Pastor’s Message: Sept. 29, 2023

A MESSAGE FROM THE REV. J.C. AUSTIN: GETTING THE BASICS There’s an old story about multiple generations of a family gathered around the Thanksgiving table discussing what they are most thankful for, and one of the adults asks, “What modern convenience are you most...

An Off-Road Faith: Learning Anger’s Real Name

“Don’t make me angry. You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.” Every good superhero has at least one signature catchphrase. Batman’s “I’m Batman,” is about as simple as you can get, but it’s surprisingly effective at intimidating bad guys who are desperately hoping they...

Pastor’s Message: Sept. 22, 2023

A MESSAGE FROM THE REV. J.C. AUSTIN: IMPORTANT CONVERSATIONS As we hope you know, the Session and Trustees began an intensive season of mission discernment for our congregation with a joint retreat about ten months ago. That retreat focused on examining the kinds of...

An Off-Road Faith: The Riskiest Thing You Can Do

Rusty stood glowering at my brother and sister-in-law across the yard. It was a bright, sunny day in Kentucky where they had driven from Atlanta to visit a breeder of Great Danes that they had connected with online. When my brother Gill married Annie, it wasn’t in...

Pastor’s Message: Sept. 15, 2023

A MESSAGE FROM THE REV. J.C. AUSTIN: GOOD ENOUGH Kate Bowler is a professor of the history of North American Christianity at Duke Divinity School, having studied at both Duke and Yale University first. She is a person, in other words, of considerable accomplishment,...