

I feel all these things when I think of some of the new opportunities coming up this winter and spring. Friedens focused mission is sharing the love of Christ with kids and teens in the community. We all have many opportunities to pray with, support, invite, and connect. Here are some upcoming opportunities:

• Metamorphosis Friends - Saturday, February 26th from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.

• Environmental Program - Watch for more about this special opportunity with Global Ministries partners

• This Book is Anti-racist Circles - Begins on Sunday, Feb. 20th, live and virtual options

• Grounded and Covered - Meditation Time, virtually at 7 p.m. on the 3rd Thursday of the month

• Entering the Passion - book study led by Adam Hayden

Please contact pastorsarah.friedensucc@outlook.com or 317-709-5857 for more details

Thank you for praying for these opportunities and for inviting others. Please be watching for more that will be coming for the season of Lent.

Let them praise your great and awesome name.
Holy is he!

Psalm 99:3

Pastor’s Corner – February 10, 2022

I follow the way of Jesus because I want to live well and I want to die well. I pray my life and death will be marked by faith, hope, love, and peace. Maybe you share this same desire?

Between now and Easter I want to remind you of the words Jesus spoke while dying. These words can serve as a guide for living and dying well.

The first gospel written, Mark, and the second, Matthew, agree that Jesus spoke only once on the cross. In Mark 15:34 and Matthew 27:46, Jesus asks, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Jesus did not make-up these words, he was reciting the opening line of Psalm 22. This ancient song is attributed to King David and is in the form of lamentation. A lament is a complaint directed to God. A lament springs from a time of suffering when it can seem that all is lost and God is absent. Psalm 22:14 captures this feeling well with poignant imagery: I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast. Have you ever felt like that? I have, and Jesus did too.

Jesus shows us it is okay to admit feeling spent and alone. It is okay to cry out to God in complaint. God is strong enough and loving enough to receive our lamentation. In the throes of an agonizing death Jesus may not have had the energy to recite the entire psalm but I have no doubt he knew and trusted all of Psalm 22. This song begins with complaint but concludes with praise. Again, we return to the poetic imagery of the song in verse 21, From the horns of the wild oxen, O Lord, you have answered me.

It may feel at times like we are spent and alone and it is important to articulate this feeling. This feeling does not describe the fullness of life and death. Jesus and Psalm 22 remind us that we are never all alone and lost. God is always with us to see us through the worst of our pain and suffering. After all, God through Christ knows exactly how it feels to live and die.

Yours in Christ,

Marc

Pastor’s Corner – February 2, 2022

Dear Beloved,

Are there sayings that you grew up with that no longer seem to make sense (or maybe never did)? What about the saying? – What doesn’t kill you only makes you tougher.

In a virtual gathering with the Conscious Caring Community a young adult shared that she was learning this was not her experience. Her wisdom resonated deeply with me. She said that she had been through some things that left her broken and her brokenness didn’t make her tougher but instead more resilient. How beautiful!!! How reflective!!!!

It is okay to acknowledge our brokenness as individuals and collectively in families, schools, workplaces, play spaces, neighborhoods, states, nations, global communities…. Brokenness is part of life. We are fragile. We are also created for healing, mending, and molding that leave us changed and transformed. Will we allow God to use our hurts? Will we become more resilient? What will that mean? How will that shape us?

May we find hope, healing, and help for each moment in the everlasting faithfulness of God our source of rest, redemption, repair, refreshment, reconciliation, and resiliency. May you find restoration and renewal in knowing you are loved. You are not alone.

- Sarah

Even youths will faint and be weary,
and the young will fall exhausted;
but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:30-31

Pastor’s Corner – January 27, 2022

I hope you are enjoying the invitation in my recent articles to dream about our future as a church. I pray this is building some excitement for new possibilities in service to our community in Christ’s Spirit.

Today please allow me to encourage your ideas about how we should realign our resources for community ministry. Since the days of “build it and they will come” are long behind us, how do we adjust to Jesus’ commission: “go therefore and make disciples”?

