What’s Going on at the Church
The Family Dinner will begin at 4 PM for apps and games! Then we will sit together as a family and enjoy a meal prepared by all of us in POT LUCK fashion at 5 PM.
A sign-up sheet will be located in Davis Hall. You can choose to bring an appetizer, veggie, side-dish, or main dish. Session will supplement the meal with a couple extra main dishes. Please make enough for your family plus 2 people. If you miss the sign-up sheet, please email or call Elder Sue.
“Weighing Truth and Life”
The Lectionary scriptures during the last few weeks or so, have been focusing on the dynamics of relationships: between the church and the surrounding community, between people within the church community, between friends and family, and between ourselves and our neighbors. We’ve also been looking at the challenges of being in these relationships when confronted with people’s beliefs that sharply diverge from our own. John Pavlovitz offers some helpful insights for meeting such challenges.
“Every single person you encounter is the sum total of their unique journey; the home in which they were raised, the friends they have, the church they grew up in, the books they read, the teachers who inspired them, the stuff they’ve seen, the wounds they’ve sustained, the way they are wired. It all slowly shapes us, and that very specific confluence of factors results in the version of ourselves in any given moment. Regardless of whether we can see it, everyone has a deep backstory that looms largely, both in their theology and in the way it gets expressed. We all have been crafted by time and experience, education and relationships, our heroes and enemies, and these have formed the unique combination of biases and blind spots in our own belief systems. When we are tempted to see people as caricatures of a religious argument, we need to learn their stories.
What we believe about faith and God is not as fixed as we often like to think. It is rather an ever-shifting point in space and time. Very likely we believe quite differently than we did 10 years ago in both subtle and substantial ways, and 10 years from now the same will almost certainly be true. In this way, think of theology as a place – as the specific location where we are right at this moment. This is important as we interact with others because it helps us recognize our limitations and potential.
Most of us operate under the general assumption that we have it right. The problem is that it’s an absolute sense of rightness that is used as justification for treating people terribly. It’s the paper-thin line we so easily cross from righteous to self-righteous. We have to remember that even destructive faith begins at a beautifully sincere place – though that doesn’t excuse anyone’s horrible behavior in the name of God. However, remembering this goes a long way towards giving and receiving each other’s words with some measure of understanding. Jesus showed this kind of mercy and kindness when he said of his misguided executioners, “Father forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.”
Blessing and Peace, Ed
Looking to donate to our thrift sales?
If you have any furniture to donate, please take a photo of what you have and send the photos to office@1stpresrahway.org. At this time, we’re not accepting clothes or shoes.
Members usually work on Wednesday’s for our sales from 10:30 am -1:30 pm. If that’s not a convenient time for you to drop off donations, other arrangements can be made. Please email the church office and your request will be forwarded to the “sales crew” so they can respond to your inquiry.
As always, thank you to all who donate. Our sales have been a great success this year because of you!
Important Message from the USRC Board of Directors:
Please read these guidelines about Squier Hall and the formation of the USRC Board of Directors, who will be overseeing the groups meeting in Squier.
As part of the guidelines, please use this form if you have any concerns so that they can be addressed.
Interested in Getting Involved?
We have a lot of different ways for you to get involved – short-term projects, one-time opportunities, working with our livestream technology on Sundays, plus much more. Click on the button below to see what we have on our ‘volunteer wish list’. As more opportunities become available, we will be sure to update our listings.