Hello my friends!
As I write this little reflection, I am in the midst of writing three Holy Week sermons. So, this is not as profound (wordy?) as past reflections. Thank you for your understanding and grace! 😉 We are gearing up for an exciting spring! Our garden is open for reservation (see more below), we have received TWO grants to help us put in a children’s garden and a composting system, we are adding solar panels to the church roof, we will be planting more native trees, and we have some fun fellowship opportunities scheduled. To keep up in real time with everything happening at Solomon’s, keep an eye on our social media (Facebook and Instagram) and on our website. Friends, God is truly at work in our little church. We love to see it! We love to be part of it! How cool to get to participate in God’s ministry to our corner of the world. What an honor it is to be called and invited into all that God is doing! It may not seem like much, but we know the Holy Spirit can do a lot with a little. All we have to do is show up faithfully, take the next faithful step, and seek God’s guidance in all things. May all that we do be a manifestation of God’s love and our love for our neighbors. May our efforts further usher God’s kingdom into the world. May we never forget to give God the thanks and praise God deserves. I pray for us. I pray for you. I hope you are praying, too. Remember that God loves you, – Pastor Julia Hello my friends!
Wow, February came to an end quick. I hope your Lenten season is off to a good start, that your fasts are proving contemplative and enriching, and that you find your soul turning back to or reconnecting with God as we approach the cross and, more importantly, the empty tomb! As I reflect on what this 40-ish day season means for us as individuals, I find myself considering the church. Please note, my friends, that I mean the global church, not just Solomon’s UCC. What would it look like for the church to turn back to God? What would it look like for the church, not just its members, to repent and believe the good news? What would it mean for the world if the church were to kneel at the foot of the cross, and then to go running to tell others that the stone is rolled away and the tomb is empty? I guess what I am wondering is this: What does it look like for the church to be the reflection of Jesus, the organized body of Christ, in the world, rather than just another institution? The truth is, so many have left the church or choose not to participate with the church because it is too much of an institution. That is not to say that we should not have beliefs, values, visions, and missions that guide us. But what if the church was more of a community than a community organization? I don’t have a clear answer to those questions. I’m still pondering in my heart. Recently, I was speaking to a colleague who started at his church the same time I started at Solomon’s. He said, “when I started, we had maybe 40 in worship. Now we average 90.” (There are myriad differences between our churches, so let us not focus too much on the numbers.) He explained that he does not focus on church growth, but on invitations – invitations to hear the good news and to eat at the table Christ has set. What if we worried less about worship numbers and church statistics, and more about sharing Jesus? What if we worried less about how we tell of the empty tomb (i.e., programs), and more about that we tell of the empty tomb (i.e., testimonies, conversations, fellowship)? My friends, I may be writing this more to myself than to you, but it feels important to share. We are blessed in the UCC to be so mission minded and justice oriented. To be sure, the world needs that! But let us remember that Jesus didn’t just heal and feed. He talked, listened, and told stories, too. He invited people to eat with him, to walk with him, to talk with him, to pray with him, and to be in relationship with God. May we extend similar invitations, even in the midst of our missions. May God be glorified in it all. May the body of Christ and the community of the church grow as more hear of the good news of the empty tomb! – Pastor Julia What a year it has been for us at Solomon's! In 2023…
… The steering committee…
… The nurture committee…
… The outreach committee…
… As a congregation we…
These are all incredible accomplishments and they are all for God's glory and pleasure! God is doing some neat things at our little church, and I am so excited to see what's instore for us in 2024. Thank you all for your commitment to our church and your faithfulness to God's call! - Pastor Julia Hello my friends!
I hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving with contented bellies and time with those you love. Ben, Louise, and I were at my parent’s house with my brother, his wife, their two children, Ben’s parents, and two dogs. It was a wild, wonderful, joy-filled, chaotic day! We gave thanks for each other, for the abundance we are privileged to enjoy, for God’s beloved and very good creation which so richly sustains us, and for our extended communities. Ben and I are particularly thankful this year to be in community with all of you! We have once again arrived at the Christmas season! While this time of year is merry and bright for so many, I recognize that it doesn’t always feel that way for everyone. If you are experiencing a “blue Christmas,” grief, stress, or lack of cheer for any reason, remember that I am here to be your pastor! You are welcome to reach out to me for prayer, care, or a listening ear. As the season gets busier and busier the closer we get to December 25, I want to encourage you to spend time with the Christmas story. You can do that by reading Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2. You can do that be remembering the Christmas Pageants you were in as a kid. You can do that by listening to Christmas hymns. You can do that by, in a spirit of prayer, recalling the story from memory and discussing it with Jesus. (You can do that by attending worship. ;) ) What have you never noticed before? What did you need to be reminded of this year? Which part of the story stands out to you this year? Which character do you identify with? Why? How do you feel God’s Spirit moving around you as you read, remember, recall, and ponder? This is the beginning of a new liturgical year. This is a great time for a “fresh start” on your faith journey or in your relationships with God, scripture, and/or church. Remember that God is with us, God is with you, and you are loved. Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! – Pastor Julia
When I was in seminary, my favorite part was learning. I loved having my mind blown by new perspectives or takes on the scriptures! I loved researching for my papers (synthesizing it into my own work was another story...) and soaking up all the information I could regarding Bible stories and historical context. As a pastor and preacher, I have to continue that learning! That's the only way I'll be able to share new insights with YOU. So, I took a page from my mom and her librarian friends (pun intended?) and scheduled reading time into my work calendar. I just finished How the Bible Actually Works by Peter Enns (pictured above). Friends, Peter Enns is one of my FAVES! He has a way of making tough, rich information easy to access, and he writes with such honesty and humor. He is a scholar I could sit and listen to for hours and not get bored. I can also recommend to you The Bible Tells Me So... and The Sin of Certainty. I can also recommend Enns' podcast, The Bible for Normal People. This book was about the Bible as wisdom literature and how we as people of faith must apply wisdom to what we read in the Bible. It's not an easy task, but Enns helps us through it. If you've ever asked tough questions (especially related to the violence in the Old Testament), this would be an excellent resource for you to consider. Hello my friends!
How is it November already? I hope you all have been able to enjoy the fall foliage, sip some apple cider, and begin to slow down for the dormant season. Wildlife and vegetation may be getting ready to slumber, but we certainly are not. While we will take time to rest and move slowly, we will also be doing the work of discernment, planning, and preparation. We had a great garden season this year, and the winter months will give us time to look toward next year. With the help of some community volunteers, we’ll be adding 10 new raised beds to our community garden! The Garden/Grounds committee is preparing a reservation form so that neighbors can reserve a bed for their personal use. Of course, church members will also be able to reserve a bed for personal gardening! There is no charge, but we do encourage those who are able to donate to the garden so that we can continue offering this ministry in an affordable way to those in need. Additionally, while we are passed the heavy lifting and steep learning curve of starting our livestream, there is still learning and refining to do! If you have feedback, ideas, or wisdom to share, please reach out! Our tech team and I would be glad to hear from you. Other areas of discernment, reflection, and dreaming include: fundraising, grant applications, gardens for our regenerative space, and the Creation Justice Church designation. Over the course of November, my sermon series will revisit the creation care series I did in the spring. This one will focus on what it means to be a Creation Justice Church, with the goal of preparing us for a year of careful and intentional discernment. Is God truly calling us to this designation? If so, how do we engrain that designation into every fiber and aspect of our church life and our lives as individuals? As we engage in this discernment process, I encourage open and honest conversations! We must be honest with each other about our concerns, challenges, needs, vision, and hopes. It is work we must do together as a congregation and with God because it will impact the future of how we as a church do ministry. It will take the full year. For now, be in prayer. Be present with God. Take time to rest, discern, reflect, and dream in your own life! What do you want for next year? What does God want for your next year? May God’s voice be clear and comforting! – Pastor Julia Hey Friends!
