Dear Friends, One of the things I appreciate about the summer break from sermon preparation is the opportunity to read things that have nothing to do with work. Of course everything connects and even a fiction book brings ideas worth pulpit time.

Dear Friends, As I prepare to drive north, to Maine, to open my little cabin at Old Orchard Beach, words from William Butler Yeats’ The Lake Isle of Innisfree feel appropriate:

Dear Friends, As I pause to look behind at the church year that is coming to a close, lines from Whitman come to mind: “Now understand me well: it is provided in the essence of things that from any fruition of success, no matter what, comes forth something to make even greater struggle necessary.”

Dear Friends, Dorothy Bryce died last week. She was 85. Though she was a member of Saugatuck Church for the last 27 years, she had deep roots here, not only because her husband, Ed, was an active member, but because she had so many good friends here.  She told me that she had indicated in […]

Dear Friends, The college whirlwind is over! Carlyn was accepted for admission to Cleveland Institute of Music where she will continue her work with the cello. She’s an accomplished cellist and is excited to be going to CIM – it’s a leading international conservatory – 80% of The Institute’s alumni perform in major national and […]

Dear Friends, Yesterday my son Jonathan and I drove from Westport to my daughter Sue’s home in Carlisle, Ma and from there the three of us drove to Nahant, Ma to meet up with Dick Drinon’s daughter, Sarah and her significant other, Peter.

Dear Friends, Whitman’s signature poem, Song of Myself, begins: “I celebrate myself and sing myself, and what I assume you shall assume, for every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.”

Dear Friends, Why, it was wonderful!  Why, all at once there were leaves, Leaves at the end of a dry stick, small, alive Leaves out of wood.  It was wonderful, You can’t imagine.  They came by the wood path… Well, it was like a dream, It happened so quickly, all of a sudden it happened— […]

Dear Friends, “From moment to moment, from day to day, we search the eyes of others for that certain Yes!”

Dear Friends, Thirty-four of our youth and adults ventured to New Orleans to help with the work of rebuilding and to provide moral support to folks who feel abandoned and alone in their ongoing time of need. At our services last Sunday each of them shared a personal story to illustrate the meanings that emerged […]