We can all feel overwhelmed sometimes. It’s not a good feeling. We feel like we are trapped and as if we have no room to move. When we feel overwhelmed we often can shut down and do nothing which is very counterproductive and can make us feel more overwhelmed. It can become a vicious cycle. When […]
Category: Communication
Nativity Staff 2024-2025 Here at Nativity, we measure our years from Labor Day to Memorial Day. Within that time frame, we also mark major weekends or seasons that correspond to the Church’s Liturgical year and our parish’s strategic initiatives for the year. Here’s how the coming year is shaping up. Kick Off Weekend | September 7 […]
In our walk of faith, it’s natural to encounter moments of doubt. Doubt can arise from various sources and it can often leave us feeling unsettled and uncertain. However, as followers of Christ, we’re called to navigate these doubts with faith and courage, trusting in the promises of God’s word even in the midst of […]
It wasn’t so very long ago that your church’s front door was … your front door. It was how newcomers and visitors (and everyone else) came to you. The values held by growing churches were accessibility and hospitality, making sure those joining you could easily get in and feel welcome. About a dozen years ago […]
As we wrap up our annual summer clean-out of the parish, please enjoy a classic post: Often, parish leaders have a major weakness when it comes to keeping their church campus and space attractive for guests. It’s the same problem you have with your house: when you spend so much time in a place, you […]
The past two years have brought us all historic and largely unfortunate events and new realities: COVID-19, Black Lives Matter, escalating urban violence, a contentious and contested presidential election, deepening partisan divisions, economic instability, weather-related calamities, and now the tragedy in Ukraine. And, given cable news and social media, we are more aware of these […]
At Nativity, we preach in “series”, using Scripture to explore inspiring and life-changing themes over multiple weeks. This is a practice that we originally adopted from our Evangelical friends but one that is right at home in the cycle of the Lectionary and the seasons of the Liturgy. This week we kick off our last […]
Every year, and only once a year, we take a whole weekend to invite parishioners to consider getting up out of the pew (or off their sofa at home) and start serving in one of our parish ministries. We call it ministry “push” weekend. Each of our ministries serves an important function in the mission […]
This year’s election has felt increasingly like a contest not so much of two politicians or parties but of competing visions for the future of the country. In each case, the other side is represented as an existential threat, a radical departure from life as we know it, and a sure step towards a bleak […]
In a crisis, the easiest response is to go with what you know. But the problem with the COVID-19 crisis is that some of the very things we were most comfortable with in parish life are the very things that we are now restricted from doing. COVID-19 is like a big reset button on everything […]
