Sunday, February 1, 2026

Dear Talmadge Hill Family,

Thank you for the incredible flexibility you showed this past week as we navigated the historic snowstorm. I was deeply moved to hear how so many of you reached out to neighbors and fellow parishioners to offer support and build community during the winter weather. It was also encouraging to join in worship for an intimate and moving Zoom worship service.

This coming Sunday, February 1, we look forward to gathering in person to commission our Transition Committee—Beth Horan, Peter Kircher, Lisa Michalski, and Betsy Wilson—as they guide us in discerning who we are becoming. Our scripture will be 1 Samuel 9, and my sermon, "The Grace of the Holy Detour," will explore how God often uses the mundane of the everyday, the joys and frustrations, to lead us toward unexpected grace as we live into the future.

A special note for our Hospitality hour: Eric Remole has shared that he and Jenny will be bringing Sticky Buns, among other treats! As many of you know, the presence of these Sticky Buns has been rumored to significantly boost church attendance in the past, so you won’t want to miss out.

Please note that we now stream worship live on YouTube and that you can also stream the service on demand during the week from Talmadge Hill’s YouTube channel. Immediately following the service, please stay for an informal gathering and information session. For those unable to attend in person, the session will be available on Zoom as a webinar so you can join the conversation directly after worship.

Remember, by showing up, you make a profound difference; your presence, your stories, and your voice are what weave our collective narrative together. I am so grateful to be on this journey with you and look forward to seeing your faces this Sunday.

Mooi Loop,

Dries

Sunday, January 25, 2026

Dear Talmadge Hill Family,

This weekend, I am inviting you to stay warm and stay safe. As a frigid weather system and a possible snowstorm approach this Sunday, let’s make it our priority to check on our homebound members and neighbors. Please reach out to ensure everyone is warm and has electricity.

Service Updates

• Commissioning Service: Due to the weather forecast, we are postponing the Transition Team’s Commissioning Service to Sunday, February 1.

• Sunday Worship: We still plan to gather for worship this Sunday at 10:00 AM. We will monitor road conditions closely and share any further updates via email.

Join Us Online

We are now live-streaming our services on YouTube! While we are still ironing out a few small technical challenges, this is a wonderful opportunity to worship with us live from our Sanctuary in the comfort of your home. You can join the service in real time or stream it on demand at any time during the week via our YouTube archives; please visit our YouTube channel here.

This Sunday: Seeking Refuge, Finding Companions

In worship this Sunday, we will reflect on Matthew 4:12-23 in a sermon entitled, "Seeking Refuge, Finding Companions."

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. Before beginning his public ministry—before calling anyone to follow him—he needed space. He needed to retreat to safer ground to process what had happened to his friend and colleague.

This Sunday, we explore what it means to honor the rhythms that sustain us rather than deplete us. In a culture that celebrates constant motion and treats rest as laziness, Jesus models something radically different: he withdraws, he gathers companions, and only then does he begin the demanding work of ministry.

As a congregation in transition, we are learning what it means to resist the pressure to rush toward answers. We are discovering that "liminal spaces" are not problems to solve, but sacred thresholds to cross with intention. Join us as we reflect on how Jesus' example invites us into patient listening, communal discernment, and trust that the God who has sustained Talmadge Hill in the past continues to guide us forward. Please see the "Questions and Answers" from our Talmadge Hill Transition Committee included below.

Whether online or in person, know that your presence makes a difference.

Mooi Loop,

Dries

Sunday, January 18, 2026

Dear Talmadge Hill Family,

Your "next chapter" during this transitional time at Talmadge Hill is off to a wonderful start.

The first meeting of our Transition Committee was a powerful affirmation that this is exactly the community of faith I wanted to serve. Sitting with Beth Horan, Peter Kircher, Lisa Michalski, and Betsy Wilson around a dinner table was profoundly sacred. By offering her hospitality, Lisa created a space of openness, vulnerability, and curiosity.

In that space, the committee outlined our upcoming congregational conversations with a deep desire to serve. They hold a profound reverence for the past, yet see it as a vital building block—a gateway for a church that is blossoming and growing into its future. Please join us for an Information Session on Sunday, January 25, after worship, where we will discuss the transition process and answer questions.

