This coming Sunday, July 1, promises to be another quiet Sunday in the life of our church.  Because it is the first Sunday in July, we celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

The following Sunday, July 8, Ken Matthews will lead our morning service.  Ken has the rather unique distinction of being a life-long member of our church.  He has conducted the service on the Sunday following Christmas for more than 25 years.  This is the first time he has led a service during the summer months.  Will he even know what to do with a story from the Gospel of Mark? 

If you are able, please come and join us!

This coming Sunday, June 24, looks like it is going to be one of the quietest services that we have had in over three months.  There are no baptisms, no special guests or musicians, no special meetings or recognitions.  The service promises to be simple and quiet.

Although I enjoy the busyness of April, May and early June, I always look forward to the actual beginning of summer when everything slows down for a month or two.

I hope you can join me!

I have some sad news to share with you this week.  Jeri Schmit, one of the most committed and dedicated members of our church, died yesterday after suffering a series of devastating strokes.  Jeri was only 70 years old.  On a personal note, Jeri and her husband Jim have been our next door neighbors for the past 23 years.

A memorial service has been planned at the church for this coming Saturday, June 16.  Visitation will be from 10:00 – Noon, with the service at Noon, and a light luncheon in Fellowship Hall immediately following.  Please help spread the word.

In other news, you might be interested to know that this coming Sunday, June 17, our church has been asked to serve as a Neutral Pulpit for one of our neighboring churches.  They are in the process of searching for an Associate Minister and will be interviewing a young woman who just graduated from seminary.  Serving as a Neutral Pulpit means is that she will assist me in leading the service, and offer the morning Meditation, so that the Search Committee has a chance to see her in action before recommending her to the entire congregation.

This is a wonderful opportunity for us to support another UCC church and to see how someone conducts one of their very first services.  I hope you can join us! 

As many of you know, over the past couple of weeks the weather in Port Washington has been absolutely beautiful.  Clear bright days with lots of warm sunlight and a cool breeze off the lake.  It looks like we could even reach into the 80’s for the weekend.  What a wonderful way to celebrate the end of the school year and the beginning of summer.

It’s fitting that this coming Sunday, June 10, is Graduation Sunday in the life of our church. We will take a moment to recognize all of our high school graduates.  The service also includes the Sacrament of Baptism.

Please help spread the word that, immediately following the service, our Sustainability Committee is showing a movie in the sanctuary entitled Permaculture: The Growing Edge.  It’s a wonderful opportunity to learn how permaculture can impact our community, and perhaps even your own backyard.  

In other news, you might be interested to know that we have been working on our outdoor sculpture this past week, trying to figure out why it is not moving as it was intended to do.  We’ve realized that, although it sits in a striking location on the corner of Fellowship Hall, the building creates a significant wind shadow, especially if the wind is coming from a northerly direction.

To help correct the problem, we removed the overgrown cedar bushes in front of our two church towers and will replace them with smaller shrubs that do not deflect the wind.  Adam Brown, the member of our church who designed and built the sculpture, is also looking at several ways to modify the sculpture so that it has more surface area in order to catch more of the wind.

The sculpture is meant to depict the Spirit of God.  If you think about it, the church season of Pentecost is a fine time to let the Spirit move freely in our midst.

Even though we have moved to our summer schedule, the next couple of weeks are busy ones in the life of our church.

On Saturday morning, we have planned our annual Spring Clean-Up of the church grounds.  We will be weeding, trimming, and mulching all of the flower beds.  If you are able, please come lend a hand.

On Saturday afternoon, our church is hosting a classical music concert featuring two young artists Carmen Lasceski, on violin, and Tom King, on piano.  The concert is entitled Duo Recital and features music by Beethoven, Schumann and Dvorak.  Please help spread the word.

This coming Sunday, June 3, is Confirmation Sunday.  The four members of our 8th Grade Confirmation Class will confirm their faith and become official members of the church.  The service includes the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

Looking ahead to the following week, Sunday morning, June 10, is Graduation Sunday.  We will take a moment to recognize all of our high school graduates.  The service also includes the Sacrament of Baptism.

Immediately following the service, our Sustainability Committee is showing a movie in the sanctuary entitled Permaculture: The Growing Edge.  It’s a wonderful opportunity to learn how permaculture can impact our community.  Again, please help spread the word.

