This Sunday is the week we choose to honor Mental Health Awareness Month in our congregation. Addressing mental health and addiction issues in the community has been a part of our church’s mission for several years now as a way to love our neighbors and meet them where they really are. In that spirit, today’s sermon addresses a topic that is among the toughest: suicide. Using a story from the book of Acts, we will explore the many ways that this tough topic actually affects all of us and people that the church cares about most. We also take cues from the story about ways that we can show up authentically and lovingly for people who are most affected .

Link to readable sermon PDF

This Sunday marks our annual Youth Sunday, where worship is planned and led largely by members of our youth group. Songs were chosen by them, scriptures will be read by them, a children’s message will be presented by them AND two of our outstanding seniors (Zoe Barbour and Sean Cain) will be preaching the sermon with a theme this year of COURAGE. There will even be a very special video slideshow with photos from another talented senior Maile Peacock. Our church is so lucky to have these kids, and this service is always a favorite! Offerings for the day are directed to their scholarship fund for mission trips and annual retreats.

This Sunday we come to the dramatic story of Saul’s sudden conversion. He transforms from the murderous religious extremist into the apostle and evangelist who wrote nearly all of our New Testament! Because of a personal encounter with Jesus AND because of the kindness and forgiveness of someone who was previously His enemy. Do we believe such a transformation is really possible? Can people really change so dramatically? Can we? And if so, how does such a thing happen? What if we don’t have such a huge dramatic saving moment in our own faith journey? Does that mean we are missing something in our own relationship with Jesus? We explore those questions together today, and we are blessed to do so on a Sunday when we also have a baptism of a new adolescent member.

Link to readable sermon PDF

This Sunday we come to a story that is in all lectionaries year after year, right after the celebration of Easter Sunday—the story of so called “Doubting Thomas”. Yet we explore why Thomas does not deserve this bad reputation. Doubt is actually an important tool in the journey of faith. The prolific Christian writer Frederick Buechner says “doubt is the ants in the pants of faith. It keeps it awake and moving!” In a world that is in a “post”pandemic fog and trying to find its way, we need a faith that is awake and engaged and fully alive! Easter’s resurrection is just the beginning of our calling to new life in the world. We hope you will join us!!

Also a special note: this Sunday features our contemporary band AND FUN-Day school is offered this week as well (future Sundays it is being offered before summer break for ages 4-5th grade are: 5/22, 6/5, 6/19)

Link to readable PDF of sermon

This is our church’s second annual Green Sunday, with elements of worship planned by our Green Team in honor of Earth Day. Music was chosen related to the theme, a special recording is included of our children, youth are presenting a special welcome and we even have the honor of guest speaker Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin!

Nina Beth Cardin is a community rabbi who works at the intersection of faith and sustainability. She makes her home in Baltimore MD where she founded and led the Baltimore Orchard Project, a food and land justice organization dedicated to building healthier connections between people, food, place and each other. She is co-founder and director of the Maryland Campaign for Environmental Human Rights, an initiative that is working to place an amendment in our state constitution that would protect all Marylanders’ rights to a healthful environment and ensure the pursuit of public health and environmental justice. She is currently on the Board of Waterkeepers Chesapeake, a coalition of independent programs working to maintain and restore the health of the waters – and the communities – of the Chesapeake and Coastal Bays.

Join us for this unique and enlivening service! Perfect for the Easter season of new life!