Beverly is on vacation this week, but will be returning for her regular office hours (T/Th 10-2) at the church next week on 9/8. She will also be available via e-mail on W/F.

It’s coming! The Fair is on September 19th from 10-3 PM. Please save the date to your calendar and let Michael Keimig ([email protected]) know where you can volunteer. 

If you have items for the auction or would like to help with gift cards or preparation, please email Christine Bemko ([email protected])

Below, please find a list of supplies/food that can be donated. Contact Rich Keen for more details.

Join us for worship this Sunday as we give thanks together for Pastor Shepherd’s ministry at Union, and say farewell to him and his family. The service will include a visit from our Area Conference Minister, Rev. Katie Omberg, as well as the dedication of the new pew bibles. We will also celebrate the sacrament of communion.

Sunday’s sermon will be part 2 of Pastor Shepherd’s series on the end of the Apostle Paul’s journey, as told in the book of Acts. Drawn from the thrilling story of a shipwreck off the coast of Malta, this message, entitled “Saved by Broken Pieces,” will be Pastor Shepherd’s last sermon at Union. You won’t want to miss it!

It’s funny what you find when you’re cleaning out an office…or a computer.

Last week, I found baptismal certificates that had never made it to the mailbox. It felt wonderful to ensure that these precious remembrances are on their way home.

This week, I cleared the hard drive of my work computer, backing up important files to share with the church. Like browsing through the file cabinets in our church’s historian’s closet, my computer was jam packed with memory-evoking images, words, and videos. Nearly 350 sermons, and liturgy to accompany them; every graphic/logo/Facebook picture that was (or wasn’t) posted; materials from retreats, Sunday school lessons, discussion of changes to the bylaws: it was all there.

But what got me most were the videos. There were the video messages recorded in spring 2020 during COVID. I was especially teary seeing the “children’s messages” I recorded with Brady and Jett when they were just 5 and 2. Then there were other clips—clips of worship services, of choral anthems and solos. The one that got me most, though, was this video, which still lives on the church’s social media profiles:

I’m not crying—you’re crying! 😭😭😭

Not only did this video call to mind those beloved friends and members of this church who are no longer with us, or the difficulties and stresses of that strange pandemic season, but it reminded me of what is so precious about this church: that, even in a pandemic, we stayed together, kept on worshiping, making beautiful music with our choir, Jim, and with our guest soloists—we kept on being faithful to Jesus’s commandment to love God and love neighbor. Every time I’ve heard the choir sing this anthem since, it has overwhelmed me with the power of the Holy Spirit. It always brings tears to my eyes. How beautiful, indeed, is this Body of Christ we call Union Congregational.

I had a chance to sit down with Nancy, Judy, and Rich (by phone) yesterday to conduct my exit interview. It was a chance to reflect on all of the ways I’ve been supported by this congregation over the years, and also what I have been able to do here, and what remains undone. I’ve learned many “life lessons” and ministry lessons here; as I put it to them, I learned that ministry means everything from holding the hands of the dying, to speaking the Word of God in the pulpit, to praying with the desperate and vulnerable, to making a fool of yourself during children’s messages, to reaching tall places and lifting heavy things!

In the end, it is profound grief and gratitude that I feel about leaving my pastorate here at Union. I know that God has much in store for me, but I also know that God’s presence and love will abide in this place. The church is not a pastor; it is a people. And the people of Union are truly a family of faith. And though pastoral relationships end, friendships do not—we hope to remain friends as we continue down the road on life’s journey.

I know that the timing of my departure is not ideal (Labor day weekend? Really?!), and for that I am sorry. So I wanted to share with you all, whether I have a chance to do so again this Sunday or not, a heartfelt thank you and goodbye, from me, Whitney, and our boys.

May God’s grace and peace abide with you all—both this day and forevermore!

Pastor Shepherd

This week, as a community of faith, we pray…