Pastor’s Ponderings

The General Conference of the United Methodist Church met in the Spring of 2024, and many significant decisions were made. Up until this time, the official position of the denomination was that the practice of homosexuality was “incompatible with Christian teaching.” ...

I hope you are enjoying the snow. It is rather beautiful to see.   The Bible study group that meets on Tuesday mornings will start a new study next week on the Book of Psalms. I thought I would share a bit about the Book here as well.   Most of the Bible is...

Christmas is always such a busy and wondrous time. It is great to see so many people take part in the worship services and the candlelight tour of churches. On Christmas Eve, I was so grateful for the music offered by Joyce Summers, Ann Thompson and Karen Gebhart as...

I recently found myself sitting in one of the pews in the sanctuary. I noticed that the cover on the Bible in the pew rack was a bit torn. I pulled it out and saw that the pages were faded and difficult to read. That particular Bible was printed in 1972, and a little...

The Baltimore-Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church has begun a process of restructuring that will impact 563 congregations across Maryland, The District of Columbia, and parts of West Virginia. This will include Calvary United Methodist Church. The...

Thursday is Thanksgiving Day, an occasion for giving thanks, eating food, watching football, and sharing at the table with friends and family. Here is a prayer that could be used at the dinner table.  A Thanksgiving Prayer: We Choose Gratitude Adapted from Grateful:...

In Luke 6: 29, Jesus says something extraordinary. He says, if someone slaps you on the check, you are to turn to them and offer the other check. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt as well. And if anyone takes away something that belongs to you, do...

A little over a month ago, I went to visit Rev. Carroll Doggett. He was weak and needing more care, but still alert and he had much on his mind. He wanted to know about Calvary Church and the people here. He asked about my family and my health. And we spend some time...

So today is a big day. People are going to polling places and votes are being tabulated for the presidential election as well as Senate, seats in the House of Representatives, Boards of Education and local referenda.  It’s been a fractious and dizzying election...

Over the last several weeks we have looked at the various parts that make up the Sunday worship service. The last part of the service is often called Sending Forth.   The Sending Forth is a series of actions in which the congregation stands and is sent forth to...