Posts by Barbara Hutchinson (Page 2)
God is with us
If that doesn’t show us that God is with us— I don’t know what will!
Repair of our Sidewalks
Finally, we have safe and even sidewalks along Prince Street!
Confirmation Class
Our young people, being formed in their faith.
Instructed Eucharist
Engaging in the sacrament of Holy Eucharist is central to the lives of all Christians and is offered each week in the Episcopal Church. Part of our joy and responsibility as Christians is to enter more fully into this sacrament, to meet with intention and awareness the Presence of Christ, and to dwell in the holiness which nourishes, sustains, and saves us. This past Sunday we offered an Instructed Eucharist, which meant two things: 1) the bulletin contained information about…
Ways to Pray Series
We gathered in companionship and prayer, seeking a deeper connection with each other and with God. This past week, we were guided in conversation and spirituality by Deacon Marsha Roscoe, a Lutheran Deacon and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs of our Diocesan Stevenson School for Ministry. We began our conversation by sharing how we name God in our prayers, for that can tell us a great deal about what we believe about God. We also shared, of course, that…
Sweaty Sunday
Today we gathered as people who care about our church and want to offer our talents and gifts in many ways. Our grounds now look beautiful and are ready for mulch (which will involve another Sweaty Sunday)! We began with a meal, of course, and had a great Oktoberfest potluck picnic, with sausages, hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, sauerkraut, cider and lots of goodies such as pies and donuts. Being nourished in body, we got to work– raking leaves, cutting…
Learning the sacred stories
Today our young people gathered to learn more about our sacred stories which ground and shape our faith, as they will do on the second Sunday of each month. We are using the curriculum Teen Text which takes one of the scriptures heard in church that morning and then pulls it apart — offering context, explaining the story and drawing from our young people the importance of the story. One of the most powerful parts of the time together was…
Pet Blessing with a Twist
We offered pet supplies to our community this year as our celebration of St. Francis and his love of all creatures.
Seeing salvation
Lord, you now have set your servant free * to go in peace as you have promised; For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior, * whom you have prepared for all the world to see: A Light to enlighten the nations, * and the glory of your people Israel. While I was at Holy Cross Monastery in August, I noticed this odd occurrence of my body often sighing. These emphatic exhalations and sighs were not intentional on my…
The Languages of God
Today as I engaged with the paintings at the Prada Museum in Madrid, Spain, I was aware of how both art and liturgy are languages, both of which express and reflect our beliefs about and in God and provide portals into the experience of the holy; with art, of course, using visual images and liturgy using words as the mode of expression. Since the church throughout history has been a major patron of the arts, today we saw a great…
“Cofee Hour for Kids”
This week at “Coffee Hour for Kids” we read the first Psalm and then asked each other to draw images that came to mind when each of us had heard it. Two big favorites were “the wind” and “the chafe” which after looking it up, we discovered it meant the empty corn husks that fly about int he wind. Each person could only paint with one color because we are going to put the pictures all together to make a…
Taize Worship service
In the vesper light, in the presence of the Spirit, in the calling of our hearts through music deeper into the holy, we gathered together to experience God in the simplicity of prayer, chant, silence, and communion. It was a time of a gathering of hearts turned toward God and it was beautiful. We then gathered for an amazing dinner, so we could carry the sense of communion into our community. Our hosts for the evening meal, Susan and Keith,…