Should we have a visible presence of service at community festivals and events? Should we build on our Weekender’s Back Sack Food Ministry with efforts to serve other needs of the families represented? Should we build on our connection with music students at UIndy to fill another area of need with college students? Should we have a staff person guide and oversee community partnerships and ministries? Should we have an off-site office or meeting place on another side of town?

What are your ideas? This is a time to discern the plans Christ has for us as we move more and more into the community. Share your thoughts with me at pastormarc.friedensucc@outlook.com and with our president, Lisa Soard, at lsoard@indianabiosciences.org.

Yours in Christ,

Marc

Pastor’s Corner – January 20, 2022

Dear Beloved,

Do you ever feel like you don’t know how to answer the question, how are you? I am always grateful – so very much to praise God for! Beyond that I don’t always know how to answer the how are you question. Sometimes there is much going through my being. Now is a time when there is much in my heart, mind, body, and spirit. Do you ever have that sense?

We can feel lots of things at once. I feel much hope in God’s work through so many people and organizations offering love, transformation, and care in so many varied, beautiful, creative, meaningful, powerful, and gentle ways. I feel joy when I hear of a baby born or a sign of new life. I feel concern when I hear about another person with covid and all the staffing shortages that make things challenging. I join those who mourn and grieve the brokenness and loss we experience in life – in families, schools, workplaces, neighborhoods, states, nations… On this day, my heart is still saddened by the recent earthly loss of Desmond Tutu. Yet in this month when we celebrate Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr, I rejoice in their faithful prophetic leadership and ministries. In this month of awareness about human trafficking, my heart aches when I think of continued slavery and human trafficking and is also humbled and grateful that we have a month that intentionally reminds us about it and invites us to connect with organizations working to make a difference such as our partners around the world with www.globalministries.org and local organizations https://www.allies-inc.org/ and https:/www.hopecenterindy.org/.

I share this personal experience, in the hopes that if you are feeling lots of feelings, you know you aren’t alone. Maybe you are feeling tired and weary; maybe you are feeling inspired and encouraged. Maybe you are feeling all of these things. Collectively we are feeling a lot, friends. We are not alone. The Maker of the heavens and the earth is with us even when we feel uncertain and full of doubt. You are loved!

With much care and hope,

Sarah

I lift up my eyes to the hills - from where will my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.
8 The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in
from this time on and forevermore.

Psalm 121

Pastor’s Corner – January 14, 2022

Recently I have been inviting you to join me in thinking about continued vitality at Friedens Church. I have shared ideas about connecting with younger people, developing community partners, new metrics to measure vitality, and the ongoing need to build relationships.

Today I want to encourage your thinking about how we put into action the Open and Affirming and Just Peace Covenants. These covenants are valuable to communicate that we share the love of Christ with inclusivity and to make this world God loves a place where everyone gets a fair chance. These covenants are important to empower our efforts to move more and more into the community.

What might that look like? Could it be offering support groups for folks and their families who are part of the LGBTQ community? Could it be continuing educational and book studies that open our hearts and minds to the systemic struggles of marginalized communities? Could it be a more direct connection with neighbors who are refugees? Could it be a scholarship or mentorship program that helps underserved students take that next step in education?

What are your ideas? This is a time to discern the plans Christ has for us as an Open and Affirming and a Just Peace church. Share your thoughts with me at pastormarc.friedensucc@outlook.com and with our president, Lisa Soard, at lsoard@indianabiosciences.org.

Yours in Christ,

Marc

Pastor’s Corner – January 6, 2022

Dear Beloved,

New Year’s blessings to you! I deeply appreciate Advent and Epiphany. In between comes the calendar new year. I appreciate the calendar new year as well. It reminds me of fresh starts and causes me to pause in gratitude for the blessings and lessons of a year coming to a close and to set reflective intentions for the year ahead. As I think about my hopes and dreams, I have so many which causes me to feel the humbleness that returns me to my knees. God, teach me to pray. Jesus, show me your way. Spirit, guide and direct me.

