Thought(s) of the Day

It has been awhile since my (our) last blog post. What do I write about? Well, a few things have been rolling around in this head of mine.

Topic one: Recently, when I attended church, someone made a comment about to me about social media and the role it plays in a faith community. These questions came up: Do congregations have to be involved in social media? Is web 2.0 the place to be? How does a congregation know if social media is the right fit?

All very good questions. For my part, I feel that social media serves as a tool to enhance our engagement, learning and service. This blog for example, is a place for people to post stories and share events. It gives us some “personality.” And our Facebook page? Well, it is a great place for fellow progressive Christians who visit or belong to First Central to connect and learn more about each other on a different level. Do I think congregations should give social media a try- absolutely! Social media or Web 2.0 as the techies call it, is very “hot” right now. It is a great time to try new things and dabble in this fun world of communication. Is it right for every congregation? Maybe not now, but it might be a year or two. Bottom line- our church family is very important. Web 2.0 will never replace face-to-face interactions. (Where would I be without that fateful conversational dinner last March?) They only serve as another avenue to serve our community, get to know one another and become educated citizens.

Topic two: Time poverty. I have extreme time poverty and I know I’m not alone. How do we make time for all that needs to get done? There are just not enough hours in the day! Between work, personal and family responsibilities they day just melts away. As I sit here, I’ve got a dish washer that needs to be emptied, laundry to be put away, trash to be taken out, people to call, research to be done and the list just goes on and on.

So, my question becomes, how on earth do we stay motivated? How do we stay connected with out burning out? How do we find time to get closer to God, deepen our spirituality or venture more on our faith journey? The answer depends on each of us. (It is my dearest hope that you are having better luck tackling the time poverty problem than I am.) One thing that makes dealing with time poverty easier, is that no matter how many Sundays I miss, I still feel welcomed at First Central. It is my home away from home and a respite from my ever-growing to-do list. Thanks for always being there for me, First Central, even when I’m not.

Posted by the blog administrator.

The Seeds of Faith Fell Into Good Soil

The Parable of the Sower
(Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 4:4-9; Luke 8:4-15)

Again he began to teach beside the sea. Such a very large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the sea and sat there, while the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. He began to teach them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.” And he said, “Let anyone with ears to hear listen.”

I am not one to quote from religious texts, but I thought I’d share how my First Central Church experience mirrors the Parable of the Sower and a bit about my spiritual journey. Although I studied scripture at church and then in college, I find that only now have I begun to really appreciate its many stories and lessons. For example, someone recently read the Parable of the Sower out loud. Now, had it been 2 years or even 5 years ago, I would have tuned out, but this time I sat quietly and truly listened to the words and message the story had for me at that moment. For me, I immediately thought of my spiritual journey as the seed, and First Central as the good soil. I have always been the one to question, doubt and explore. First Central nourished these traits, welcomed my questions, and let me explore and find my own spiritual path- no matter what. Because of this, I can say that First Central was not a stone path, which left the seeds of my faith unprotected; it was not rocky shallow ground, which left my seeds of faith without a firm foundation on which to grow, nor was First Central a patch of thorns which choked my seeds of faith before I was given the chance to grow tall. First Central’s open and loving community only fertilized and enriched my faith experience, and helped shape my values and beliefs. I can truly say that because of my supportive family and First Central that I have seen my spiritual journey develop and mature over the years. It has brought forth a deeper understanding of myself and my community, therefore increasing a hundredfold my love and appreciation for all. Posted by: Hanna W.

Checking Our Balance

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted …(Ecclesiastes 3: 1-2)

How about these improvisations on this familiar text about the “seesaw” of life:

A time to break down our budgets – at home or church -- in new ways, and a time to build them up by asset mapping. A time to weep for recession, unemployment and homelessness, and a time to meet doomsayers with humor and hope. A time to mourn for the time-famine of contemporary families, and a time to dance with our faithful volunteers. A time to embrace generosity, and a reminder to refrain from embracing consumerism. A time to keep – recycle, re-use, renew – in church and home -- and a time to throw away responsibly. A time to tear our clothes on a mission trip with teens, and a time to knit prayer shawls in the parlor. A time to love our children enough to teach them stewardship, and a wake up call whenever and wherever they learn hatred for themselves or others. A time-out for war, and an always time-enough to work for peace … a peace for every season that blesses God’s purpose under heaven.