This Sunday, January 18, we gather to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and continue Talmadge Hill’s commitment to "Building Beloved Communities." Our worship will center on Jesus’s challenging words from Matthew 5: "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

During this interim time, we are unpacking the core values of Talmadge Hill—our commitments to radical hospitality, intentional spiritual growth, and the work of justice and transformation. Dr. King taught us that building the "Beloved Community" requires more than condemning external evils; it demands the harder, more vulnerable work of examining what lives within us—the fears, prejudices, and assumptions we carry, often unknowingly.

In my sermon, "The Work Within," I will share a personal story about discovering how my own fears surfaced in an unexpected and painful way, even years after leaving South Africa and adopting my sons from Ethiopia.

I am looking forward to seeing you in worship this Sunday!

Mooi Loop,

Dries

Sunday, January 11, 2026

Dear Talmadge Hill Family,

The New Year begins with excitement as we announce our Transition Team. Led by Chair Lisa Michalski, the team will be formally commissioned during worship on Sunday, January 25.

This Sunday, as we observe the Baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3:13-17), we explore what it means to wade into our own transition with open hearts. Like Jesus at the Jordan, we are invited to listen for God's voice in the current—not to be defined by the unknown, but to reclaim our "hidden wholeness" as a community. Our transition work is a discernment process, not a "fix-it" project. It is an opportunity to tell our full story, carrying forward the wisdom we have already gained from years of diligent work.

In the months ahead, we will create the structure to listen together:

To our past: Who have we been?

To our present: Who are we now, and what does our world look like today?

To our future: Who is God calling us to become?

As we step into this river, we do so with the confidence of a community that already knows its name. Join us this Sunday as we mark this pivotal point in our journey together and reclaim the belovedness at the heart of Talmadge Hill.

I am looking forward to seeing you in worship.

Mooi Loop,

Dries

Wednesday, December 31, 2025

Dear Talmadge Hill Family,

As we stand at the threshold of 2026, I find myself noticing the swirl of emotions that a new year can bring. For some of us, it feels like a deep breath, a gentle invitation to begin again. For others, there may be a quiet heaviness, the ache of uncertainty or the shadows of what we have just walked through. However you arrive in this first week of January, please know that you are welcome here, with all that you carry. There is room for your hope, your questions, your weariness, and your wonder.

Even as the world rushes ahead, we are still held in the gentle embrace of the Christmas season. This sacred time lingers with us, culminating this Sunday as we gather for Epiphany. Together, we mark the close of these twelve days and prepare our hearts to turn toward the story of Jesus’ baptism next week.

The Wisdom of the Outsiders

This Sunday, we turn our hearts to Matthew’s account of the Magi (Matthew 2:1-12). These foreign astrologers were outsiders, excluded from traditional Temple worship, yet they were the very first to recognize God’s presence in the world.

Their journey was anything but certain. They made their way through Herod’s dangerous kingdom, guided not by a roadmap but by a light and a sense of wonder. All they had was the courage to trust what they sensed and the hope that something holy awaited them.

The Brazilian theologian Rubem Alves beautifully captures this spirit:

"Hope is hearing the melody of the future, and faith is dancing to that melody in the here and now."

In this in-between season of our life together, I find myself looking to the Magi as companions on the journey. They remind me that faith rarely means having everything figured out before we begin. Instead, it is the quiet courage to follow the light we have, to trust the dreams that stir in us, and to keep moving to hope’s melody even when the way ahead is still hidden.

Community Notes & Schedule Reminders

Because of our New Year celebrations, this edition of the Happenings newsletter comes to you on a slightly different schedule. I want to make sure you have the details for when our mid-week gatherings will begin again:

• Contemplative Prayer in Community: We will gather again on Wednesday, January 7, from 5:00–6:00 PM on Zoom to find stillness together.

• Bible Study: Our weekly study resumes on Thursday, January 8, from 9:30–11:00 AM. You are welcome to join us either in person or via Zoom.

I am looking forward to gathering with you this Sunday as we celebrate the light that shines in the darkness, a light that no darkness can overcome.

Wishing you and those you love a gentle and hope-filled New Year.

Mooi Loop,

Dries