Eric BettisJune 21. 2020 The days of the pandemic have left no family or community untouched. We’ve all had to stop and take stock of what’s necessary and important, as many of both the little things and the biggest challenges of everyday life no longer seem quite as dependable, and Read more…
Nelson Shantz June 8, 2020 I’ve made a career of working on pianos. Much of that work has been tuning. Other work is focused on improving touch and tone. I’ve worked in home, school, college, church and studio settings. I’ve tuned in a distillery, in a barn, under the Read more…
A sermon by Trevor Bechtel For Shalom Community Church June 7, 2020 As many of you know our niece Evelyn has come to live with Susan and I in these days when the pandemic has left her without a plan about which house she wants to live in. It’s transformed Read more…
John Powell “How long, YHWH, am I to cry for help while you do not listen? How long will I cry ‘oppression’ in your ear and you do not save?Why do you make me look upon injustice?Why do you countenance tyranny?Outrage and violence . . . this is all I Read more…
Trevor Bechtel Almost 25 years ago, Susan and I lived in England for a year. We knew we were only going to be there for a year so we were very deliberate about seeing something, and usually seeing something different, every weekend. We had lived in Chicago for about five Read more…
Hillary Watson Ruth 1:1-20 Colossians 4:10-16 Jeremiah 33:10-11 Matthew 25:34-40 In my seventh grade Spanish textbook, there was a section in the back of the book with proverbs and sayings from Spanish-speaking countries. It may not come as a surprise that I was the type of 12-year-old who skipped ahead Read more…
More than anything else I am glad that I have retained some ability to wonder. To find something out about the world and to let it be, in addition to whatever else it might be, a marvelous thing, and object of astonishment. I am in a high risk population for Read more…
Good morning, Over the next few Sundays we are going to turn our attention to a variety of topics around immigration. Shelly’s brother Paul Neufeld Weaver, who has been active in this world for much of his career will speak to us on May the 12th, and John Powell will Read more…
Good morning, In his book, What the Robin Knows, Jon Young tells the following story about a pair of cardinals. It begins with the familiar chirp that cardinals make. We have all heard that chirp even if we were sure what it was. I first learned to associate it with Read more…
Good morning, I’m happy to report that much of this sermon was written outside in the wonderful weather of yesterday afternoon. I don’t know if that increases the authenticity of my reflections or not, but it has been great to be able to spend the last two weekends outside, although Read more…