Posts with the category “news-updates”

So as some of you may have heard through the grapevine, we had some water issues at the church on Tuesday. We had a few drips in one of the hallways in the education wing, water backed up in the courtyard and went under the doors out into the hallway, and we had a few small leaks in the sanctuary roof. Probably the most significant though was water that came up from the base of the wall in one of ...  Read More

Looking Back to SundayFriends, as we start off the week, I wanted to just go back to Sunday to not only drop a 48-hours-later reminder of the core message from Sunday but also to share the photos that were in worship so you can see them a bit clearer.Our table story on Sunday was Matthew's version of the Last Supper which, as I shared, is the single most shared "table story" of Jesus since we hear...  Read More

One of the many reasons to be grateful for kids who are in their 20s is that I can sit in the backseat of our car on a raod trip with Scout cuddled up next to me and one of the kids is driving! Ah freedom!Speaking of freedom, as we all know, this weekend is the 4th of July - the 250th celebration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Wherever you may be, I hope you have a wonderful ce...  Read More

Tomorrow (June 28), we will be gathering for worship in the Fellowship Hall for a different kind of potluck and a different kind of service. You don't need to bring food - it will be provided (menu below). But here's what I hope you will bring with you. You can bring one or more of these things:Fresh EngagementTasty CuriosityScrambled MisconceptionsThe service is going to be quite different from a...  Read More

Dear RJC Friends - first off, this message is coming directly from Pastor Ed. In case you are wondering if this is legit, I'm writing this at my standing desk in my office and looking at a bunch of legos and Scout's dog bed in front of me.The reason. I share that is because there is a scam message that many of you have received from someone impersonating me. I'm going to first tell you what to do ...  Read More

Friends, this photo has been working on me a lot since I photographed it on Monday.  It was a big part of my most recent Imago Scriptura post and I shared this:On Monday, Winton Lake had flooded again and the benches were just above the waterline. In the photo, the bench isn’t moving, but the water is stirring all around it and reflecting the mottled clouds in the cyan sky. It was unique to see in...  Read More

Thanks for helping to make RJC more visible in the community!  Below are images of the options and here's the link for the online ordering formRJC Logowear Ordering...  Read More

Friends, this morning's sunrise was begging to be shared.  Wow.  And I almost decided to not go to the lake this morning.  So glad I did.  Above is a panorama of 8 photos stitched together and then below are a few others from the morning.   The heavens are telling the glory of God... Psalm 19:1 I've had several requests since yesterday morning for a copy of Scout's commencement address so I wanted...  Read More

Friends, I'm still on a bit of a Pentecost "high" from last Sunday. What a beautiful celebration and gathering! I loved having the celebration of our time together in the languages of Amharic, English, and the languages of love and community. Above is a short video that Lori recorded to give just a taste of what we shared in the service.Pentecost is still with us in what we are sharing this coming...  Read More

There's so much new life around Winton Lake right now.  If you want to just soak up some cuteness, be at the lake about 30 minutes after sunrise and in the cove by the main center, you'll see so many little goslings running around with their parents.  It is so beautiful.  Just don't get too close to the parental geese or you might get hissed at or charged at (both happened to me this week as this ...  Read More

So Wednesday morning, I was out with Scout at Winton Lake and there was a really uniquely beautiful moment. The lake was a bit flooded from the overnight rain and one of the paths had about an inch or so of water. As Scout and I walked on the dry portion, I noticed this single leaf floating. It looked like it was not only floating on water, but also floating on air because the water was so clear b...  Read More

Good morning friends! There was so much happening at RJC on Thursday! It was our day hosting the 513 Relief Bus and we had people everywhere in the building. People were sharing, receiving, learning, helping, serving, and so much more. So many different groups and organizations were here to provide resources for people and the energy and spirit was so wonderful. Scout, the church dog, was also her...  Read More

Good afternoon friends!  Earler this week we celebrated Earth Day and as Scout and I walked several times that day, I gave thanks for this beautiful world that we all share.  That morning, one of our page a day calendars had this reminder of one dog's thoughts on Earth Day.  A cute and simple but profound reminder of all of our responsibilities towards being stewards of this planet. Tonight is our...  Read More

As the hymn says, "My Lord what a Morning!" Friends, ResoundingJoy resounded out on Easter Sunday. We resounded with joy. We resounded with community. We resounded with welcome. We resounded with energy. We resounded with numbers. We resounded with praise. We resounded with the Easter greeting that Christ is risen // Christ is risen indeed! It was a remendous morning - thank you to all who helped ...  Read More

Happy Easter friends! Jesus is risen! We celebrate this day of days and joy of joy!I wanted to share with you the song that I referenced in my sermon today - Betty's Diner by Carrie Newcomer. Just click/tap the video below to play it.  As I shared with my message today, resurrection isn't simply something embedded in a stained glass and is static and unchanging. Instead resurrection is still at wo...  Read More

Good afternoon friends! I just wanted to get a few quick reminders out to y'all before tomorrow (Sunday morning), so this won't go into great detail about any of the items below but just some quick reminders.One Great Hour of Sharing Special Offering - We will be collecting the OGHS special offering tomorrow and on 3/29. So if you feel so led to participate in a special offering (and I hope you do...  Read More

Good afteroon RJC Friends - on Monday, Diana Butler Bass shared a beautiful gift in her email newsletter that was all about the gift of blessing ohters. She included the video linked above from one of the leading voices about the power of gratitude, Brother David Steindl-Rast. Take 6 minutes and soak in the words and visuals of the above video. (If you are unable to see the video, you can also cli...  Read More

Happy Tuesday friends! This is a bit earlier in the week but by the time you read this on Tuesday, I will either be in the air or will have (hopefully) arrived in New Jersey for the Presbyterian Church Growth Network conference! It is the first gathering of a new group of PCUSA pastors who want to be intentional about church growth using lots of energy, intelligence, imagination, and love. I'll be...  Read More

The word “expansive” has been on my heart a LOT recently. I feel there’s something that the Spirit is stirring in me around it.   Read More

I am excited about my first of the combined services with all three congregations - this Sunday at 10:00am at Northwest!  Before we get into updates of what's been happening this week...first some beauty of the world.  Two images from different parts of Winton Woods.   The first was oen of those "it just happened that way" types of moments.  I was photographing the sunrise at the WW campground and...  Read More

Well, I am four days officially into this role and I am still excited (and a bit terrified) of what is ahead.  There's a lot that has been done and a lot more ahead over the coming weeks but we're going to get there!  And most of all, we are going to be seeing God's hand at work in some beautiful ways as we come together into ResoundingJoy Church!  Speaking of beauty -this is some beauty just righ...  Read More