Two years ago, I was invited up to St. Johns to join Kate Common and around twenty pastors and theologians to begin develop resources for this new liturgical season we call the Season of Origins.

We gathered to write...

In the fall of 1973, 6 year old Phyllis Webstad’s grandmother bought her a bright, shiny, brand new orange shirt ( https://orangeshirtday.org/about/phyllis-story/ ) . She has no idea where her grandmother found the money, poor as they were, but she does know that her grandmother wanted to send her off to the residential school for indigenous children with a tangible sign that she was loved and that she mattered.

“It had string laced up in front, and was so bright and exciting – just like I felt to be going to school!,” said Phyllis. She was ...

Somewhere in the British Museum there is a clay artifact that many regard as the first declaration of human rights. Known as the Cyrus Cylinder, this ancient clay document was crafted in Iran more than 2400 years ago.

It is inscribed with a text that praises the Persian King Cyrus and tells the story of ...

I have a lot of proclivities that make me well suited for ministry, but I have at least one major flaw: I am not a meeting person. I’m just not. Meetings make me anxious about time - my time and the time of others. The mere idea of a meeting makes me feel a little trapped and claustrophobic.

Some people love meetings - especially big ones - and the ...

We worshipped with the Southern New England United Church of Christ this morning and had the blessing of hearing from the Rev. Raphael Warnock.

I really love Noah Kahan, or, as Siri calls him, Noah Ka Han. Any other fans in the house? I haven’t always been one. Frankly, I couldn’t tell his early stuff on “Busy Head” from the vocals of Jason Mraz, which is not a compliment. He wasn’t even on my radar till “Stick Season.” But when “The Great Divide” came out this Spring ...

Alright, I think it is safe to say that our Gospel reading for today was not chosen by monks back in the 8th century in an effort to make my job any easier. Which is to say, nobody picked today’s scripture with an eye toward welcoming everyone back to church after summer vacation so we could get this year started off right.

I can assure you that ...

Today's sermon was given by the Rev. Chris Mereschuck.

Here’s to the bridge-builders, the hand-holders, the light-bringers, those extraordinary souls wrapped in ordinary lives who quietly weave threads of humanity into an inhumane world. They are the unsung heroes in a world at war with itself. They are the whisperers of hope that peace is possible. Look for them in this present darkness. Light your candle with their flame. And then go. Build bridges. Hold hands. Bring light to a dark and desperate world. Be the hero you are looking for. Peace is possible. It begins with us. ~ L.R. Knots


We lost a singular person this week in Dolly Parton, and you could feel it. I don’t know what you all saw on television, but across social media I saw pictures of churches, buildings, and bridges lit up in pink and purple, and pride flags flown at half mast. I knew...

As we move into the book of Exodus, we are beginning to emerge from the mythic storytelling of Genesis into something closer to historical record. But for the sake of transparency, you need to know that we’re not really there yet. For instance, we have no extra-biblical evidence that Moses existed. I’m not saying he didn’t exist. I’m just saying that there is no reliable historical record that goes back that far, so it makes sense to approach the Exodus stories more like legends.

If this were an historical account, we would know that ...

(Today's worship was truly powerful from start to finish, but kudos to Kimaya Diggs for her powerful singing. Read on for Sarah's sermon or click on the right to watch the service. ).

Alright, my friends, I am back which means that the summer of 2026 is slowly but surely winding down. But what a summer it has been. I hope you’ve had some time to rest amidst all the wildfire smoke, the extreme heat, and the explosive…cyclospora.

(Lettuce, man…who knew?)

I hope you all know who Jimothy is…

Hiding in a cave-like crevice on Mt. Horeb, Elijah trembles. Around him the earth shakes as boulders fall, sparking fire that is whipped up by a great wind. All of Elijah’s senses are assaulted: dust and smoke fill his eyes and throat with soot, crashing rock and trees felled by wind reverberate their sounds in the mountain. Stinging winds and heat and debris pepper his body as he tries to shelter himself. All he can see around him is the earth in chaos. Earthquake, wind, fire. What was he doing there?

About today’s guest minister: The Rev. Joanne M. Graves (pronouns she/her) is a familiar face to First Churches. A member since 2005, she sings in the choir and serves on the Member Care Committee. An authorized minister in the UCC, she has served churches in Hampshire and Franklin Counties since her ordination in 1995. She does homecare with elders, is an occasional guest preacher as well as a comedic and sacred storyteller; sometimes both at the same time! Her next story is at the Wendell Meeting House (wendellmeetinghouse.org) on August 15 and 16, as part of the Stories of Franklin County series.