I thank God for you as individuals and as a collective. Praises be to God for God’s design for relational living and community. Friends, what are your hopes and dreams for the new year? Which spiritual practices will nourish and support you? Your faith community is here to journey with you. May Jesus’ ways of compassion and mercy offer you hope in this new year. We hope you will connect through virtual or in person worship and we invite you to engage through a ministry team. Each of us have gifts, strengths, experiences, wounds, character traits, and a God-given uniqueness that is needed in the world. We are better together. Together empowered by God’s Spirit we can dream God’s dreams and join in God’s call that all may live in deep shalom.

May we continue to be open to and reflect the hope, love, joy, and peace of Jesus in this new year of 2022

With gratitude for you, Sarah

17 So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself,[d] not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.

2 Corinthians 5:17-19

Pastor’s Corner – December 30, 2021

In our lives of constant transition, we are grateful for a sturdy foundation upon which to build our lives. From the perspective of faith that foundation is the abiding and graceful presence of our Creator, Provider, Sustainer and Savior. Despite the unexpected twists and turns and ups and downs, we are loved and loving children of God. Let’s not lose sight of that in our transitions.

In recent weeks I have been offering and inviting your ideas about continued vitality at Friedens Church. Today, let me remind you of something that has been unchanging in the millennia of our religious tradition, it has always been about and it will always be about loving relationships. Faith is about God’s desire to be in graceful relationship with us, so that we can be in graceful relationship with God and others. This truth is crystal clear in our celebration of Christ’s birth. One of the titles for Jesus is Emmanuel, which means God-with-us. Christmas is an opportunity to affirm that God’s desire for relationship is so strong that the Divine One enters into life on earth, with everything that comes with it, including suffering and death.

During this season of Christmas ponder the mystery and wonder of God-with-us. Allow the grace of God revealed in the child of Bethlehem to fill all the nooks and crannies of your life. Be transformed by this good news so you can share the gift of love you have received. This is the heart of a meaningful, purposeful and joyful life individually and in community. The Way of Jesus has been, is and will be about relationship, a relationship that sustains us in all the changes of our earthly journey.

Yours in Christ,

Marc

Pastor’s Corner – December 23, 2021

Dear Beloved,

How has your Advent journey been so far? A few days remain in this season of preparation, repentance, watchfulness, attentiveness, listening, openness….. In this season of expectancy, how is the God of hope, love, joy, and peace working in your life? I have been asking myself: am I open to what God offers? Am I ready for an unexpected call to reach out?

For many years, “Mary Did You Know?” has been one of my favorite Christmas songs. Maybe because of the mystery and wonder that I feel in the song? Maybe because of the awesomeness of God come to earth – God with us? Maybe because I admire Mary? I pray that this season and in the new year to come, you can be encouraged by the wonder and awesomeness of the Creator of the heavens and the earth. I pray that we will remain attentive to the surprising blessings of your grace and mercy embodied. I pray that in all the uncertainty and unknown in life, you know that you are called loved and loving by the Maker of the first breath of a newborn babe and brilliance of the most distant stars.

With the hope, love, joy, and peace of Jesus our Leader and Liberator~

Sarah

38 Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord;
let it be with me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.

Luke 1:38

Pastor’s Corner – December 16, 2021

I have been using recent articles to share thoughts and ideas about a vital future at Friedens. So far, I’ve invited you to think about what it means to interact more with younger people in our community and what community partnerships might mean in terms of increasing rental revenue and advancing our mission.

Today, I want to talk about metrics of vitality. For decades church vitality has primarily been measured in terms of attendance, membership, and offering amounts. Church growth experts feel these metrics can be a self-defeating measurement in an era in North America when religious affiliation is in broad decline, with the drop accelerated by the pandemic. Please know this does not signal resignation to our responsibility to fulfill our commission of making disciples. Friedens continues to be committed to sharing the good news of God’s grace in Christ with new people. This decline does signal that more and more people in North America (and especially among younger generations) are opting out of religious participation. It is important to serve in our community with honesty about the realities and challenges.

