Pastor’s Ponderings

The Calvary Weekday School is back in session. I hear the children playing on the playground just outside the Baker Center each morning. If you come to the Church on Sunday morning, you might not know about the church's excellent program for children and families in...

Here is a list of specific and practical things we can do to care for creation. This comes from Mike Koob, a member of Middletown United Methodist Church and Global Ministries Earthkeeper. This is intended to get us thinking about how we can respond to the growing...

I made a trip down to Washington, D.C. this morning to be present for the installation of Dr. Carla Works, as the new Dean of Wesley Theological Seminary today. The installation took place in the Oxnam Chapel on the seminary grounds. Wesley President David...

It was great to bless the backpacks on Sunday and say a prayer over students and teachers going back to start a new year of school. It was also a wonderful time to recognize and the member and friends of the congregation that are 90 + years of age.   To celebrate...

I lost an aunt this past May. She was my mother’s only sister. That leaves me with only one other living relative in my parent’s generation. This prompted Wanda and I to take a trip at the beginning of August to Indiana, where one of my cousins and his family live. My...

One of the best signs of health and vitality in any organization is when there is a ongoing flow of new people wishing to join. We have had several people join the congregation already in 2023 and others are likely to join in the coming months. Clearly, this...

I recently came across a prayer written by Sue Ellen Herne, a member of the Mohawk tribe. It is found in The United Methodist Book of Worship (#558).  In this summer of record-breaking heat and wildfires across North America and Europe I found this a helpful prayer to...

This year I am an astronaut. Last year a train conductor. Over the past few years, I have been a mad scientist, a surfer, a safari guide, Professor Dumbledore and Hagrid (from the Harry Potter books), and a deserted island castaway. When Vacation Bible School comes...

Last week was rather startling, wasn’t it? For three days, the sun turned brown, outdoor activities were canceled and hazy hung in the air.   I remember the reports of the tremendous bush fires that burned in Australia in 2019 and 2020. The fires burnt an...

  The Baltimore-Washington Conference met last week in person for the first time since May 2019. Everyone I recognized seemed slightly older and perhaps wiser than the last time I had seen them.     The session included times of worship and celebration....