Sunday, November 30, 2025

Dear Talmadge Hill Family,

Insisting on hope and confronting fear this Advent: A journey of faith and reflection for our community.

As we gather with gratitude this Thanksgiving weekend and prepare to enter Advent, I find myself both eager and humbled by the theme we'll explore together: What Do You Fear? Insisting On Hope This Advent. Being a pastor is a continued journey into authenticity through the vulnerable work of reflecting on our lives. I'm struggling with my own fears that have intimately and directly impacted most of my life's decisions.

What if our deepest fears aren't just feelings but the beliefs that shape our lives and call us to active hope?

Here at Talmadge Hill, we are insisting on hope—not as passive recipients of the future, but as active participants in its cultivation, inspired by Luke's Gospel and the courage of those who faced fears with resilience.

December Worship at a Glance:

November 30 (First Sunday of Advent): In the Time of Herod, We Long for God to Break In

Like Zechariah and Elizabeth, we name our longings and trust that God hears us even in our waiting. What are we afraid to hope for?

December 7 (Second Sunday of Advent): Celebrating 30 Years with Rob Silvan

When We're Running Out of Hope, God Is at Work. We celebrate how God has been at work through Rob's 30 years of faithful service—music that reminds us, God is present even when hope feels scarce.

December 14 (Third Sunday of Advent): Even in Our Fear, We Are Called Forward

Like Mary receiving impossible news, we learn that fear and faith can coexist as we step into God's invitation.

December 21 (Fourth Sunday of Advent): When You're Afraid, Give Me Your Hand

Featuring our beloved Innkeeper tradition—a story of transcendence, hope, and making room.

December 24 (Christmas Eve at 5 pm & 9 pm): Good News - A Service of Carols and Alternative Lessons

Like the shepherds moving from terror to wonder, we proclaim: good news is louder than fear. Bring your family, your friends, your questions—all are welcome.

December 28: First Sunday of Christmas

The Rev. Dr. Cheryl L. Bundy is preaching

January 4 (Epiphany): Fear Doesn't Stop Us

Like the magi who crossed boundaries and resisted empire, we discover that fear can be the beginning of faithful courage.

I am looking forward to journeying with you through the season of Advent!

Mooi Loop,

Dries

Sunday, November 23, 2025

Dear Talmadge Hill Family, 

This Sunday, November 24th, is Pledge Sunday—a significant moment when we, as a cherished community, reflect on our commitment to the work God is calling us to do together. Your presence and participation are invaluable. We invite you to bring your pledge card to worship on Sunday. In addition, as you enter worship, you'll receive an index card with a different kind of invitation. We are asking you to expand the definition of pledging beyond finances and share one way you are committing yourself to your Talmadge Hill family this coming year. 

Before Pledge Sunday arrives, I want to extend a personal invitation to join me this Saturday, November 22nd, from 4:30 to 6:00 PM for our Pre-Holiday Happy Hour at the church. It's potluck style—bring something to share if you can—and come to connect  and relax before the busy season begins. 

Sunday also marks the 100th anniversary of Christ the King/Reign of Christ Sunday, a significant milestone in our church's history. This feast day was established in 1925 by Pope Pius XI as a prophetic witness against the rising tide of fascism in Europe. In the face of Mussolini's totalitarian regime and Hitler's resurgent Nazi Party, the Pope declared: "Regem habemus"—"We have a King!" This historical context gives us a deeper understanding of the importance of this day. 

As a white South African who lived through apartheid, I know intimately what happens when earthly powers claim absolute authority and the church fails to name this idolatry. Today, watching programs like "Mission South Africa"—accepting only white refugees—feels like a cruel echo of apartheid's logic. This is precisely why Reign of Christ Sunday matters. 

In worship, we'll reflect on Luke 23:33-43, where Jesus hangs between two criminals. In that moment of ultimate vulnerability, one recognizes Jesus' true kingship. One who reigns from a cross, whose power is expressed in self-emptying love, who opens paradise to the condemned. Together we'll explore what we at Talmadge Hill stand for and what kind of community we're called to cultivate in response to this upside-down kingdom. The service will be extra special with our Talmadge Hill Choir singing!

I also want to personally invite you to join me for the Ecumenical Thanksgiving Prayer Service on Tuesday, November 25th, at 6:00 PM at St. John Church in Darien. This service, organized by the Darien Clergy Association, is a beautiful evening of music, worship, and reflection. It's an opportunity for us to come together with our broader community in gratitude, and I would love to see familiar Talmadge Hill faces there. 

As we move into Advent, please pick up your free Advent devotional after worship this Sunday. Even if you can't join our Monday evening Zoom sessions or Thursday in-person gatherings, I hope you'll read along with your Talmadge Hill family as we explore themes of waiting and preparing room for Christ's coming in our midst. 

We'll also gather for our own Thanksgiving Eve Service on Wednesday, November 26th at 7:30 PM, right here at Talmadge Hill. I am excited to experience the worship service, as we gather in gratitude for all the ways God has been present with us. 

As we approach Thanksgiving and enter this Advent season, I'm grateful for your willingness to sit in liminal space with me and do the deep work of identity and discernment. Together, we're learning what it means to live under the reign of the One who loved the world enough to follow the Way of the Cross.

