From the River's Edge

by Rev. Dr. Dale Azevedo,  Sr. Minister So, Dale, what happens next? I've been asked this question (in various forms) a lot over the past few weeks. It made me realize that no one really knows what my plans are post BCCUCC. A lot has evolved since I announced my retirement in January, and this week's blog seems like a great place to share the latest news. Where are you moving to? Many of you...

The season of Lent draws us into six weeks of spiritual preparation for the celebration of Easter. Within the six weeks, the Lectionary guides us through the Old Testament readings on God’s Covenants and Promises with and to Israel. We read about the prophetic future of a Messiah and the story of Jesus’ life, ministry, torture, and death. In the background of the deep dive into the scriptural...

by Rev. Dr. Dale Azevedo,  Sr. Minister Years ago, the church I was serving had a guest speaker on Laity Sunday. It was one of our lay leaders and Church School teachers. The premise and title of his sermon was pretty simple:      "Love is a verb." I'm not quite sure why I had never really heard that sentiment before. On the surface, it seems pretty simple and obvious. But there was something...

by Rev. Racquel Ray, Associate Minister of Congregational Life In a country where we have declared to be created with inalienable rights to choose life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness it is remarkable that we should need to talk about the limits of those freedoms. Yet, here we are in the course of human events where we, as a church community, must decide where we stand. I have made clear...

by Rev. Dr. Dale Azevedo,  Sr. Minister With the recent announcement of my retirement from church ministry, I thought it might be helpful to talk about how pastoral transitions typically work in congregational churches. Now, every Christian tradition handles a change in pastors differently. In some traditions, like Roman Catholic and United Methodist, the local congregation has little to no say...

by Rev. Racquel Ray, Associate Minister of Congregational Life Happy New Year! The change of the calendar and the change in the weather bring also remembrances and renewals. Many of us review the previous year and resolve to make changes in the coming year. Some may choose to release actions that are not beneficial. And some may choose to add aspirational activities. I tend to ‘reset’ toward a...