I grew up in a family that believed in Jesus’ teachings of equality AND equity. African-Americans were as welcome in our home as anyone NOT African-American. My father taught the great Black composer, William Dawson of the Tuskegee Institute (now University) some of his first conducting lessons (I have an autographed copy of his ground-breaking work, the Negro Folk Symphony recorded by the NBC Symphony under Stokowski). And though my mother wasn’t a “cry-er,” I remember the day that Dr. King was assassinated because I watched my mother weep for our nation much as I imagine Jesus wept over Jeru ..read more

I heard a sermon once. It was offered by the Rev. Dr. Larry Greenfield and he likened life to a Frank Sinatra classic that included “do-be-do-be-do” in its lyrics. Biblically, I think the reference had to do with being saved by faith and not by works and he equated “faith” with the “be-ing” part of our journeys, while “works” was the “do-ing” part of life. I remember him saying that we move from one to the other in life but that all too often we get caught up in thinking we have to “do” all the time. And then today, I read an Advent piece that reminded me of Larry’s sermon. It’s written by Kel ..read more

As we start this traditional season of Advent with acts of terrorism rampant both at home and abroad, with violence and cynicism rising, with war and division becoming so commonplace that it is sometimes hard to remember how to be hope-filled, I am struck by part of Paul’s letter to the Romans: 22-25 All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it’s not only around us; it’s within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We’re also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours ar ..read more

We are being Tested! Today is one of those days when it’s hard to be a pastor. It’s especially hard to be an urban pastor, and triply hard to be an urban pastor who mothers children of color. And yet, if we are to believe what our faith teaches us, then we are all urban pastors who parent children of color because we are one in the Spirit: What affects one, affects us all. The horror that is befalling Memphis is befalling us all: another Black man senselessly killed at the hands of law-enforcement. It brings tragedy, grief, and unbelievable sadness to our nation and the world. I find myself&nb ..read more

9/30/22 I’ve been thinking a lot about changes, lately. Well, really about changes and peoples’ self-definitions and how they change. At this time in upstate New York, the physical/seasonal changes are pretty obvious, really. The leaves changing colors are the most obvious, but there are also changes in light — not just the angle of the lighting, but the quality of it as well. There’s a softness that moves in over the summer’s clarity that is rather like a gentle mist, to me. And then of course there are the schedule changes as both children/families and retail outlets prepare for back-to ..read more

Maybe it’s because I was a teacher earlier in my life; maybe it’s because I feel like a perpetual student; maybe it’s just that I like to buy new pens and notebooks, but this season is always exciting to me. After weeks of necessary and important breaks from our routine, we’re gearing up to reinstate them, though a few will be modified. It’s an exciting time. New possibilities. New goals and expectations. New people joining us in our Acts of Faith. It’s been a good summer. I’m always tempted to preach about “What I did on my Summer Vacation,” but this year it was lovely to look around and see ..read more

03/14/2020 With the rising concerns for our people in relationship to COVID-19, South Church has temporarily suspended our Acts of Faith ministries as they are ALL community based. However, that doesn’t mean that we discontinue being a Faith Community. So today we start our grand experiment in virtual sacred space. We have spent the week listening for the Holy Spirit among the many voices calling urgently for action and change and adaptation. We are confident that our steadfast God will take this opportunity to do a new thing among us; our challenge will be to remain open to that new life ..read more

Sometimes life is just too good to let go. Here are three videos that give you a bit of a glimpse into South Church – who we are, what’s important to us, and how we got here. The Ordination of the Reverend Laura Bachmann On June 22, 2019, the Presbytery of Genesee Valley ordained to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament, our Associate Pastor at the First Presbyterian Church of Pittsford, NY. To view the service (you can scroll through it once it starts), CLICK HERE. The Church Has Left the Building In this 7-minute documentary, videographer David Frame explores our congregation’s discernment to l ..read more