A Surprise Non-Encounter
Yesterday started with a surprise. As I approached the main entrance of the church, a neighbor across Broadway Place informed me that a gray SUV had just pulled up, shot something at our front door, and driven off. She had reported it to the police. Sure enough, the glass on…
Lent 2024: Encounters On the Way
It’s the first day of Lent, Ash Wednesday. I thought it was rare for this to overlap with Valentine’s Day, until Google revealed this happened as recently as 2018 and will happen again in 2029… Our worship theme this Lent is “Encounters On the Way.” We’ll follow Jesus through Mark’s…
Listening for Wisdom
Last Saturday I gathered on Zoom with Mennonites from across our conference for our annual mid-year gathering. These gatherings used to happen in person across a few different weekends to accommodate the wide geography of the Central District Conference, but have moved solely online the last few years. This means…
From Apartment to Church to Apartment
As you approach our church building from the south, walking up Broadway Place between North Broadway Street and Oakland Park Avenue, you pass three apartment buildings on your left, each a quad. The third is unique. It’s attached to the church. Inside, the rooms have been converted to our downstairs…
The Backstory is the Story
On Sunday, I met with the junior high Sunday school class. We’ll celebrate our nine sixth graders at the Coming of Age service February 4. One of the ways we prepare together is through study and discussion of that morning’s Bible story. Because the junior highers requested we also declare…