So how do we measure our vitality these days? One idea is to measure the difference we are making in the community. Our mission is to share the love of Christ. Measuring the difference we make in the community is a way to measure our mission, and thus our vitality. What are some of the recent difference-making measurements at Friedens? A record number of home baked pies for Wheeler Mission; strong donations to Weekender’s Back Sack Food Ministry; more than twenty members and friends recently commissioned for our Visitation Ministry to folks who are homebound; and, opening our facility to the Garfield Park Winter Market. These are some of the measurements that suggest vitality at Friedens.

Of course, we will continue to keep an eye on attendance, membership and offering amounts. But we also need new ways of telling the whole story of vitality at Friedens Church. If this sparks any ideas please let me know at pastormarc.friedensucc@outlook.com, and with our new congregational president, Lisa Soard at lsoard@indianabiosciences.org.

Yours in Christ,

Marc

Pastor’s Corner – December 9, 2021

How are you in the Advent season? And your answer does not have to be "fine." Of course, it is perfectly well if it is, but Advent is a season of waiting and preparation – a time of reflection and repentance, and our answer might not be fine. We might have deep concerns about loved ones. We may be experiencing much loneliness whether we are surrounded by others or physically all alone. We may be grieving the loss of or separation from loved ones. We may be heavy with the sufferings of those near and far. We can be feeling any or all of these things and still be filled with overwhelming and overflowing gratitude to God which gives us hope, love, joy, and peace.

Wherever you are, however you are feeling, whoever you are one life’s journey, you are not alone. You are loved and valued. You are welcomed by the God of extravagant compassion and grace!!! You are precious!!! I give thanks for you and your families and pray for you in this special season of Advent.

With care and gratitude,

Sarah

Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.

Psalm 36:5

Pastor’s Corner – December 2, 2021

One of the questions to ponder as we posture toward the future at Friedens by turning to the community with a focus of serving younger people, is: What community partnerships need to be developed that align with and strengthen our mission?

Collaboration and partnership create synergy and magnify influence. There is no need for us to “reinvent the wheel.” Who is already doing a good job of serving younger people in our community and how could we be part of their good work?

• Does the Indiana Youth Group that serves the needs of youth in the LGBTQ+ community need a south side office?

• Does the Indianapolis Children’s Choir need a south side rehearsal space?

• Does Adult and Child Mental Health need a place to run therapy groups?

• Can we work together with our closest sister church, St. John’s UCC?

What are your ideas to form new partnerships in the community that align with and strengthen our mission? Please share those ideas with me at pastormarc.friedensucc@outlook.com and with our council president for 2022, Lisa Soard at lsoard@indianabiosciences.org.

Pastor’s Corner – November 25, 2021

Dear Beloved Siblings,

A few months ago a participant in the young adult Conscious Caring Community shared a mission moment about the Community Food Box Project which she began five years ago. The Outreach Ministry Team decided that offering a community food box on the campus of Friedens United Church of Christ would fit well with the mission that God has given Friedens to share the love of Jesus with children and youth in the community. Another young adult picked up an old newspaper box that the Community Food Box Project provides. She delivered it to the southside. Then a family from Friedens picked up the box and brought it to the church building where the Friendship Girls coated the box with its first layers of paint provided by another Friedens family who had also cleaned the box. Then a high schooler from the Perry Meridian High School Key Club painted beautiful designs on the box. The leader of the Buildings and Grounds Team, Heidi our office administrator, and the new Friedens Moving Outward Ministry Team have been working on the logistics of how food will be gathered, stored, and restocked. What a beautiful experience to witness so many people working together to share the love of Jesus in a way that Jesus shared God's love - by providing for the physical needs and nourishment of people! You will have an opportunity to join this ministry of providing to people who are facing food insecurity and hunger. You can bring non-perishable small-packaged nutritious food items to the inside entry way of Hayden Hall. If you'd like to be involved in checking and restocking the food box, please let us know. The food box will be located outside of the Hayden Hall doors for people from the community to access 24-7 with no questions asked.

