A walk to remember
Posted inBiblical Reflection Content Society

A walk to remember

It was June 19, 1865, when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, finally heard the news that they were free. The Emancipation Proclamation had been issued more than two years earlier, in 1863, but that promise of freedom had not yet become real for many enslaved people in Texas because the message, and the enforcement of that freedom, arrived late
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What future is possible for our churches?
Posted inBiblical Reflection Content Ecclesiology

What future is possible for our churches?

...The future of Groveville and Crosswicks may very well depend on our willingness to learn how to “speak the languages” of the people around us, not merely linguistically, but spiritually, emotionally, and relationally. We are surrounded by people speaking the languages of loneliness, grief, anxiety, exhaustion, economic uncertainty, spiritual hurt, isolation, and longing for meaning
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Memories, fire of the Spirit, and hope
Posted inContent News Society

Memories, fire of the Spirit, and hope

On Memorial Weekend's Sunday, our two communities, Groveville UMC and Crosswicks UMC, shared together a beautiful and meaningful Joint Memorial & Pentecost Sunday Service. It is difficult to fully describe everything we experienced together, because every part of the morning carried its own spirit of reverence, honor, beauty, and hope.
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156 years of memory and community
Posted inContent News Society

156 years of memory and community

Despite the rain, gray skies, and even the threat of thunderstorms, this past Monday, May 245th, 2026, the Groveville-Yardville Memorial Day Parade continued once again with strength, dignity, love, and deep community spirit. For long times, this beloved tradition has carried on, becoming the oldest Memorial Day Parade in the State of New Jersey, and this year was no exception.
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We remember
Posted inContent News Society

We remember

On this Memorial Day, we come together carrying memories of sacrifice, service, courage, and love. We remember women and men who gave their lives believing that future generations might continue living in freedom and peace.
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Mom
Posted inBiblical Reflection Content Society

Mom

...However, this is not the only way the Bible speaks about motherhood. I find it very interesting that the Scriptures do not idealize it. At all.

Actually, the Bible holds space for a wide range of experiences, including those that are difficult to name.
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The strange way of Jesus | Part 2
Posted inBiblical Reflection Content Society

The strange way of Jesus | Part 2

... Some began to see the one they had called the “King of the Jews” as a disappointment. How could he ask them to forgive Rome? How could he speak of loving enemies when the people were suffering under oppression? A disappointed crowd can easily become a dangerous crowd, especially when religious leaders know how to manipulate emotions...
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I Feel Grateful
Posted inBiblical Reflection Content News

I Feel Grateful

Please, let me share with you that over the past few days I found myself looking at several posts on social media that slowly filled my heart with gratitude, hope, and even a bit of joy. They were photos of friends of mine. Clergy colleagues and lay leaders from different annual conferences, including the Greater New Jersey, who traveled to Washington, D.C. to take part in the Public Witness for Immigrant Justice organized by the United Methodist Church.
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Let me finish my prayer first
Posted inContent Society UMC

Let me finish my prayer first

In these pews (photo) happened a story that Albert Raboteau tells in his book “A Fire in the Bones,” as follows: “On a Sunday morning in 1792 or 1793, the black members of St George’s Methodist Church in Philadelphia learned to their surprise that they could not sit in the benches they normally used...
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From grief to healing: Making room for God’s new
Posted inBiblical Reflection Content Ecclesiology

From grief to healing: Making room for God’s new

There are many kinds of grief. Sometimes we grieve the absence of those we have loved, but other times the grief happens quietly inside us, in that tender place where our memories, traditions, and expectations live. In the life of a church, this kind of grief also appears when God invites us to let go of what no longer gives life so we can receive the new thing God is preparing.
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