Last week, President Obama shared with the nation that his view of gay marriage had evolved and that he now supports same-sex marriage. It’s interesting to me that Obama should use the word evolved, rather than the word changed, given the fact that so many Christian evangelicals, who oppose gay marriage, discredit the theory of evolution. How ironic!

Nonetheless, I’m pleased that our President has finally caught up with the thinking of the United Church of Christ. I am proud of the fact that we were the first large denomination to ordain a gay man to the ministry way back in 1972 and that the 25th General Synod of the United Church of Christ endorsed Marriage Equality in 2005.

Although some people continue to suggest that the equal treatment of homosexuals is not a human rights issue, they sound an awful lot like the people who used a literal reading of the Bible, and fundamentalist theology, to oppose the equal rights of African-Americans.

President Obama’s change of heart will not have an immediate effect on the freedom of gay and lesbian persons to marry but it's another crack in a wall of exclusion and ignorance. Alleluia!

In other news, please don’t forget that this coming Sunday, May 20, marks the end of our church program year. We celebrate with a picnic at Kolbach Park immediately following the 10:00 service. 

The following Sunday, on Memorial Day weekend, we move to our summer schedule with one service on Sunday mornings at 9:00.

I’ve gotten something of a reputation over the past several years for selecting hymns from our Black hymnal (The New Century Hymnal), which may have wonderful words, but are extremely difficult to sing.

In my own defense, you might be interested to know that I actually keep track of the hymns we sing each and every Sunday morning.  My goal is to never sing the same hymn more than four times in the course of a year.  I also try to make sure that the hymns we sing fit the theme of the service and the appropriate church season.  Nonetheless, I admit that some of the hymns that I select are almost impossible to sing without any special guidance or preparation.

But, this past Sunday morning, I really lucked out!

For our middle hymn, I selected Hymn 163 in The New Century Hymnal.  It is entitled Many Are the Lightbeams.  What’s interesting about this hymn is that the words were written in 252 C. E. by Cyprian of Carthage, a bishop of the early church.  When I selected the hymn, I had no idea if it would be easy to sing or not, but the words included a reference to our Gospel Reading from the 15th Chapter of the Gospel of John.

But, like I said, I really lucked out.  Not only was the hymn easy to sing, but I thought that the words fit the service perfectly.  Despite being written nearly two thousand years ago, they have a contemporary feel and tenor.  The opening verse goes like this: Many are the light-beams from the one light.  Our one light is Jesus.  Many are the light-beams from the one light; we are one in Christ.  In the following verses it continues: Many are the branches, Many are the gifts given, Many ways to serve God, Many are the members…

In other news, don’t forget that this coming Sunday morning, May 13, is Mother’s Day.  At the 10:00 service we celebrate with another Family Service and the Carol and Chapel Choirs will sing.  And, we will sing another new hymn from The New Century Hymnal.  Wish me luck!

It’s interesting to me that one of the least known seasons in the life of the church is the season of Easter (sometimes known as Eastertide), the fifty days following Easter Sunday that lead us to the celebration of Pentecost.

As I mentioned on Easter morning, I find it interesting that, for centuries, the Christian church has been much more attentive to Christ’s suffering and death than it has ever been to the celebration of new life.  We continue to focus most of our attention on the church season of Lent and we all but forget about the season of Easter.  With that being said, I am pleased to report to you that the next several weeks promise to be lively one in the life of our small church, offering us lots of opportunities to celebrate love and life.

The coming Sunday, April 29, the Senior Choir joins us at the 10:00 service and I host another Inquirer’s Gathering for all the folks that are new to our church on Sunday evening at 6:00.

The following Sunday, May 6, we receive New Members into our church at the 10:00 service and our Spring Congregational Meeting is scheduled for immediately following the 10:00 service.  We celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Communion at both 8:00 and 10:00.

Looking ahead a couple of weeks, let me remind you that a young couple in our church, Tim and Melissa Ruder, are hoping to organize a Co-Ed Kickball Team.  Please call or email the church office by Monday, May 7, if you would like to participate.  Also, Hobs and Marabeth Hobgood are hosting a Spring Retreat on Friday, May 11, and Saturday, May 12.  Again, please contact the church office to register or for more information.

