welcoming

A celebration 122 years in the making

Norcross Presbyterian Church in Norcross, Georgia, held a dedication ceremony during a recent Sunday worship to mark the return to its original house of worship — built by its congregation more than 120 years ago in 1899.

New worshiping community is A Work in Progress

The Rev. Susan Brouillette, a new leader in the 1001 worshiping community movement, hopes to create a community for those who are spiritual but not religious and want to make the world a better place.

Is your digital ministry leaving out people with disabilities?

Here are some interesting statistics that you might not know: In 2018, a Centers for Disease Control report revealed that one in four U.S. adults — 61 million — had a disability. According to the Collaborative on Faith and Disability, 84% of people with disabilities claim a faith tradition that is important to them. Yet only 10% of faith communities do any congregation-wide disability awareness. This was before the pandemic. Now in a time of digital worship, Bible studies and meetings, being part of a faith community can be more challenging for those living with a disability.

God’s kingdom: close, yet so far

Dr. Brian K. Blount’s book “Go Preach! Mark’s Kingdom Message and the Black Church Today” sits on my desk. It’s one of the books that survived the move from our rental in Maryland to our Vermont home. During packing, I promised my husband I would limit the books to three large boxes. What didn’t fit wouldn’t come. There just wasn’t room in our 1760-something home for my dog-eared friends. It was painful, but I was brutal in my decisions as to which ones to keep and which ones to give away. It says a lot that “Go Preach!” made the cut.