A Different Lesson
By Matt Nuth
The older I get, the more I understand that I have so much more to learn. I get this shot of humility every day as situations arise that provide me the opportunity to look at them in a different way than I did yesterday. Recently, I had a look at the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard through a different lens to learn an additional lesson.
Name The Mystery
By Dr. Wes Ellis
…But a person cannot be contained in a riddle and neither can the God of the universe. A person is a mystery…. they can never be solved but they can be seen, heard, and named. To know a person is different from knowing a math problem. You can only know a person by being in relationship with them.
Hope ≠ Optimism
By Rev Steve Swope
…“Optimism and hope are not the same. Optimism is the belief that the world is changing for the better; hope is the belief that, together, we can make the world better.”
Small Faith
By Linda Hogue
Does God ever invade your thoughts in such a way that it stops you dead in your tracks? It happens to me every now and then. He mostly corrects me, but I don’t care because I’m just so glad to hear from Him. And really, when you think about it, it shows He cares. It also shows He believes I can do better.
The Big Game
By Ratko Filipovich
…There are a lot of reasons somebody could be happy with success in the end. For me it would be that while everybody is celebrating, the quarterback runs to me to tap my shoulder in the end zone with a few words like, “You did it, and I am proud of you!”
Prayer & Unbelief
By Pastor Wes Ellis
…I think some of us would be embarrassed to admit how seldom we actually stop and pray. Some of us are probably embarrassed to confess that we’re not sure we even know how to pray. The fact is, you’re not alone if you’re one of those people. Prayer is difficult.
Does God Truly Answer Prayers?
By Matt Nuth
Time after time I get the opportunity to get reacquainted with prayer. I say “reacquainted” not because I have fallen away from prayer, but because circumstance force me to learn something new about prayer and my faith in God.
AGREE TO DISAGREE
By Hal Mortier
The Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, left or right, mask or no mask, vaccination or no vaccination; but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit
Come From Away
By David Van Cleve
Last fall, we had some friends from the “theater world,” Scott and Deb, visit our home. When they found out Mary and I were planning a trip to Broadway to see some high school friends and catch some shows, Scott asked, “Have you heard of ‘Come From Away?’”
Being Right Is Overrated
By Dr. Wes Ellis
Throughout history Christians have looked to the original disciples as exemplars of our faith, as giants of the tradition. ….So it’s kinda funny how ignorant they actually were.
REFLECTIONS OF A DESERT PADRE
By Michael Malone
Twelve years ago I was leading a retreat with my UCC Church in Connecticut. One of the points I made really got under the skin of an attendee, one of the rock-solid members of the church. Ginny was a hardcore progressive, and she was the backbone of our mission work in the community. She never missed a Sunday. Her partner, whom she had been with for years, was a staunch Unitarian.
What upset Ginny was that I had said in order to call someone a Christian, they needed to be involved in a faith community.
From Crisis to Creativity
A message from Pastor Wes from the February edition of The Herald.
Report of the Pastor
It is my sincere hope that we can look back on 2021 with fondness, remember that God did something in our midst. It is my hope that 2021 was the year when we relearned who we are and discovered anew who we’ve always been—the church that helps, the church that lives a life of love.
The Historian’s Report
At First Congregational Church of Ramona, we know that we can’t see where we’re going without knowing where we’ve been. That is why our historian is an officer of our Church Council. We take our history seriously as we remember the faithfulness of God. In our Annual Report, we include a report from our historian to help us understand the challenges and celebrate the victories of the year we’ve just experienced.
Christian Education Report
This week, as we gear up for our Annual Meeting we’ll be featuring some of the reports from our 2021 Annual Report.
The Report of the Moderator
2021 was a good year for our church. I did not say it was an easy year, but we proved that we could withstand an onslaught of tribulations. In fact, I think we are even getting pretty good at it.