Pastor's Page

“So again, Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” John 10:7-11 NRSV  

As we begin the month of April with all of the freshness of Spring and what feels like a relaxation of the anxieties around COVID-19 and the isolation that we have endured for the last year, we celebrate what are arguably the highest holy days of the Christian Calendar – the Passion of our Lord in Holy Week and his Resurrection on Easter.

Congregational Care & Family Ministries

April 2021   
We shout Alleluia! Christ is Risen, He is Risen Indeed! But it began in the dim light and uncertainty. A grieving Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been rolled away. But she didn’t run singing “Alleluia!”, she came running to the disciples claiming that someone had taken their LORD away. How do we respond to stones that have been put in place – and those that have been rolled away?
Throughout our Lenten journey, we have been looking at ten objects in plain sight, using Jill J. Duffield’s devotional, Lent in Plain Sight (2020, Westminster John Knox Press). Every week, I offer an online reflection from the book. The Holy Week reflection (Coats, Towels and Thorns in Plain Sight) will appear on Wednesday, March 31. The Easter reflection (Stone in Plain Sight) will appear on Thursday, April 8. The series of videos are available on our Facebook page.

UNYC Director of Stewardship

Rev. Susan M. Ranous, Deacon of Stewardship (updated 01-27-21) 
There is good news! We just celebrated Jesus’ birth, and in our lectionary, Jesus’ baptism was just celebrated as he readies himself for his ministry. It’s going to be an exciting three years for Jesus and his disciples, and an exciting few months as we ready ourselves for Lent and to celebrate Easter! 
            Just the other day, I was reading a few lines from an article online that had a title of “good news.” I talked to Steve about it, he talked to me about the article about happy times[1]. I looked at him questioningly for a few moments before I figured out that the article’s “good news” had become “happy times.” 

Eureka! Book Club

Our meeting is via zoom on Tuesday, April 27 at 6:30 p.m.   
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate, Ballantine Books Penguin Random House, New York, New York, 2017 
From Amazon.com: A novel based in Memphis, 1939. 
Based on one of America’s most notorious real-life scandals—in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country—Lisa Wingate’s riveting, wrenching, and ultimately uplifting tale reminds us how, even though the paths we take can lead to many places, the heart never forgets where we belong.

Celebrate St. George's Day-Blessing of the Sheep & Farm

Join us Sunday, April 25 at 2:00 p.m. for the Blessing of the Farm Animals at Linda Miller’s Rainbow Acre Fiber Farm, 8487 Dunham Road, Baldwinsville, New York 13027. 
If you have any questions, please see Linda Miller or Pastor Jeff.  (You are welcome to bring your pets or small farm animals)

Notice: Rummage Sale

Due to Covid, we will stay on the safe side of life and plan on our Fall Rummage Sale.
Please save your items for our big October Rummage Sale.
Thank you, co-chairs Dave Horan and Mickie Lorenz