Posts Tagged: worship

Sightings

A loaf of bread   Apricot bread and gathered worship Remembering the taste of home by Ken Rummer When people ask about a food that makes the holiday official in my family, the answer I give is apricot bread. I remember one grandmother for her orange bread, and the other grandmother for her yeast rolls, but my mother’s baking… Read more »

Gospel and Inclusivity

Diversity — Why We Praise It, But Don’t Practice It by Samuel Son   [This article is the third of a continuing series on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Church. In the first and second article, we recalled how the values practiced intuitively in the early church  were a response to their understanding that… Read more »

Gospel and Inclusivity

Why Church? By Samuel Son Why?! It’s my children’s favorite word. And I have three of them! They love asking “Why?” Why is the sky blue? Why do we go to church on Sundays? Why do I have to play piano? At first, I thought, I’ve got philosophers! So, I answered their questions with great patience…. Read more »

Today’s Worship Experience

Church is where God’s family gathers ‘Prairie lessons’ help mom provide worship experience for family By Karen Milholland Alley While the apocalyptic genre might seem relatable in some ways during these times we’re living in, the characters I have found myself relating to most during the pandemic are those found in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s account… Read more »

Barn Boots and Blessings

Bellowing cows and closed gates God is offering a new field of opportunities by Donna Frischknecht Jackson   My neighbor’s cows were bellowing the other morning. Curious as to what was causing the ruckus, I went out to the porch and, looking over at the field bordering my pasture, I discovered the problem. There was… Read more »

The Church for Today

Are you a Sears or an Amazon? Churches need to adapt to a changing world by Richard Hong    Christmas is coming! Even though I don’t know what I’ll be buying for the people on my list, I am pretty sure I know where I’ll be buying it: Amazon. Like many other people, I have… Read more »

The Church for Today

Church growth: Connect, not attract Understanding ‘why’ before ‘what’ by Richard Hong   Too often we hear about something that is successful for another church and, when we look into it, our immediate thought is “that won’t work here.” We often reject what it is before understanding why it works. Why it works is about… Read more »

Gospel and Inclusivity

Praying in Mother’s Language Why It’s Important to Worship God in Multiple Languages by Samuel Son The gospel song, 나의 반석이신 하나님 (naui banseogisin hananim/Ascribe Greatness to Our God), sung in the closing worship service of the National Caucus of Korean Presbyterian Churches (NCKPC) annual meeting excavated my soul, loosening memory and longing of a… Read more »

Sightings

Photo Credit: K. Rummer Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! A View From the Pew by Ken Rummer Sundays feel different, in retirement.* Without a sermon to deliver (Will I lose my notes? Will I lose my place? Will it make any sense at all?), without arrangements to arrange (Will the liturgist show up? Is the air conditioner working? Is there water… Read more »

Unglued church

Learning to let go Embracing what we cannot see By Sarah Robbins   “You really should just go ahead and embrace it.” When something new is happening in our life, like a change in job or relationship, people will often offer this perspective. When we are in pain or in grief or a little of… Read more »