The Brave Act of Not Looking Back

This week, we take a look back at God's people as they are led to the edge of the Promised Land by Moses but hesitate for fear of the hard work ahead (Numbers 13:25-28a, 30-32; 14:1-4). They are rewarded with years spent wandering in the desert. In her message, Pastor Cara Scriven asks us to consider how this message is reflected in our lives as we too can turn away from obstacles in front of us. For our two churches committed to moving forward together as one starting July 1, will we embrace the challenges ahead to love, learn, and serve to our fullest?

In today's reading from Mark's Gospel (4:35-41), we encounter the story of Jesus sleeping in a boat with his panicking disciples as a storm begins to wage around them.

Let Justice Roll

For Peace with Justice Sunday, Rev. Melinda Giese considers what the church can learn today from the Prophet Amos (5:18-24) and contemporary prophets we find on the streets demanding justice for black lives lost.

A Leap of Faith

Delivering a message interwoven with the story of the arrival of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the church, Pastors Melinda Giese and Cara Scriven reveal the results of an important vote taken by members of the two churches they serve.

Looking Past Death Toward the Harvest

This week, we continue to explore the Apostle Paul's letter to the church in Corinth (I Corinthians 15:20-26, 50-58) where he expounds upon the promise of the resurrection. Pastor Cara Scriven's message touches on the "sting of death," our culture's fascination with immortality, and the work of looking amidst change for the first fruits of what is to come.

Love Endures

In today's text (1 Corinthians 13:1-13), we encounter a familiar message about love from the Apostle Paul to the early Christian community at Corinth. In her sermon, Pastor Melinda Giese asks us to consider the different gifts of the Spirit and how God might be calling us to embrace a gift new to us in this season.

Same Mind, Same Purpose

For this week's message, we dig into the Apostle Paul's letter to the Corinthians (Acts 18:1-4  & 1 Corinthians 1:10-18). Living as we do in times where some actively create division, Pastor Cara Scriven reminds us that we have an opportunity and a calling to be united in purpose to affect positive change in the world.

The World Turned Upside Down

In our scripture from Acts this week (17:1-9), we travel with the Apostle Paul and Silas as they arrive in the Roman city of Thessalonica. Paul's preaching at the city's synagogue is both effective and threatening, winning converts and unsettling the social order. In her sermon, Pastor Melinda Giese asks us to consider how this work of turning the world upside down remains with the church today.

The Gift of Change

In Acts 3:1-10, Peter and John encounter a man who was crippled from birth begging for change. Refusing him some coins, Peter offers him the gift "of what he had." We all have something to give according to Pastor Cara Scriven. She challenges us to think beyond the ones that come easily to mind, to also consider those hard-earned gifts weathering change and struggle.