Our vision is to partner in spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. Our mission is to work together in ways that promote healthy congregations and effective leaders in every place, making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
As my daughter said, I got the gift of time this Christmas. More precisely, I received 3 desk calendars as gifts and one wall calendar. The wall calendar is for beauty. Susan and I are blessed with a friend who has been giving them to us for years to share a common love of flower… Continue Reading→
I am enjoying my time with each pastor. They teach me a lot. Gregg Presnal, told me that he and the folks of Hopewell Church were called to be “gracious missionaries.” I’ve pondered that phrase a lot and because I haven’t heard it, that I recall, in years, I’ve re-read some words I remember from… Continue Reading→
I’ve had the pleasure of talking with two people, each conversation and relationship completely independent of the other, in the past few weeks, both of whom were reared in the Orthodox branch of the Christian faith. If you are not familiar with Orthodoxy, their worship services are incredibly rich, symbolic and meant to invoke a… Continue Reading→
Many years ago at Thanksgiving when my son, then teenaged, was watching The Simpsons (we only allowed highly intellectual television viewing), he was captivated by a now very famous scene where the Simpson children are compelled to endure a table grace at Thanksgiving, indeed the Simpson son is forced to offer it. He says, “Thanks… Continue Reading→
This is the last (I promise) in a series of devotional articles I have written, using Fall 2020 Charge Conferences in the Capital District, as the bedrock and source. I have been inspired and occasionally challenged by the things I have learned but want to thank everyone for their participation in this delightful series of… Continue Reading→
The lessons continue from this year’s virtual charge conferences continue. And the inspiration I get from lay people’s testimonies in response to the questions of how are they loving God and neighbor continues to grow. Recently a lady told me that the current situation – by which she said she meant pandemic, societal unease, divisive… Continue Reading→
This is the third in an unintentional series of gleanings from Capital District charge conferences. I have to reiterate how impressive and inspiring they have been: unfailing graciousness and a profound desire to remain vital and deeply engaged in their own communities, our local church’s leaders are a gift. And I have learned and pondered… Continue Reading→
I hadn’t intended to make a running article about charge conferences despite having used them as my foil in the last “Hello from Harvey,” but the over-all content of the conferences has been so encouraging – and the spiritual context so beautiful — I have to share. In case you haven’t had yours yet –… Continue Reading→
“They” start this week. They are the 2020 charge conferences. In our United Methodist family, a charge conference is one of the most obvious and certainly one of the strongest ties that keep our family together. Charge conferences are times to celebrate what a local congregation is doing for God and for their neighbors, but… Continue Reading→