“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want”–Psalm 23:1
I have been blessed to be part of this Beloved Community at Edwards Church for many, many years. In the 1980s and 1990s I lived in Framingham and was an active member of this church. I served on several committees and boards and felt very embraced and beloved by the wider church family.
In 1999 I married Cathy and moved to Westwood, MA and after we had three children shortly thereafter, we felt we needed to be part of the church community in Westwood. We felt the girls should meet their classmates at Sunday School, and not be transported to Framingham on Sundays for Christian education.
As time went on and my daughters got older, we were involved in a UCC Church in Westwood. But over the years from about 2005 to 2015, we gradually felt less and less like we were part of a beloved community at our church in Westwood. The closeness that I had felt with Edwards Church just didn’t seem to still be part of the experience of attending church. I felt more and more isolated at the church we were attending….even going so far as to try several other churches in nearby towns. Those churches as well left me feeling less than beloved….. less than Spirit-filled. The welcome I felt at these churches just did not resonate with me.
We joined one church and attended there for a year or two, but then that went downhill. Finally, I decided that I would go back and visit Edwards Church. I knew Debbie was still the pastor, which filled me with joy and a sense of being beloved and welcomed. What I did not expect was to feel so very, very welcomed by numerous other church members.
I showed up one Sunday morning, early in Covid time, and was shocked at how many people I still knew at the church. The greetings I received were overwhelmingly positive. It was stunning to feel that this church that I had not regularly attended for some 15-20 years immediately gave me a feeling of being loved, beloved, welcomed and joyously met with open arms.
Since then (2020, spring or summer I believe), I have returned to a more active membership at Edwards Church. I have felt the spirit of the congregation and I have felt the deeply and dearly beloved hearts of all of those in the church, both new members and many members who have been here for decades.
I thank God for leading me back to my earlier home base of worship. I thank so many of you, members and friends at Edwards, for helping me feel that I am part of a deeply and dearly beloved community. I was stunned at how people remembered me and welcomed me back with such vigor and energy and open arms. I hope I am able to return the love that I have felt in my interactions with others at Edwards….both old time members and folks who are new to the community.
Thank you all for being such welcoming individuals to me when I returned to Edwards after not being involved in the community for quite some time. I have felt the beloved community fully and I welcome it and thank you for providing it.
I’m reminded of the 23rd Psalm
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside the still waters
He restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.
(Psalm 23, vs 1-3)
May God lead us always in paths of right living and lead us to beloved community.
Amen.
Michael Ellis