From the River's Edge

By Rev. Dr. Dale Azevedo, Sr. Minister We have a new president. We have a new tone. We have a new national agenda. Our work remains. I suspect that for most Americans yesterday, inauguration day, was a refreshing ray of hope amid the ongoing challenges we face. I found it uplifting to hear a president speak with rationality, compassion, honesty, sincerity, unity, and civility. It stands in stark...

by Rev. Dr. Linda Hartley, Assoc. Minister (Designated Term) It’s a New Year! No matter that we’re only a few days past 2020, it does feel like a fresh start. Have you made any New Year’s resolutions this year? (Is anyone doing that this year?) If you did, have you kept them? Or are you finding them already broken? If you have made resolutions and are finding it hard to keep them, I hope you’re...

By Rev. Dr. Dale Azevedo, Sr. Minister Every year around this time all the TV stations usually come out with their “The Year in Review” shows that highlight all the major events of the past year. I seldom watch them because I lived through the year and feel I can probably remember the key moments most of the time. This year I haven’t seen any of those retrospectives advertised. This could be...

by Rev. Dr. Linda Hartley, Assoc. Minister (Designated Term) During the Christmas season, I gravitate toward books that have uplifting messages of love and hope. For my personal reading, I also tend to choose books with a Christmas theme or books set during the Christmas season. This year, I’ve been reading a series of books by Debbie Macomber featuring a character by the name of Emily Miracle,...

by Rev. Dale Azevedo, Sr. Minister Fill the Night with Music and Light I know it may seem early, but your church leaders are hard at work preparing for this year’s Christmas and Advent seasons. Did you know that Advent is only a few weeks away? For weeks now Dale, Linda, and Andrea, along with the Worship Tech Team, Chancel Team, and the choir, have been laying the foundation for a special...

by Rev. Dr. Linda Hartley, Assoc. Minister (Designated Term) “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm to give you a future with hope.” Jer. 29:11 (NRSV) We are quickly approaching the time of year when things begin to change again. On Saturday night, daylight savings time officially ends and we turn our clocks back one hour. On the...