Thank you for your continued sharing through the weekenders, for your advocacy to understand and address the underlying causes of hunger, and for your advocacy for support for measures to help people who are hungry through www.bread.org. If you have questions, please reach out to the Friedens Moving Forward Ministry Team or me. Thank you for your prayers as we seek to serve and love as Jesus invites us and calls us to do.

With care and gratitude for you,

Sarah

"... ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’"

Matthew 25:37-40

Pastor’s Corner – November 18, 2021

One of the questions to ponder as we posture toward the future at Friedens by turning to the community with a focus of serving younger people, is: How do we connect meaningfully with younger members and friends while honoring the long-term commitment of our older and most active members and friends?

Serving younger and older people is not an either/or but a both/and. We do both at Friedens. Of course, the long-term older members and friends have gotten us where we are today. Thank you! There is no future without younger members and friends getting more involved. Welcome! We need each other. We serve each other. We bless each other.

How shall we serve older and younger alike? One way to answer this question is to honor and bring forward the best from our rich tradition, while shaping these traditions in ways that meet new opportunities. For example, worship with inspiring music has always been a hallmark of Friedens UCC. The Tom Williams Memorial Music Fund has welcomed young musicians from area music schools to gain experience and learn in our excellent music ministry at Friedens. These students bring musical gifts and lively spirits that reinvigorate our congregation and enrich worship. Everyone is benefitted!

How can we replicate this experience in other areas of ministry at Friedens? Here are some ideas:

• We have a unique and beautiful pipe organ. How might we become a training ground for church organists that provides live music for the community beyond Sunday mornings and also helps to raise funds to preserve and maintain our pipe organ?

• Our sanctuary has received honors for its architectural design. It has been praised for its acoustics. The space has also been used in the past for concerts and recitals. What if we renewed this tradition and became a prominent venue for live music on the south side? Local music schools and excellent local high school music programs might be a great source for ensembles and choirs. Revenue could be directed toward maintenance of the sanctuary. All ages would benefit from this experience.

• Younger generations look to older generations to be mentored. What if we partnered with local colleges to connect our members and friends with business, education, health care and other skill sets to serve as mentors and life coaches to students?

What are your ideas to bring young and old together for mutual sharing and benefit? Please share those ideas with me at pastormarc.friedensucc@outlook.com and with our council president for 2022, Lisa Soard at lmsoard@gmail.com.

We have a hopeful future at Friedens. I am thankful to join you on this journey of renewal.

Yours in Christ,

Marc

Pastor’s Corner – November 11, 2021

Dear Beloved Siblings,

In this season where we often take time to focus on gratitude, my heart is full. While my heart often feels heavy with the loss and grief near and far, it remains overflowing with thanksgiving for you and the opportunity to serve and follow Jesus with you. Each Sunday, it is a blessing to worship with you in-person and virtually and to connect with the Treasure Seekers children in-person and virtually.

I also give thanks for Friedens’ mission of sharing the love of Christ and our focus on moving outward. This is what disciples of Jesus are called to do. I am grateful we can follow Jesus’ calling in community with one another – together led by God’s Spirit. We bring different gifts, strengths, personalities, wounds, experiences, knowledge, and perspectives which allow us to reach out to others with the compassion, grace, and faith of Jesus in more beautifully diverse ways. We are all needed to give and receive in the ministries of Jesus.

One of the ways we are moving outward is through the grant provided by the Center for Congregations to support engagement with young adults. Connecting with young adults (20-35) through the Conscious Caring Community, has created space for the building of relationships with young adults who are making a positive difference in the community – in schools, social work, health and wellness, environmental efforts, and in the corporate world. Connections with young adults enabled us to host a special maternal health event and the Little Timmy mobile clinic this summer. Connections with young adults have been made with the Treasure Seekers, with worship, with book and Bible study groups, with the Christian Education Ministry Team (to become the Lifelong Spiritual Formation and Conscious Caring Community Ministry Team), with the Outreach Ministry Team and Just Peace Exploratory Team (to become the Friedens Moving Outward Ministry Team), and with an opportunity for a weekly winter Farmers’ Market each Saturday from 9 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. in Hayden Hall from Nov. 20th until the spring.

