Pastor’s Ponderings

Surprising (and somewhat troubling) words in the New Testament  (part 2) Last week, I lifted up a couple of the surprising things that Jesus says in the Gospel. When you take time to read the New Testament beyond the Gospel, you will find still more rather shocking...

Surprising (and somewhat troubling) words in the New Testament  (part 1)   When you take time to read the gospels, you will find some rather shocking things that Jesus had to say. He challenges us to live by an altogether different standard. It’s not at all...

This week, I am filling church folk in on issues in our buildings. Last Sunday was a bit warm in the building. Sometime late on Saturday (it always blows on a Saturday), a fuse on an exterior transformer blew. Potomac Edison was able to replace it by 10 a.m. on Sunday...

This month I am taking some time to look at several episodes in the life of Simon Peter. Simon Peter was among the to be called as a disciple. At times he showed genuine faith and at other moments he faltered terribly. By looking at some of the episodes in Gospels, we...

Pastor Pondering (June 18) Since at least the mid- 1980’s, Calvary Church has provided a ministry to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Frederick County. The church works with Community Living, Inc. to identify those who wish to take part...

Welcome Rev. Wilson! This Sunday we welcome Rev. Julie Wilson with us at Calvary UMC as guest and preacher for the day. She worked on staff here from 2014-2020 offering leadership in outreach and mission projects. Julie is currently a missionary with the United...

Several questions have been raised to me following recent decisions made by the United Methodist Church General Conference meeting that took place in March. People both inside and outside the church have asked me: What was decided? What will be the impact on Calvary...

Last week, the United Methodist Church held the postponed 2020 General Conference. Historic changes unfolded at this meeting that impacted the denomination in the U.S. and overseas. After decades of division over matters of human sexuality, many congregations chose to...

Oftentimes, the challenges of a big issue such as caring for the environment seem overwhelming. Where do we start? What can we do? The best thing is to start somewhere and to do what you can.   There was a recent meeting of the church “Green Team” where we...