Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, we begin a sprint to Christmas. Here are a few things I am really looking forward to this season. The Celebration of Advent My very favorite liturgical season is Advent. Beginning with a focus on Christ’s coming at the end of time, the season eventually turns our attention to […]
Once a year, and only once a year, we take a weekend to reflect on our financial commitment to our local parish church. The following are 5 practices we’ve found helpful in hosting a successful stewardship program, i.e., one that receives a positive response and solid commitments for giving. ONE: Our Stewardship Sunday is a […]
This week I had the opportunity to meet with our Greeter Ministry. Below are my remarks: We serve at a very critical time in the life of the Church. A time in which it’s easy to be disheartened and disillusioned, and, as a consequence, disengaged. It is rather like a systems wide implosion going on […]
This week we celebrate Halloween (not to mention All Saints Day) as well as the end of Daylight Savings Time. They all always seem to mark the end of the first half of fall. And what a first half it has been. Our annual kick-off weekend was festive and fun, though intentionally muted in view […]
You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1.8 It is no secret that many churches these days are closing. There are lots of reasons why, but here’s a reason not often discussed: missions. Or rather how their lack of mission is a contributing […]
This week we invite you and your family to sign up to serve on Christmas Eve at the Fairgrounds. I know it seems far away but it will be here before you know it. Besides, if we wait till after Thanksgiving a lot of people have already made their Christmas plans and even if they […]
Church health and growth are dependent on many factors, for sure. But bottom line, at the end of the day, churches don’t grow because they’re not healthy. And they’re not healthy because they’re focused on themselves. For all the talk about evangelization these days, the truth is that many churches remain resolutely focused on themselves, […]
All of us, in our different ways, have struggled, and continue to struggle with the alarming and terrible news, currently coming at us on a daily basis regarding the larger Church community. My own statement, posted below, sums up much of my initial reaction, but more needs to be said. The blockbuster denunciation of the […]
The terrible news out of Pennsylvania this week brought revelations that our own former Archbishop was found by a Grand Jury to be criminally negligent. This, following revelations earlier this summer of multiple, credible charges of child abuse by the former Archbishop of Washington. Nativity stands in unity with Archbishop Lori and his official statement. […]
Here at Nativity, we’re currently immersed in one of our sacred summer rituals: housecleaning and reorganization. Over the years, we have worked to reduce the amount of storage onsite and move seasonal and long term storage off site. Each summer, we unpack these areas, reassess their contents, and get rid of anything that is outdated, […]
