Dear Beloved,



Many years ago, Friedens United Church of Christ became a Global Ministries Congregation. We made a commitment to remain connected and supportive of our global partners. We have done this in a variety of ways including hosting in-person and virtual visits with mission personnel and through visiting mission partners overseas. You can always read about our partners around the world and pray for them. You could also consider serving with Global Ministries in a variety of capacities. One upcoming opportunity is shared below. You don’t have to do physical exercise – you can even do a spiritual sprint (although we know the life of faith is a marathon rather than a dash 😊

Dear Beloved,

Although I’ve written to you many times about prayer, I am writing about prayer again.

Thank you for your prayers for your families, workplaces, schools, neighborhoods, cities, states, countries, continents, this world that God created and so dearly loved.

Dear Beloved,

What is your favorite story about the summer? Have you heard a helpful or uplifting story recently?

Jesus was a powerful storyteller. Stories shape us. Stories guide and inspire us. Stories correct and nourish us. This summer I’ve been thinking and giving thanks for the stories of so many – the stories of creation, the stories told by elders, the stories told by children, the stories drawn or sung or sculpted, the stories told by plants and animals, the stories danced or acted out or embodied in another way, the stories which live in our hearts and muscle memories.

Dear Beloved,

How do you like to pray? Standing, sitting, kneeling, moving….in a chair or on the floor…. out loud or in your heart…in the car or in the shower…singing or whispering…at a school desk or behind a register…with a prayer or poem written by someone known or unknown…in a lab or in a board room…with tears or with laughter….

Pentecost blessings, beloved!

I’d invite you to read the story of Pentecost in Acts 2. What an incredible day! Can you imagine the experience of being there?

Easter through Eastertide into Pentecost is my favorite time of the church year. These seasons cause me to wonder. They cause me to rejoice in the gifts of new life we receive from the Creator of the earth and the skies. They cause me to pause and confess my own sin that betrays Jesus whom I seek to follow. They encourage me to receive grace and listen for how I am being called to respond in this moment in time.

Dear Beloved,

Thank you for all your prayers and support during our time working with the Center for Congregations on the Engaging Young Adults (20-40) initiative and grant. We are extremely grateful to the young adults who have trusted us and been willing to engage and connect with us. We began the pilot program in 2019. God has seen the world through much since then. Thanks be to God for the steadfast love and faithfulness in which we can always find strength and hope in.

Eastertide prayer

Dear Beloved,

In the note that I wrote you before Holy week, I offered a prayer. Now in the liturgical (related to public worship) calendar/season of Eastertide, I offer you this prayer. May you know you are not alone. You are loved. You are prayed for.

Dear Beloved,

Do you remember the first profession you imagined being when you were little? From age five until Advance Unified Math my junior year in high school, I wanted to be a school psychologist. While my professional plan changed, my commitment to mental health didn’t. During college, I was blessed to do internships at a residential facility for girls in really difficult situations in Buckhead, KY, a dual diagnosis program at a shelter for men who were unhoused in Lexington, and a psychiatric unit at Butler Hospital in Providence, RI. In college and throughout my adult life, I have also benefited from support from professional counselors. I am deeply supportive of talking about our mental health needs just like our physical, spiritual, emotional, and relational needs. It is a blessing that our denomination of the United Church of Christ and our Indiana-Conference care about the mental and emotional well-being.

Dear Beloved,

You are a blessing and you are blessed by the Maker of the heavens and earth whose compassion knows no bounds. May you feel God’s grace holding you and encouraging you.

This year, Holy Week leaves me without words… I want to paint you pictures instead, but I am not an artist. I want to sing you songs instead, but I am not a musician. I am grateful for all the artists and musicians who offer God’s gifts of creativity to us!

Dear Beloved,

Thank you for your prayers for children and teens near and far. We are approaching a special time in the life of the congregation – the time when we will be part of the rite of confirmation with the students who have participated in the confirmation journey during the school year. This year is extra special because the students who were not able to be confirmed during the sheltering-in-place time, will also be confirmed.