It is March – the month of balance. Life isn’t like Daylight Savings time – we cannot “make” hours or resources or energy or sunshine. On the other hand, the Spring Equinox is a true teaching moment. We even use the word “balance” financially. The “balance” is what we work with, give with, use to care for ourselves and others. Financially, emotionally, and spiritually, as individuals and as communities of faith, this is the season to commit ourselves to balance.

This UCC stewardship message is brought to you by: Maren C. Tirabassi, Pastor of Union Congregational UCC of Madbury, NH. Her most recent book is God in My Life: How and Why We Share Faith Stories.

Thanksgiving Musings

With Thanksgiving right around the corner and the December holidays coming up fast, I wanted to pause and reflect on what this church means to me, and how thankful I am to be apart of such a progressive and open community.

As I walk to the church doors to volunteer for the annual Thanksgiving Dinner on Friday, a smile comes across my face. Only in certain parking lots would you find that half the cars have Obama ’08, GLBT rights or pro-choice bumper stickers. As I see these signs my step lightens, because I know the moment I walk in the doors, my past, my faith journey and my views will be welcomed. There is a sense of pride that comes with this knowledge because I know many who walk through our doors are in my shoes too.

I have been a life time member of First Central (all 23 years). I still remember following a colored ribbon from the Sanctuary to the first floor classrooms for my very first Sunday morning church school visit. First Central became my home away from home. Yet, I have struggled with my “faith” for many years; I still question and doubt. During college I stopped going completely. Now, several years after graduating, I found myself needing my “second family.” So I woke up one Sunday morning in the spring of 2008 and went to church; I was welcomed as if I had been attending the whole time. No questions, no judgments, just hugs and smiles.

As I’m working in the kitchen sorting dishes and running food out to our guests, I feel grateful for the opportunity to give back to the community who helped shape who I am today. After things began to slow down and I was working in the back of kitchen, I could hear the workers doing dishes laughing and telling stories; as their laughter waved my way I could feel the stress of the work week dissolving. There is something therapeutic about hearing others laugh and connect, just like when I smell that one- of- a- kind Sanctuary church smell (you know what I’m talking about), I feel at ease and at home. When I was driving home tonight I could not help but think to myself how lucky I am to have this. So, for this Thanksgiving, I am thankful for my church family, for hearts that open, minds that understand and lives that serve. Posted by Hanna W.

Ode to Winston

The following is an excerpt from a speech Liz Sharpe made at Pastor Winston Baldwin’s going away party. After which there was not a dry eye in the audience…

“When I think of Winston, there are a lot of things that come to mind … I think of confirmation class in seventh grade, when everything was confusing enough at 13 and it seemed like all of us were out of place no matter what. I never said the right things and I was always too loud and I look back and wonder how I even stood myself. I had glasses as big as my face and bangs that covered my eyes and I towered over everyone awkwardly because I didn’t know how to handle my newly acquired height. But on Wednesday nights, when I would come to confirmation class, I belonged. In the fireplace room on the third floor, sitting in the rolly chairs in one big circle, I belonged. Winston let me know that I was wanted, that what I had to say meant something, no matter how loudly it came out of my mouth. He taught us that faith was not, as much I had wanted it to be, black and white. Faith and religion was not some category we could just passively toss ourselves into, but something to be explored. Winston assured us that questioning and even being confused about it meant that we were thinking and beginning to carve a new little place for ourselves in the church family. And at that age, that was all we really wanted- to finally start finding a place somewhere … Thank you for making all of us feel a sense of belonging and community that everyone should experience at some point in their lives, and for being such a wonderful friend and teacher. I love you to the moon, and am so excited to see what other wonderful things you will do for these new churches. Thank you for everything.”