by Rev. Dr. Donna Schaper As we move into Holy Week, let us enjoy: the green of our Easter flyer; the talent of our staff who put it together; the leaving of Dar from the position of Interim Support Staff; the impromptu barbecue that Larry Alsobrook won as a prize and gave to the…
by Rev. Dr. Talia Raymond A mother hen longing to gather her brood: Shelter. Warmth. Belonging. This image that Jesus has of himself and his ministry is sticking with me this Lent. As we move deeper into this season, this image feels even more timely. Lent is a season of re-centering. A season of…
by Rev. Dr. Donna Schaper As we turn the corner on the last part of my time with you,* I remember most fondly the moments of meaning. Like when Molly Baskette preached and gave us new insight to the terrible first shooting in Minneapolis or when Cameron Trimble told us to focus on awe…
Happy Holidays by Rev. Dr. Donna Schaper May you wind down if your clock is racing. May you wind up if your clock is dragging. May you wind down enough to wind up again if you are a little of both. Let these holidays incarnate you. Let them inoculate you with joy. Let any…
Don’t Tell Me I Have Homework by Rev. Dr. Donna Schaper In addition to making your pledge for 2026 through our investment campaign, please read the Convergence report of our fascinating congregation, which is so well told in their report. THANK YOU. Please also come to the Sunday, November 9 meeting with at least one question,…
Dear Friends, It has been so good to be back with you all following my sabbatical. In the month I have been home, I have loved seeing your faces, catching up on what you’ve been talking about and working on over the summer, and sharing a few of my own adventures with you as well.…
by Rev. Dr. Donna Schaper Two famous nuns, Sister Alegria and Sister Confiancia, spent most of their time in prayer. About two hours a day they did missionary work. Am I making these two up? Or did they really exist? That is riddle one of this message. Riddle two is how Talia and I divide…
August is finally here and next to her family, I am going to be the happiest person to see Talia return. I missed her the second most of any of you because I knew she knew what I didn’t know in my startup. Anyway, welcome back Talia. I know you will be different, Dr. Raymond.…
Some rituals are spiritual. Some are silly. Some are inherited, and some are self-made. Casper ter Kuile, author of The Power of Ritual: Turning Everyday Activities into Soulful Practices, walks us through how we create all sorts of meaningful, grounding rituals. One of my rituals is writing a newsletter. I always try to make my “minister’s…
As I prepare to step away for a season of sabbatical rest and renewal, I want to pause and offer my deepest gratitude to each of you. Thank you for your generosity: in gifts, in spirit, and in trust. Thank you for the love you have poured into our shared ministry. Your prayers, your kind…
We arrived Wednesday about 5 p.m. with four beautiful days of driving behind us from Connecticut. It was an amazingly peaceful trip, almost no traffic. No surprises. About six hours a day of driving with at least half of them on the beautiful back roads that start in Virginia with the Blue Ridge Parkway and…
As Pastoral Care Coordinator I am privileged to work with the Friendship Group, a group of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It has been delightful to get to know these folks and to experience their enthusiasm and dedication to each other. The group has been meeting for over 20 years, started by Judy Parsons…
March 5 is Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of the season of Lent – the forty days, plus Sundays, before Easter. The word Lent comes from an Old English word meaning simply “spring season,” a time when we observe the re-awakening of the world after the cold of winter, (even if this is perhaps more…
Hi friends, For the past three years, January has flown by for me and my daughters. From indoor color guard competitions to lacrosse games to theater performances, our spring has been full and fast-paced. This January has been no different, bringing the same busyness we’ve grown accustomed to. However, what I wasn’t prepared for was…
As I write this note to you all, my beloved church family, we are in the midst of our Advent and Christmas preparations and celebrations here at UCG. The greens have been hung, carols are ringing through the rafters, and tidings of hope, peace, joy, and love are proclaimed with sincerity. At the same time,…
Dear UCG, Between the election results and the knowledge that my time as your minister is drawing to a close, I am feeling a bit more melancholy than usual this time of year. There’s so much that is unknown – and as Lindsey notes below – a growing conviction that whatever comes might be bad.…
Dear UCG, You have likely heard this news already, as it has trickled through congregational meetings and Board of Business reports, but the church leadership and I have had to complete several steps before making it “official.” So now, belatedly and hopefully no longer as a surprise to anyone, I offer my resignation from UCG,…
Dear UCG, The first thing I ever bought from UCG was a “Black Lives Matter” sign from our Racial Justice Committee, in the fall of 2020. Our Pride service that year was online only, but the afternoon featured a drive-through event, at which you could get communion, your BLM sign, an art kit for kids…
Dear UCG, By the time September draws to a close, you may be well and truly sick of hearing me talk about the learnings of my sabbatical. But it was a deeply needed time away for me and a life-shaping experience for our family, so I hope you’ll bear with me as I share, here,…
It is hard to believe that we are coming to the end of our summer congregational renewal series, “Spirituality, However Known.” I hope that you have found moments of connection, inspiration, and community with your UCG family this summer. It has been spiritually enriching to connect with each of our guest speakers and preachers as…
Sandy and I slipped into the Clergy Corner for a few weeks this month to cover for Talia while she is on vacation and Bromleigh is on sabbatical. Sandy preached on June 30, and I will be preaching on July 7. In between those times we are available for pastoral care concerns or anything else…
Although the official first day of summer is a little less than a month away, in our part of the world, the heat and the activity of summer is already upon us. We have celebrated milestones in the lives of our young people with Children’s Sabbath, Confirmation, and Graduation Sunday. We have blessed beloved UCG…
Dear UCG, As you may have heard, I’ll be taking a sabbatical this summer: officially beginning on May 13 and returning for the Gathering of the Waters service on August 11. What you may not have heard (though we’ve had it in a host of newsletters and emails) is that UCG has received a grant…
Dear friends, I write two days after Easter Sunday, still flying high after the glory of being present with you throughout our Holy Week observances of the past week. I have long loved those days, for the depth of sorrow and grief, for understanding our own complicity in human suffering and the even more powerful…
Callie, my thirteen year old, just plopped down in the chair across from me at our patio picnic table and said, “Can you believe 2018 was six years ago?” Reader, I do not know what inspired this observation, but I also cannot quite get my head around the truth of her statement. It’s become almost…
At my house, we’re getting to that time in our older girls’ educational lives when they are starting to think and dream about what’s next. Callie is an eighth grader and recently had to choose a track for high school if she stays put at her current school or consider if another school might be…
Dear UCG, As we begin a new year together — one that is bound to be filled with so much excitement for this congregation — I wanted to take you all the way back to the second Sunday of December for a minute, for something I’m calling “Things I Love About UCG: Lessons and Carols…