Archive for 'Pastor’s Blog'

Radical Hospitality

Radical Hospitality

Mark Boyd, March 11, 2012

John 2:13-22 and Exodus 2o:1-17

MP3 Recording of Mark’s Sermon

It was one of those days not unlike today when he entered the church. Cold and raining hard, yet all those inside were all warm and dry listening to the exciting guest preacher as he began his sermon. The ushers had just finished settling in the latecomers ...

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Churches in the Olympia Presbytery are leaving (sigh)

In my role as the Interim Pastor and as the Interim Stated Clerk of the Presbytery I am involved with the process of churches disaffiliating with our denomination. I have felt sad and inarticulate. Today I read a blog by a former colleague from the Presbytery of the Redwoods. The Rev. Dr. Joanne Whitt is the Pastor of First Presbyterian Church, San Anselmo.  Her words echo my own thoughts:

Perhaps it’s strategic, this silence from our denomination. Last week, a group ...

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The Power of God’s Call: Sermon January 22, 2012

The Power of God’s Call

Audio version of Jill’s sermon (WMA)

3rd Sunday after Epiphany Year B In Ordinary Time

Mark 1:14-20; 1 Cor. 7:29-31

 Rev Jill Komura

Prayer:  Gracious God, please illuminate your Word for us today so that we hear it with our whole hearts, embrace it with our whole spirit, and live into it with our whole lives. Amen.

Not too long ago, I walked into a hospital room and introduced myself as ...

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All Things New

This Sunday we begin a new year!  I imagine that many of you are thinking about your own personal goals and about the opportunities of 2012. At the United Churches we will be looking forward to calling our Settled Pastor.  We all have hopes and dreams of our future together.

Along with our excitement, hopes and dreams of the future, we are also anxious about more change. As Edwin Friedman notes in his discussion of change and leadership “not only are ...

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Blue Christmas

As many of you know, my brother in law Carl died a month ago. My sister Cindy said that she starts to cry every time she hears the Christmas Carol “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.”  For Cindy it is not the most wonderful time of the year. It is a very sad time of year, and the sadness is intensified by the celebration of holidays.  I want to create space for all of you who may be ...

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Ode to Pat

Welcome to the New Website!  As many of you know, our own Pat Sonnenstuhl has been volunteering to create and maintain our church website for ten years!  In these last few months with a grant from the United Church of Christ portion of our congregation, Pat has been working with Christi of Beau Designs to roll out this new wonderful website!

Pat has worked too many hours to count.  She even dreams of the website! Russ Rose ...

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From the Pastor

This is the season of expectancy. We watch. We wait.  My daughter-in-law is expecting her first child.  She has a month to go and looks as though she will give birth any minute. It’s so exciting that it is unimaginable.  I try not to think about it. Will it be a boy or a girl?  What will they name him or her?  How will our lives be changed by this wonderful event?  My daughter is also expecting in April.  She ...

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Sermon: Wake Up Call


First Sunday of Advent

 It seems like I keep hearing the book of Revelation read lately.  I heard devotions at two different meetings I attended last week on the book of Revelation and the preacher at Presbytery a week ago Thursday attempted to preach on the Book of Revelation.  I say attempted to preach, because he really did try to cover the whole book. Because the docket of Presbytery had ...

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