For our National Birthday, Pastor Barbara revisits one of the most basic concepts of Christianity – – one we all learned as children, but one that seems in constant danger of being forgotten: There is nothing we can do to “earn” God’s grace. It is a gift, freely given. All we have to do choose…
For Pride Sunday, Pastor Barbara drew on many sources – – scripture (Galatians 5:1,13-25 and Luke 9:56-62 ), her childhood love of basketball, the folk arts of the Pennsylvania German tradition and the ongoing saga of LGBTQ rights – – to find the essential, universal rule of all great struggles: Always take the long view…
Drawing on two stories from scripture of people who felt small and unseen (1 Kings 19:1 – 15a and Luke 6:26-9) Pastor Barbara explores the idea of unearned grace, as expressed in the promise “God comes anyway.”
Scripture: Genesis 11:1-9, Acts 2, 1-21 This was Pentecost, and Pastor Barbara tried to put the familiar story of many languages and tongues of fire into its deeper context as part of an ancient prophetic arc that starts with the Tower of Babel and the scattering of the nations.
On the Sunday before Pentecost Pastor Barbara shared her long-standing fascination with the unnamed, enslaved female fortune-teller (in Acts 16: 16-34) whose actions precipitated one of the important episodes in the first days of the church. This was also only 5 days after the shooting tragedy in Uvalde TX, and Barbara addressed that too, reading…
In her first sermon as our new Pastor, Rev. Peronteau takes a deep dive into the central issue of this season: the nature of Grace, as promised in Easter. Scripture: Revelation 21:9-10; 21:22 – 22:5 and John 5:1 – 9
Nichola Torbett is a spiritual seeker, gospel preacher, podcaster, writer, resistance fomenter, dog-walker, and nonviolent direct action trainer. Driven by her passion for both spiritual formation and social change, she co-founded Seminary of the Street, a training academy for love warriors, in 2009 and Second Acts, a liturgical direct action affinity group, in 2014. She…
Rev. Julianne Stokstad was our pastor from 2004 through 2008 and has returned often over the years since. In this sermon, she introduces a concept from her days teaching biology: the “search Image,” which she suggests can help us see and feel the deeper gifts of Easter.
Garrett House is a lifetime California resident born in San Mateo. He has spent the last 16 years as a member of The Congregational Church of Belmont, California where he has served as Moderator, on The Board of Trustees, and on The Board of Christian Education. Presently, he is working on his master’s degree on…
Kim Williams is a Member in Discernment in the NCNC-UCC, and is a member of First Congregational Church of Fresno and associate member of Grace Community Church. She serves as the authorized lay minister at Grace Community Church in North Fork, CA and is an MDiv student in her third year at Pacific School of…