I hope to see you on Sunday!

It’s interesting to me that one of the least known seasons in the life of the church is the season of Easter (sometimes known as Eastertide), the fifty days following Easter Sunday that lead us to the celebration of Pentecost.

As I mentioned on Easter morning, I find it interesting that, for centuries, the Christian church has been much more attentive to Christ’s suffering and death than it has ever been to the celebration of new life.  We continue to focus most of our attention on the church season of Lent and we all but forget about the season of Easter.  With that being said, I am pleased to report to you that the next several weeks promise to be lively one in the life of our small church, offering us lots of opportunities to celebrate love and life.

This coming Sunday, April 22, our 8th Grade Confirmation Class will, once again, assist me at the 10:00 service and the Senior Handbell Choir will provide our special music.  We also celebrate another baptism at our 10:00 service.

The following Sunday, April 29, the Senior Choir joins us at the 10:00 service and I will host another Inquirer’s Gathering for all the folks that are new to our church community on Sunday evening at 6:00.

Looking ahead a couple of weeks, let me remind you that we receive New Members into our church on the first Sunday in May and our Spring Congregational Meeting is scheduled for immediately following the 10:00 service.

Let me also remind you that a young couple in our church, Tim and Melissa Ruder, are hoping to organize a Co-Ed Kickball Team by Monday, May 7, and that Hobs and Marabeth Hobgood are hosting a Spring Retreat on Friday, May 11, and Saturday, May 12.  For more information about either of these activities please check News and Announcements or call the church office.

I hope to see you on Sunday!

As many of you know, this is Holy Week in the life of the church. We join with Christians throughout the world to celebrate the drama of Christ’s life, death and resurrection.  If you are able, please come and join me for each of our special services.

Maundy Thursday, April 5, at 7:00 p.m.  We gather in the sanctuary for a service of Holy Communion and Tenebrae.  Tenebrae is the Latin word for “shadows”.  The Tenebrae service involves a series of readings accompanied by the extinguishing of twelve candles.  The candles symbolize the desertion of Christ’s disciples.  Special music will be provided by several members of our Senior Choir.

Good Friday, April 6, at 7:00 p.m.  The story continues on Good Friday evening as we gather to acknowledge Christ’s sacrifice and death.  The sanctuary is quiet and dark as we listen to a reading of the Passion Story.  We celebrate by burning incense made from frankincense and myrrh.

Easter Sunday, April 8.  The Holy Week drama carries us even beyond death with the celebration of Christ’s resurrection on Easter morning.  We have three services at 6:00, 8:00 and 10:00.  The 6:00 sunrise service includes the Sacrament of Holy Communion.  The Senior Choir and Easter Brass join the celebration at both 8:00 and 10:00.

This coming Sunday, April 1, marks the beginning of what is known as Holy Week in the life of the church.  We join with Christians throughout the world to celebrate the holy drama of Christ’s life, death and resurrection.  If you are able, I encourage you to join me for each of our services, so that together we can immerse ourselves in the journey, from joy, to sorrow, to new life.

Palm Sunday, April 1.  The drama begins with the joyous celebration of Palm Sunday, as we remember Jesus’ triumphant arrival in Jerusalem.  Both children and adults receive palm branches as they enter the sanctuary.  We have planned a special Family Service at 10:00 that includes our Carol and Chapel Choirs.

Maundy Thursday, April 5.  We gather in the sanctuary for a service of Holy Communion and Tenebrae.  Tenebrae is the Latin word for “shadows”.  The Tenebrae service involves a series of readings accompanied by the extinguishing of twelve candles.  The candles symbolize the desertion of Christ’s disciples.  Special music will be provided by several members of our Senior Choir.

Good Friday, April 6.  The story continues on Good Friday evening as we gather to acknowledge Christ’s sacrifice and death.  The sanctuary is quiet and dark as we listen to a reading of the Passion Story.  We celebrate by burning incense made from frankincense and myrrh.

Easter Sunday, April 8.  The Holy Week drama carries us even beyond death with the celebration of Christ’s resurrection on Easter morning.  We have three services at 6:00, 8:00 and 10:00.  The 6:00 sunrise service includes the Sacrament of Holy Communion.  The Senior Choir and Easter Brass join the celebration at both 8:00 and 10:00.