Thank you for your continued prayers for these ministries. We hope to see you at the winter Farmers’ Market and hope you’ll join us for social justice, wellness, and creativity opportunities with the Conscious Caring Community. Please reach out anytime for more information.

With gratitude and hope,

Sarah

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

Psalm 9:1-2

Pastor’s Corner – November 4, 2021

A recent survey of in-person church attendance in the United States confirmed what we have noticed at Friedens UCC—numbers have not returned to pre-pandemic figures. In fact, currently average church attendance in America is approximately 40% of pre-pandemic attendance. The good news is the way online worship is helping to fill the gap in a new age.

The survey also asked church attenders whether they preferred in-person or online worship. As you might have guessed the answers represented a clear generational distinction. About 70% of older church attenders prefer in-person worship, while about 60% of younger church attenders prefer online worship. This generational shift suggests that in-person worship attendance may never return to pre-pandemic numbers and that online worship options will continue to be essential.

This is not cause for alarm. It is cause to prayerfully consider the changes needed to remain relevant and vital in the years ahead. In the coming weeks I will use my Pastor’s Paragraphs to share some thoughts about next steps. I hope they will stimulate your thoughtful reflection as we posture more and more as a congregation toward serving in the community with a special focus on younger people, the essence of the council and congregationally approved strategy called Friedens Moving Outward.

First, I want to let you know some steps have already been taken. Yay! They include:

• Discussion, study, and congregational input that led to the Friedens Moving Outward strategy.

• The already approved Open and Affirming Covenant and the recently presented Just Peace Covenant which support the move toward younger people in the community.

• The young adults brought into worship and music ministry through the Tom Williams Memorial Music Fund.

• An investment in A/V technology in the sanctuary that makes live streaming possible.

• Being selected for and implementing the Engaging Young Adults grant.

• Deepening our commitment to the Cooperative Play Academy, the preschool that meets at Friedens.

• Restructuring the council to provide a more nimble decision making process and empowering the council to focus more time and energy on Friedens Moving Outward.

• An effort underway right now to put more of our younger and committed members and friends into leadership.

One of the reasons I am filled with hope and optimism for our future is the Spirit of Christ alive at Friedens. Many disciples in our community are willing to look forward and to embrace the change faithfulness to Christ requires. I am thankful to be on this journey with you.

Yours in Christ,

Marc

Pastor’s Corner – October 28, 2021

Dear Friends,

As a teenager, All Saints Day became an important holy day for me. In order to tell children about the day, I remember looking up the definition of saints. The definition that I found said that a saint was a person who shared the good news of God’s love. The children and I talked about how that means that anyone who shares God’s love is a saint, and then we took time to give thanks for the saints who had brought the messages of God’s love to each of us.

This year it feels like it resonates even more deeply. With a heart of gratitude, I praise God for the people of faith who have gone before us and set examples for us. Their leadership, courage, prayers, energy, gifts, and generosity are blessings. This year, I've also been thinking about all our ancestors who lived or continue to live in ways of peacemaking, justice-doing, and shalom (comprehensive wellness and wholeness for all). I'm grateful for author Layla Saad who helps me give thanks for my ancestors and raises the question for me, "What kind of ancestor do I want to be?" How will we remember and give thanks for the saints in our individual and collective lives this All Saints Day? Are there ways we can continue to share the love of Jesus they reflected each day? May you know you are a loved and loving child of God. You are a blessing. By the power of the Creator, the compassion of Jesus, and the direction of the Holy Spirit, may we live in Jesus' ways of blessing. Thanks be to God!

With gratitude, care, and prayers for you,

Sarah

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger
who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”

Isaiah 52:7