From the River's Edge

by Rev. Racquel Ray, Associate Minister of Congregational Life The Easter story reminds us that better days are always ahead of us. When I was serving as a senior living Chaplain, one of my most endearing residents would always say, “Oh, well! Better days are coming.” No matter the difficult situation she was facing ~ and there were many in her complex medical and social-emotional history ~ she...

God is good… All the Time! All the time… God is Good! A month back, I mentioned in worship that it was about time I preached on this refrain. I went so far as to suggest making it my final sermon on April 27th. Well, that's not happening. First, I was struck with a different inspiration that I felt called to share on my final Sunday. Second, I couldn't let go of the nagging feeling that I had...

by Rev. Racquel Ray, Associate Minister of Congregational Life There’s a garden just outside the window of my church office which is sheltered from the harshest weather. The spot is warm and sunny and gets enough morning sunshine to interrupt the slow, gradual spring. The daffodils are defying their cousins around town and are in riotous full bloom! These glowing yellow blossoms remind me to NOT...

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...

by Rev. Racquel Ray, Associate Minister of Congregational Life 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...

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...