Going backwards How church entryways have changed by Richard Hong In March 2016, our historic sanctuary was destroyed in a three-alarm fire. After five months of worshiping in “portable” locations, we returned to our gym, which we outfitted for use as a worship space until our sanctuary can be rebuilt. Last month we took… Read more »
February 14, 2018
The Church for Today
Going backwards How church entryways have changed by Richard Hong In March 2016, our historic sanctuary was destroyed in a three-alarm fire. After five months of worshiping in “portable” locations, we returned to our gym, which we outfitted for use as a worship space until our sanctuary can be rebuilt. Last month we took… Read more »
Finding God in the Junk Drawer A much-needed reminder to ‘watch for God’ by Donna Frischknecht Jackson God spoke to me the other day. I wasn’t standing on some mountaintop. Nor was I lying prostrate on the floor. I wasn’t even kneeling in the quiet of the old sanctuary of the little rural church… 
Forced Ecclesiastical Assimilation? by Antonio ‘Tony’ Aja I am an immigrant and a former refugee. I came from Cuba to the U.S. via Spain in the late ’60s. I belong to that group of people from the “Global South’’ who began to migrate to this country by the millions after the liberalization of the… 
Mystery Box Outsiders wonder what’s inside church by Richard Hong I used to live near a business that had an innocuous name – I forget what it was. There would usually be just a few cars parked outside. The windows had blinds covering them. I never figured out what it was. Was it a… 
The Christmas prayer tree A rural church reaches out in an unexpected way by Donna Frischknecht Jackson Silence fell upon the room. A woman at my table waved to the waitress to order another glass of wine. A good diversion on her part, I thought. Others around me glanced down at the meeting agenda,… 
The Homeless Church: What does it mean to be a Christian during the 2016 presidential elections? By Anita Coleman “Jeremiah, the prophet” my pastor Mark Davis said, during a recent sermon “in his letter to a people in exile, living among enemies, is using the language of the promised land. Despite captivity and exile, he… 
A Garden You Never Get to See Planting seeds for the future By Susan Rothenberg I don’t know much about hip-hop. Until this summer, I didn’t know much about Alexander Hamilton beyond the ten-dollar bill in my wallet. After reading rave reviews of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit Broadway musical, Hamilton, I decided to watch some YouTube… 
Meeting people where they are Church youth connect with people who are homeless in their community Submitted by Dallas Thompson The theme of this month’s print magazine is connections (see the magazine). On the blog we are celebrating they way churches are connecting with their communities. If your church has a story to share, send… 
Heroes, Role Models and Saints by Steve Young, guest blogger We Americans love our heroes. In some cases, that designation is well-placed. A soldier giving his life for our country. That one teacher who made all the difference. But, all too often, our choice of heroes seems to be about attaching unrealistic expectations to people…