Happy Fall! Pumpkin spice abounds and the leaves are starting to change. As we enter this season of hibernation and dormancy, we’ll take time to reflect on all we’ve done and dream about all we want to do. Our garden did great, and we have plans to expand. Weekends of Wonder continues, and we hope it will grow. Our livestream is active even as we continue to learn. Our rummage sale was a success, and we have other fundraiser ideas in the works. Power Pack is back and continues to feed our community. We’re doing a lot! For those who don’t know, I was accepted to the UCC Pension Boards’ Next Generation Leadership Initiative. In this program, the UCC invests in young-ish clergy with the goal of creating transformational leaders. In September, I spent a week in Memphis, TN with about 14 colleagues as we started our NGLI journey together. As I considered how to bring the information back to Solomon’s, I wrote down some thoughts: We are a healthy church! We have a good culture of inclusion and community. Can we be MORE inclusive and welcoming? Yes! Of course, we can. But we’re good at welcoming new friends into our church community, and that’s not something every church can say. We also have a wonderful vision! The Search and Call Committee did a great job of discerning who Solomon’s feels called to be. With that vision in mind, and with focus, we can steward our resources well and effectively describe who we are. Our calling to creation care and environmental stewardship was affirmed – at least for me. In November, we’ll do some more discernment together regarding this calling. You are part of the Solomon’s UCC community because you WANT to be! Gone are the days when societal pressure obligated us to be Christians and to attend church. That means there is a reason you continue to participate at Solomon’s. I encourage you to reflect on that reason, to identify that “why,” and then to share it with others. What is it about Solomon’s that keeps you here? How can you invite or encourage someone else to experience that? Is there a way we can further cultivate that? I want to hear from you! Solomon’s is YOUR church! As your pastor, it is vital for me to receive your feedback, ideas, dreams, hopes, and concerns. God calls to you just as much as God calls to pastors. YOU are God’s church; we are the church together. I’m just your guide. ;) Please be in touch with questions, ideas, concerns, needs, and critique! God has us working together for the good of God’s beloveds. Let’s further that work and obediently pursue the vision God has shared with us! – Pastor Julia Hey Friends!
What a wonderful couple of months we’ve had at Solomon’s! I hope your summer has been filled with loves ones and rejuvenation. I hope you have seen God’s glory in the flourishing life around us, and I hope you’ve experienced God’s presence with you. God has certainly been at work at Solomon’s. It is a tremendous honor to get to participate in that work! With God’s help, we launched our new kid’s ministry program, Weekends of Wonder. We shared food from our garden with those in need. We planted some more native shrubs on our church grounds. We tried some new spiritual practices and considered God’s call for us to care for our common home. We made big plans for the fall! I am so excited for all that we’re doing and for the presence we have in our community. Together and with God’s continued blessing, we can do and be more! Susie, Joyce, and I set up a table of garden produce at the Chambersburg YMCA in August, and it was so moving to see the impact our garden (and our members’ gardens!) is already having. As a church, we stepped out boldly in faith to obey God’s call and now we are seeing the fruit – literal and figurative! – of that obedience. We are having an impact. We are blessing and feeding others. We are making a difference in our community. Thank you for all your support! Let’s keep this mission going! As we look toward the fall, we’re taking time to consider our own needs a bit. We’ll be doing a rummage sale fundraiser to help the financial wellbeing of our church. I know money is a taboo subject at church, but the truth is we need funds to keep going. Jesus, Paul, and their disciples lived off the generosity of others. The church today must do the same. Please know that Solomon’s UCC stewards its finances well! You can be confident that all funds entrusted to Solomon’s are carefully, responsibly, and prayerfully managed. We’re also considering our need for internal community. As we reach out to others, we must also care for ourselves. That can look like taking time to check in with one another and to invest in our relationships with one another. Let’s do that over coffee, tea, and snacks before worship. On September 10 at 9:15, coffee hour returns! I will miss the first one, but I’m looking forward to having that time with you all on subsequent Sundays! This newsletter is filled with new things, and old things. Look all the way through to see what God has us up to! May everything we do be in line with God’s call and will for us. May our efforts be pleasing to God and may they glorify God. May we keep God at the center of our story. See you at church! – Pastor Julia
Creation Care is something I've always cared about, but now I fear for planet upon which my daughter will grow and live. If we don't change our ways now, will she be able to play outside like I did? Or will the air be too dangerous, the temperature too hot, the water too scarce? Anyway, I'm so glad I reread Laudato Si'. I'm so glad some church participants read and discussed with me! I hope we're all convicted to do better, to do what we can, and to hold accountable those who can do more (a.k.a., the government and world leaders.) Join us for the film version of this book at the Grove Family Library on August 31 at 6:00 PM!
You just have to read it. I'm not sure what's next on my reading list! It might be time to revisit some Pete Enns. It might also be time for a novel. Lessons in Chemistry has been on my night table since Christmas, just waiting to be read, and I've seen so many good reviews!
We'll see how the Spirit leads me. ;) Happy reading! - Pastor J |