We hold Mike Holloway in the light as he recovers from knee surgery. 

 

Barbara Allen asks for prayers for Russ Heasty as he struggles with a broken neck and attendant health problems, and for the siblings who are his caretakers.

 

We hold Wes MacAdam in our prayers. Wes's mother died peacefully last month.

 

Tom Hull asks prayers for his father as he recovers from heart surgery.

 

Karen Kimmel asks prayers for her brother, Richard, who is undergoing cancer treatment.

 

Sallye Broome asks prayers for Katie Ezell (niece of Sue Ezell) who has been diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma; for Mary Begley and her husband, Don. Don suffered a stroke last spring and his recovery has been quite slow.

 

We hold Barbara Allen in the light, with prayers for a return to good health.

 

Mike Bagwell and Clark Chesser ask for continued prayers for Betty Catherine Price and Carol Ann Woolley who are battling cancer, and for Linda Sue Fountain (who is Carol Ann's sister & caregiver).

 

On a beautiful fall day the whole of creation seems to mediate the divine. Creation itself is sacramental.

That is true enough, and probably enough sacramental theology for most days. But we are in the midst of a particular sacramental season at CPC.

Last Sunday we celebrated a wonderful World Communion Sunday with our sisters and brothers from Church of the Covenant. It was fun to fill the sanctuary on a holiday weekend, and to have a combined choir of 15 voices was a blast! To dedicate a harvest of more than 20 pounds from the garden along with various other food and financial offerings to AFAC, made for a powerful time of worship.

We continue in the sacramental vein this weekend, as we gather around the font to celebrate the baptism of Nora Jane Plunkett, daughter of Jim Plunkett and Sarah Pray Plunkett. We will reaffirm our baptismal vows, and hear again the words of the promises of God, sealed in the waters of baptism.

The Politics of Jesus
I'm also beginning this Sunday a series of sermons on "The Politics of Jesus." I don't reckon anyone will be surprised to hear it suggested again from the pulpit at Clarendon that God is not a Republican ... or a Democrat, and that our impoverished political discourse does not reflect much in the way of a politics that Jesus would embody. Given that starting place, let's explore together what a politics of Jesus might look like in our time and place.

We'll use as our basic texts for the next few weeks the beautiful vision of Isaiah 58 and the Beatitudes from Matthew 5.

Come and worship!

peace,
David

"Exploring membership" hits the road, Monday, Oct. 21, as we meet at the home of Jim Plunkett and Sarah PRay Plunkett to talk about what it means to join the church. If you're interested in joining us for that conversation, please let David know. Thanks!

Interested in what's next for church? Join David at the regional NextChurch gathering, Saturday, Oct. 27, 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. at Church of the Pilgrims.

What's in it for you? And for Clarendon?

• You'll come away with some new ideas for ministry (ones that have been proven to work other places) and also time to reflect with colleagues on why they are working, the theological grounding for the ideas, and how they might be tailored for ministry in your own community.
• You will meet other leaders from your region who are interested in continuing to develop as leaders and become ongoing conversation partners.
• Ideas for joint ministry and mission opportunities might present themselves.

What is the cost? $20. That's it. And that includes lunch.

You can register on-line. Just click here and follow the simple directions. Then please let David know that you're planning to attend.