Mooi loop, 

Dries

Sunday, November 16, 2025

Dear Talmadge Hill Family,

What if everything we've been told about small churches is wrong? Last Sunday, Cheryl reminded us of something essential: "Stewardship is not about the building—it's about growing faith and nurturing a personal commitment to God and prayerfully considering how they make that annual commitment."

Her words stayed with me. Because here's what I've been wondering: What if everything we've been told about small churches is wrong? What if decline isn't failure but an invitation? What if we're not losing ground—but finding our future, a future that we all have a part in shaping?

This Sunday, I want us to look together at Luke 21:5-19, where Jesus does something remarkable. While everyone else is admiring the temple's grandeur, he redirects their attention entirely. He calls us away from trusting in grand, crumbling institutions and toward something far more enduring: the power of witness and perseverance.

Just as Jesus challenged his disciples to stop measuring faithfulness by institutional magnificence, we need to hear his word for our moment. Drawing on insights from theologians like John Howard Yoder and Diana Butler Bass, I want to explore how our size at Talmadge Hill isn't a challenge to overcome—it's our most significant strategic advantage. We are the perfect vessel for cultivating what I'm calling Extravagant Belonging—the kind of radical, personal welcome that small communities can offer in ways institutions simply cannot.

And this is precisely why our Advent series matters so much. Our commitment to this future continues as we look toward the season with "What Do You Fear? Insisting On Hope!" The same voices that tell us small means dying are the voices of fear. But here at Talmadge Hill, we are not just hoping—we are insisting on hope, choosing to be active participants in its cultivation.

This series, drawing on resources from A Sanctified Art LLC, invites us to examine our relationship with fear—because fear often keeps us from embracing the future God is preparing. As the angels told the early disciples, "Do not fear." Insisting on hope doesn't mean pretending fear doesn't exist; it means refusing to let fear have the final word.

We invite everyone to contemplate this Advent with us. Devotional booklets are available, and you can read more about this journey toward hope in this newsletter.

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

Mooi Loop,
Dries

PS: I'll be away November 17-20 at a clergy retreat at Mercy by the Sea in Madison, CT, led by Rev. Dr. Derrick McQueen with artist-in-residence R. Sawan White. The Presbytery of Southern New England is gathering for what promises to be a deeply reflective time together.

Sunday, November 9, 2025

Dear friends,

As I sat in the Sanctuary last Sunday, gazing over Rob’s shoulder toward the glorious autumn view beyond him, I was struck by how little that scene has changed in more than a century. The majestic trees and the stately stone wall that drew me in have watched over countless worshipers and ministers through seasons of joy, sorrow, celebration, and change. That window frames not only a landscape—it reveals God’s creation, God’s kingdom, and a living piece of our shared history.

Yet creation, community, and God’s kingdom echo within our walls as well. They come alive when we break bread at the table, when laughter rises during hospitality hour, when a child is baptized, a couple is married, or when prayers and compassion surround a grieving family. They shine through our mission work and our music. Our faith is timeless and it is alive both inside and outside our four walls.

“Like living stones,” Peter writes, “let yourselves be built into a spiritual house.” We are called to be those living stones—to invest ourselves in the work of God’s kingdom through our stewardship. Each year, our pledges join the legacy of generations before us who believed that the little church at the corner of Talmadge Hill Road and Hollow Tree Ridge Road could be an incubator for God’s love in the world. Those early worshipers of the late 19th century could never have imagined us, yet they trusted the Holy Spirit to keep raising up generations to build God’s kingdom. Now it is our turn. Through our stewardship, we continue the sacred work of knowing God’s love and sharing it with generations we may never meet. 

As you prayerfully consider your pledge for the coming year, remember that every gift is more than a contribution—it is an affirmation of faith and a declaration that this community matters to you and to the wider world. Your generosity keeps our mission alive and ensures that God’s love continues to take root here, in this place, for years to come.

May it be so.

With love,

Cheryl

Sunday, November 2, 2025

Dear Talmadge Hill Family,

This Sunday, we invite you to bring pictures of past saints—loved ones whose lives reflected God's grace—and place them in the liturgical area. In worship, we join Christians around the world to celebrate All Saints' Day, honoring those who have gone before us and the "holy ones" living among us now.

The history of All Saints' Day is rooted in honoring the countless faithful and in highlighting the spiritual unity we share with all believers—the "communion of saints." In the Reformed tradition, a saint isn't just someone who has been canonized; a saint is any baptized believer in Jesus Christ, and here at Talmadge Hill, we extend that definition to all members of our human family. This day is a profound reminder that we are surrounded by a "cloud of witnesses" (Hebrews 12:1), from the historically influential to the ordinary family members who nurtured our own faith. You are a saint, set apart by God's grace!

During our worship service, you will have a special opportunity to participate in our celebration. We will provide index cards for you to write the names of the saints in your life—siblings who have joined the great cloud of witnesses and the ones living among us. The names you submit will be read aloud during our All Saints' Communion, binding us together in prayer as a testament to God’s enduring grace.

Our scripture focus, John 11:32-44, tells the powerful story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, and my meditation, "Resurrection in the Present Tense," will explore how the power that raised Lazarus is not just a historical event but a life-giving force actively at work in our lives today. It's the power of God's grace mending our brokenness and calling us to wholeness.

In preparation for worship, I invite you to meditate on the words of Brother Roger of Taizé, "We are not myths of the past, nor are we saints of the future; we are just people of today, and we are called to be the saints of today."

See you in worship!

Mooi Loop,

Dries