As some of you know, we are using a different version of the Lord’s Prayer for the church season of Lent.  I thought that praying with slightly different words might make us more mindful of the words we usually speak each and every Sunday morning.

This new version comes from the International Consultation on English Texts, an ecumenical gathering of scholars and church leaders that has been working to develop and promote common liturgical texts and practices for the English speaking church.  It is also one of three translations included in our own United Church of Christ Book of Worship.

Using a different version of the prayer, even for a few weeks, has prompted a number of questions about where the Lord’s Prayer comes from and what are the “original” words, the words that Jesus “taught us to speak.”

You might be interested to know that the Lord’s Prayer is found in the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke (Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4).  The other two Gospels don’t even mention it.  It’s important to note that the two Gospel versions are different from each other and that each translation of the Bible suggests slightly different words, the most obvious being sins, trespasses, and debts.  Neither Gospel version is exactly like the words that many of us have memorized, the version we commonly pray in church.

Some of you may recall that one of the exercises that we always do in our 8th Grade Confirmation Class is to write the Lord’s Prayer in our own words.  I then take all of the student’s prayers and weave them together to make one Lord’s Prayer that we pray together on Confirmation Sunday.  Even though we pray the Lord’s Prayer each and every week, writing the prayer in your own words is a difficult thing to do.  You should try it sometime!

As some of you know, I was gone last week on my annual Lenten Study Leave.  I traveled to St. Benedict’s Monastery in Snowmass, Colorado for a week of study and reflection.

St. Benedict’s is a Trappist monastery so I spent the week living in my own stone hermitage.  Each day I attended three services in the monastery chapel at 4:30 and 7:30 in the morning and at 7:00 in the evening.  The silence and darkness of the 4:30 am service was quite beautiful and it was complimented by a twenty minute walk, each way, from the hermitage to the monastery.  Walking along a snowcovered road in the dark, surrounded by mountains and enveloped in silence, was a profound experience.  In many ways it defined the entire week for me.  Thanks again for the opportunity to refresh and renew myself in this way.

In other news, I’m pleased to share with you that we are once again hosting a special Lenten study program entitled, Listening to Our Neighbors.  We will gather in the church sanctuary for the next three Sunday evenings, to learn more about several lesser known religious traditions.

Last year, we focused our attention on Judaism, Buddhism, Orthodox Christianity and Islam.  This year we will hear about the practice of Baha’i, the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon).

I hope you can join us!

Last week, Ash Wednesday marked (quite literally) the beginning of the church season of Lent, forty days, not counting Sundays, that lead us to the celebration of Easter.

Traditionally Lent has been a time for study, reflection and prayer, a time to wrestle with some of the deepest questions of life and faith.

I’m pleased to share with you that we are once again hosting a special Lenten study program entitled, Listening to Our Neighbors.  Please watch the website for further details.

I hope you can join us!

Ash Wednesday marks (quite literally) the beginning of the church season of Lent, forty days, not counting Sundays, that lead us to the celebration of Easter.

Traditionally Lent has been a time for study, reflection and prayer, a time to wrestle with some of the deepest questions of life and faith.

This coming Sunday, February 26, we celebrate the first Sunday in the church season of Lent with another Family Service at 10:00.  The Carol and Chapel Choirs will provide our special music.

I hope you can join us!

The coming Sunday, February 19, is known as Transfiguration Sunday in the life of the church, the last Sunday in the church season of Epiphany.  We read the story about Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountaintop taken this year from the ninth chapter of the Gospel of Mark.  It is a mystical and symbolic story that describes how Jesus was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them.  The Senior Handbell Choir joins our celebration at 10:00.

I hope that you can join us as well!

Just when I thought that we were going to settle into some real winter weather the temperatures have risen and the snow is nearly gone.  Once again, I’m not sure what season it is.  When I look out my office window, I would swear that it must be the end of March or the beginning of April, and yet it’s still the church season of Epiphany.

As some of you know, our Winter Congregational Meeting was held this past Sunday morning, January 29.  Owen Madson, our Financial Administrator, shared the end-of-the-year financial report for 2011 and Missy Vierling, our Treasurer reviewed the proposed 2012 church budget.  The good news is that we ended 2011 with a small surplus and we have exceeded our pledge goal for 2012.  As a result, the congregation voted unanimously to approve the 2012 church budget as presented.  What great news!

