“And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near” (Hebrews 10:25).Last time I wrote the blog I wrote about fitting in. I guess this is a theme of mine so here are some more thoughts on the topic. In the beginning, God created the world, then Adam, and saw that it was not good for man to be alone ..read more

Although one couldn’t tell from the exceptionally warm weather we were having, our congregation came together to kick off the fall season.  God gave all of us another chance to wake up with breath in our lungs and our feet on the ground to come and worship Him. We started our fall celebration with our church service. Pastor McLane and Kierstie made several announcements and our service began. The church Praise Team broke into a toe-tappin’ song and e ..read more

​Every year we celebrate Labor Day in early September. It is a time to remember the common laborer and the work that helps keep our country going and to give a day of rest from our labor. For me, however, early September always reminds me of love because this is when I was married at the wise old age of 18. Every fall the themes of love and labor seem to weave their way into my heart and mind.  Bonnie Piovesan ..read more

Doug Grace “You never know how strong you can be until it is the only choice you have.” This quote comes to mind every time I think of my baby sister, Sandy, and her Angel of a husband, Dave.I have a very intentional reason for telling this story. It has to do with the importance of finding hope in the most devastating circumstances imaginable.​ Let’s begin with me sharing what happene ..read more

“Seek justice, love mercy, walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8, Courageous by Casting Crowns, Sing-song Version)“He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you Except to be just, and to love [and to diligently practice] kindness (compassion), And to walk humbly with your God [setting aside any overblown sense of importance or self-righteousness]?” (Micah 6:8 Amplified Bible ..read more

Gen*er*ous    1. Liberal in giving or sharing. 2. Not petty or mean. ​ 3. Abundant. 4. Magnanimous.​ ​This is, of course, a dictionary definition. Notice that a monetary value is not mentioned in this description of the word.​ Craig Catlett I adored my grandparents. My grandfather had the best hugs, was supportive to his family to his dying day, and never ..read more

Greetings in the name of our Lord! We are excited to announce an upcoming event that promises to deepen our understanding of the world around us and inspire us to live out our faith more fully. ​ On July 27th we will welcome Jeanette Laster, Executive Director of the Human Rights Educational Institute, an esteemed  Donna Brundage ​educator and expert in history and current affairs, to our Summer Coffee House Conversation. Jeanette will guide us through an exploration of how understanding history can illuminate our present realities and inform our actions as Christians today ..read more

Mikal has compiled meaningful quotes and Bible verses that describe what love is. As we strive to always Love 1st, these are beautiful reminders of how we can show and feel love. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”   John 13:34-35 “They’ll know we are Christians by our love.”   Father Peter Scholtes ​ Mikal Johnson “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy ..read more

Our beloved staff member, Chris Gray, passed away on June 16th - far too soon. The blogs she offered were often favorite inspirational stories. This was one of them and also read at her recent memorial service. ​ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chris Gray As I faced my Maker at the last Judgment, I knelt before the Lord along with the other souls. Before each of us laid our lives, like the squares of a quilt, in many piles. ​ An Angel sat before each of us sewing our quilt squares together into a tapestry that was our life. ​But as my Angel took each piece of cloth off the pile, I n ..read more

I have a book at home with various prayers from our presidents that I normally set out on my coffee table in July. I had originally thought to share a prayer from one of our former presidents for a devotional at a small gathering. The challenge was that some of the prayers, from presidents I admired, were very old-fashioned, and prayers from presidents I did not admire seemed sort of fake to me. I was pretty frustrated that out of the whole book I could not find one Bonnie Piovesan single prayer that seemed genuine and encouraging for today. Then I felt like God turned on a spotl ..read more