Man and woman in front of small plane.

Maintaining Our Lifelines to Home

By Jeanne and Tom Lounsbury
We like to travel. We like to travel a lot in retirement. Travel and volunteering have been our biggest focuses since we retired. Staying connected with First Congregational Church has been an interesting and integral part of keeping our Colorado connections active.

Small wagon full of food with two men over it

Finding Sustenance in Community

By Keith Lance and John Bisceglia
Thanksgiving. Advent. Christmas. New Year’s Eve. Epiphany. And MLK Day. All of the seasonal holidays that mark the close of one year and the beginning of another have one thing in common – they are essentially communal.

A woman talking with a man over coffee

Angels for Each Other

By Ed Hall
Stewardship provides the opportunity to show our gratitude for the blessings and gifts we have received. In these uncertain times, the values of community cannot be minimized. Maintaining a vibrant community where empathy and compassion abound is necessary.

Birds rising up from the ground on a white background

Rise Up

By Amy Voida
My daughter, Natalie, and I went to see the musical Hamilton last summer. What a powerful story about one of the most brilliant architects of our democracy… who also happened to be an immigrant. Of all the amazing adventures our family had together in London, seeing Hamilton might have been the most anticipated of all!

Shepherds with sheep looking at the new born Jesus

Love Knows Your Name

By Bob von Trebra
Merry Christmas! In the traditional calendar of the Western Christian Church, Christmas Day is not the end of the Christmas season, but the beginning of the season which lasts for twelve days – until Epiphany on January 6.

Hope, Risk and Trust

By Scott Allman
Hope, Risk, and Trust combine for the hearty wintertime celebration of Advent. We could look at the ingredients one at a time or start with the end in mind. As we prepare our hearts and minds for the celebration of Advent, we’ll do a pinch of both. 

A lonely person walking through a tunnel

Loneliness Personified

By Nancy Wade
Back in April of 2018, I attended the Conference of World Affairs held annually at the University of Colorado campus. This popular and much-anticipated week seems to attract more community members than students. The panel discussions and lectures that year were both thought-provoking and entertaining.

Man giving a blessing to a women in front of a hut

You Are a Blessing

By Bob von Trebra
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”

Gratitude as a Tool for Living

By Stephanie Angell
I first learned about a gratitude list when I got into recovery from alcoholism. It’s a common tool we use to center ourselves with our Higher Power and to let go of not only our self-will but our notion of control over other people, places, or things.

Chance or Divine Guidance

By Bob Matthias
This summer, fellow church member and friend Steve Hultgren and I rode the Mickelson Trail, a 109-mile gravel, rail-to-trail in the western part of the Black Hills in South Dakota on self-powered bikes. We split the ride into three days and had our bags shuttled to each next hotel…