I want you to know how grateful I am for all the ways you have supported our church during an extremely challenging time.  It feels like we are incredibly privileged to have such a beautiful building, without a mortgage, and to have such a talented and dedicated church staff.  But, don’t forget, none of this would exist without your ongoing affirmation and support.  Thanks!

Let me remind you that this coming Sunday morning, February 5, we celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Communion at both services and we will once again host a Fellowship Hour following the 8:00 service.  I hope you can join me. 

It certainly took a long time in coming, but it finally feels like January in Wisconsin, it finally feels like the church season of Epiphany.

I am pleased to share with you that Owen Madson, our Financial Administrator, recently completed our end-of-the-year financial report for 2011.  The good news is that on the expenditure side of the equation we were under budget, thanks in large part to careful spending on the part of our church staff and team leaders.  But, I am also glad to be able to share with you that we received just over 100% of our anticipated income for the year.  So, we finished the year with a small surplus.  How great is that!

As many of you know, we are now in the process of wrapping up our Annual Stewardship Campaign.  Every member and friend of the church has been asked to make a formal pledge to support the church financially in 2012.  As of this week, we have received 152 pledges for a total of $193,728, but we are still slightly short of our goal.

As a congregation, we have done a remarkable job of supporting our church during a challenging time, but we can’t do it without everyone’s support.  We are still waiting to hear back from about 20 members and friends.

Our Winter Congregational Meeting, when we vote on the 2012 budget, is scheduled for this coming Sunday morning, January 29, immediately following the 10:00 service. If you have not yet made a pledge to support the church financially, please give this commitment your prayerful consideration and return your pledge card by the end of the week.  Thanks!

It’s Thursday morning, January 12, and like everyone else in Port Washington I’m waiting for it to start snowing.  Who would have thought that the first snowfall of the year would be such a big deal?

I was at True Value yesterday and I didn’t even see a snow shovel or a snow blower.  All of them had been moved to the back of the store weeks ago.

I suppose it’s good to be reminded that even the things we take for granted, like snow in Wisconsin, can change right before our eyes.  It makes me mindful of all the things I take for granted and assume about my life.  It makes me mindful that life itself is a very fragile and changeable thing.  That’s a good thing to be reminded of, now and then.

Looking ahead to next week, let me remind you that the Fellowship Team is hosting another Soup and Salad Dinner on Wednesday evening, January 18, and that the 8th Grade Confirmation Class will be serving the evening meal at St. Benedict’s in Milwaukee on Thursday evening, January 19.  If you would like to join us, please let me know.

Let me also remind you that we are now in the process of wrapping up our Annual Stewardship Campaign.  Every member and friend of the church is asked to make a formal pledge to support the church financially in the year to come.  At this point, we are still waiting to hear from about 25 members and friends.  We cannot reach our goal without everyone’s help and support, so please give this commitment your prayerful consideration and return your pledge card as soon as possible.

This coming Sunday, January 8, marks the first Sunday in the church season of Epiphany.  We celebrate the sacrament of Holy Communion at both services and the Senior Choir joins us at 10:00.

As some of you may recall, the season of Epiphany always begins with the story of Jesus’ baptism in the River Jordan and always ends with the story of Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountaintop.

During the season of Epiphany we read a whole series of stories that reveal God’s presence in the most surprising ways, a whole series of epiphanies!  In this way, the entire season is a celebration of light and life coming into a darkened world.  For those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere, the season directly corresponds to the days becoming longer and brighter.

Looking ahead a couple of weeks, let me remind you that the Fellowship Team is hosting another Soup and Salad Dinner on Wednesday evening, January 18, and that we will be serving the evening meal at St. Benedict’s in Milwaukee on Thursday evening, January 19.  If you would like to participate, please let me know.

Last of all; let me once again remind you that we are now in the process of wrapping up our Annual Stewardship Campaign.  Every member and friend of the church is asked to make a formal pledge to support the church financially in the year to come.  At this point, we are still waiting to hear from about 30 members and friends.  Please give this commitment your prayerful consideration and return your pledge card as soon as possible.