Dear friends, At our congregational meeting last month, we spent a few minutes reflecting on our Lenten theme, “Connecting Generations.” Many folks talked about the gifts we received during that season: Moving stories told in our daily devotional; Pew Partnerships that helped adults and children get to know each other; our Confirmands sharing in worship […]
Staff
Search Committee Update
Our search committee has received profiles of viable candidates and is in the first stage of interviews. This first stage is kind of like a “first date,” getting to know the candidate and to see if we are compatible. After we complete this first stage, we will determine which candidate(s) will move on to the […]
Values Embodied
Dear friends, Every Sunday something powerful and holy happens here at Edwards Church. Occasionally, there are Sundays that stand out in the way they embody our values. This Sunday, April 28, is one of those. The morning begins with an invitation from the Green Team to walk, bicycle or carpool to church as an expression […]
Holy Week Music
The period leading up to and through Easter is such an enjoyable time to be a church musician. This year we will have brand new anthems on both Palm Sunday and Easter. The weeks following include several of our favorites. I will offer solo unaccompanied pieces to complement the powerful readings at our Maundy Thursday […]
The Wisdom of Crowds
Dear friends, Each year, during Lent, we offer a Daily Devotional, with reflections written by church members and friends. This year’s reflections, based on the theme “Connecting Generations,” seem exceptionally profound. They reveal the power of intergenerational relationships to enrich and transform our lives. Here are a few excerpts: “During my adolescent years, dad and […]
Our Intergenerational Community
Dear Friends, We live in a culture that increasingly separates people by age groups. Children (and adults) play sports with others in their own age group. Senior housing, while offering many benefits, can isolate older adults from other groups. As our society becomes more mobile, many grandparents find themselves far away from their grandchildren. We […]
Lenten Music
As we begin to observe Lent with our focus on relationships across the generations, the choir will do its part with our anthems in March. We’ll first hear an adaptation of the song we all learned as children, “Yes, My Jesus Loves Me” and complement that two weeks later with the immensely popular “You Raise […]
Moments of Shared Joy
Romans 12:9-18; Luke 12:22-34 I already knew what I was going to order–an omelet with avocado, sauteed onions, black olives and extra goat cheese. I was looking forward to it. Even more, I was looking forward to catching up with my brunch companion, Jenny Baylor. I knew she had made a recent job change to […]
Called
Isaiah 6:1-8; Luke 5:1-11 The picture was unambiguous–God seated on a high and lofty throne. Isaiah knew exactly what he was seeing. He knew exactly what he was hearing: the singing of the heavenly host, and then the voice of God calling him. Isaiah had many questions about this calling: why would God choose him? […]
In Different Hands
Sharp ears may be thrown on February 24 when the choir sings the hymn tune “Nettleton” for the second week in a row. We often sing service music on a repeat basis, even for a full season, but to my recollection we’ve never repeated an anthem tune in such proximity. The two settings use different […]