September 28, 2016 0 Community Action, Sermon Recap, Sermons by Patricia Calahan
One of my mother’s frequent exclamations when I was a child was, “How many times do I have to tell you?” This phrase was exclaimed whenever my siblings or I left lights on or laundry on the floor. I recalled this phrase as I studied Jesus’ parable about the rich man and Lazarus. I am struck […]
September 10, 2016 0 Ministry by Patricia Calahan
A little over a month ago, I experienced a hiking accident. I got confused by trail markings and instructions and I didn’t make the wisest decision. I tried to climb a rather large rock. I fell twenty feet, sprained both ankles, fractured my heel, and got bruised and scraped all over. I’m 41 years old […]
September 10, 2016 0 Community Action, Questioning Faith, Sermon Recap, Sermons by Patricia Calahan
Last Sunday, Philemon, the shortest book of the Bible, made it’s regular appearance in the Lectionary. This short letter has a dark history as it was historically used by slave holding Christians in the American South as evidence of God’s support for slavery. In this letter, they argued, Paul sent Onesimus, a runaway slave, back […]
August 31, 2016 0 Community Ministry, Emerging Church, Unchurched, Youth Ministry by Patricia Calahan
We are beginning a new youth group in Cornwall! We are partnering with Cornwall United Methodist Church and St. John’s Episcopal Church in creating this new ministry. We are looking forward to being able to offer a more substantial ministry to our Middle School and High School youth. We are all healthy churches, but small […]
July 24, 2016 0 Sermon Recap, Sermons by Patricia Calahan
Following this shorter version of the Lord’s Prayer in the Gospel of Luke, we find a parable. This parable is often used as an instruction for how to get prayer right or for how to get God to do what we ask. The key to an effective prayer, it seems, is persistence. We are to […]
July 12, 2016 0 Current Events, Sermon Recap, Sermons by Patricia Calahan
By God’s great mercy, given this terrible week of violence, trauma, and collective sadness, the lectionary text was Jesus’ Parable of The Good Samaritan. There is so much in this parable that is relevant to the events of this week. The hated Samaritan turns out to be the good guy in the story, challenging our […]
June 28, 2016 0 Calling, Emerging Church by Patricia Calahan
I believe that our denomination has a large problem looming that I am hearing little about. Our active clergy are mostly from older generations. I am currently 40, and it is easy for me to notice that I am the youngest clergy at most conferences and on most committees. I struggle to think of another […]
June 28, 2016 0 Sermons by Patricia Calahan
Reconciliation is a difficult topic. We all have broken relationships within our families, long-time friendships ended over a disagreement, congregations that have been fractured for years over old slights and grievances. To have broken relationships is to be human. To endeavor to heal them, is to be a Christian. Desmond Tutu, in commenting about South […]
June 22, 2016 0 Calling by Patricia Calahan
I am often asked just how it is that I went from being a serious violinist to becoming a pastor. I had practiced for many hours a day for since I was a nine years old. While in High School, these practice hours became a regular four to five hours a day, in addition to […]
June 16, 2016 0 Sermon Recap, Sermons by Patricia Calahan
I had some fun with our children at church on Sunday. I showed them an optical illusion I had found in a book. Viewed from one perspective, it looks like an unhappy old man. If you turn the image around, it looks like a happy old woman. It was fun to demonstrate to the children […]