Sunday, March 29, 2026

Dear Talmadge Hill Family,

I'm keeping this week's message short because it's that important.

Two things need your attention this week. Please read Lisa's announcement below for the full details on both.

First: The Holy Cow! Congregational Assessment. You received the link on Tuesday. Please complete it this week. Completing the Assessment is one of the most valuable things we will do together during this interim season — it measures our energy, names our strengths, and helps us discern the path forward — including what we are looking for in our next pastor. It's anonymous. Every voice shapes what we discern together. Lisa's note below has everything you need to know before you sit down to complete it.

Second: This Sunday — stay after worship. Our Listening Session is happening, and we want you there. Details are below.

In worship, we will celebrate Palm/Passion Sunday as we mark Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, his last supper with his disciples, and his new commandment to love one another as he has loved us.

Be there. Share your story. Add your voice. Showing up makes a difference.

Mooi loop, 

Dries

Sunday, March 22, 2026

Dear Friends,

It has often been said that “you can’t think your way to God.” The phrase has been repeated so widely—and attributed to so many—that its original source is hard to verify. I tried. Still, its truth feels familiar. We can become so entangled in our thoughts about faith, and so attached to the idea of a clear, straight path forward, that we lose our ability to encounter the deeper, more transformative presence of God.

This Lent, what if “giving something up” included loosening our grip on the thoughts and habits that keep us from that deeper knowing?

On Sunday, we will hear the story of Lazarus. When he emerges from the tomb, he is still bound in grave clothes. Jesus then calls for him to be unbound and set free. It is a moment that feels both deeply human and deeply spiritual. Where, in your own life, might something be restricting your freedom? Is it worry? Fear? Grief? Or simply the quiet weight of a full and busy life?

As we move toward the final days of Lent and approach Holy Week, I find myself returning to this story through a Lenten lens. Lent invites us to travel a little lighter—to gently set down some of the intellectual and emotional burdens we carry—so that we might go a bit further into the wilderness, and closer to the transforming love of God. In addition, this story is not just a call to Lazarus, but a call to the community: “Unbind him.” It is a reminder that we do not do this alone. Part of what it means to be in community is to help loosen what weighs one another down, making space for new life together.

I look forward to being with you on Sunday as we reflect, gently unbind what holds us back, and celebrate the strength and grace of a community that walks this journey together.

Love,
Cheryl

Sunday, March 15, 2026

Dear Talmadge Hill Family,

This week, we are excited to share the news that Jonathan Parker (JP) will join our Talmadge Hill family as our new Church Administrator. Jonathan brings essential community-building and administrative skills to our team, honed through his experience managing educational initiatives and serving as a college instructor. As a wonderful bonus, he is also an accomplished bass player. Jonathan deeply values being part of a community where people gather to worship, create, and support one another, a commitment that aligns perfectly with our calling as a church.

This spirit of communal support is the "solid ground" we are exploring in our Lenten Series, “Tell me something Good: Grounding ourselves in the good news this Lent.” This coming Sunday, the good news we find is the protection and care for the vulnerable. Contemplating Matthew 19:13-15 and Deuteronomy 24:17-22, we see that the children are a metaphor for all who lack societal status—the migrant worker, the immigrant, the alien, the homeless, the powerless, and the undocumented. Harking back to Deuteronomy, where God commands the people to care for the socially downtrodden because they themselves had been beaten down in Egypt, Jesus issues a clear command for his followers: they are to live as an ekklesia—a church that exists in this world as a refuge of radical welcome.

As we strive to be that refuge, it is vital that we also look inward to honor our own story. I warmly encourage you to mark your calendars and attend our rescheduled Listening Sessions on the Past on Sunday, March 29, directly after worship. These conversations are an important part of our Interim journey together as we honor our history honestly and fully to discern the way forward.

Mooi Loop,

Dries

Sunday, March 8, 2026

Dear Talmadge Hill Family,

This week, I encourage you to mark your calendars and plan to attend our rescheduled Listening Sessions on the Past on Sunday, March 29, directly after worship. These conversations are an important part of our Interim journey together as we honor our history honestly and fully and discern the way forward.

Our worship this Sunday beautifully aligns with our Lenten series, Tell Me Something Good, with the global celebration of International Women’s Day. As we look at the feeding of the five thousand (Mark 6:32-44) and the soaring vision of Ephesians 3:20-21, we see that God does not begin with the problem—the "how will we ever feed all these people?" Instead, God begins with what is already in our hands: five loaves, two fish, and each other.

This spirit of multiplication is at the heart of this year’s International Women's Day theme: Give to Gain. It reminds us that generosity is never subtraction. Whether through advocacy, mentoring, or resources, investing in women's flourishing is an investment in the flourishing of us all. When women thrive, we all rise. On this Sunday, we are reminded that our God is a God of abundance, and that small gifts, shared freely, truly do feed multitudes.

We invite everyone to remain for the Congregation's Annual Meeting following the service. Your presence and participation matter.

I hope to see you on Sunday,

Mooi Loop,

Dries

Sunday, March 1, 2026

Dear Talmadge Hill Family,

In this season of transition, we find ourselves standing at a threshold, holding something precious in our hands. The question for us this Lent is whether we dare to break it open. The good news is that, deep down, each one of us already knows how.

This past Sunday, our sanctuary transformed. Our History Wall went up—a physical timeline of Talmadge Hill’s 155 years, stretching from our founding neighbors in 1870 to the community we are today. It will remain in place throughout Lent, coming down after Easter Sunday, leaving plenty of space for your voice to be added to the narrative.

Whether you have been part of THCC for decades or just a few months, your experience of this place is part of its living history. This is a communal act of remembrance—a chance to see, together, how much God has been doing in this place.

How to participate:

• Pick up a sticky note and pen from any station along the wall.

• Write a memory—a name, a moment, a feeling, or something you never want us to forget.

• Place it on the era where it belongs. There are no right or wrong answers, only your truth.

As you "walk the wall," I invite you to turn to wonder. Let yourself be surprised. What moves you? What had you forgotten? And keep a sharp eye out—there are two surprise questions hidden somewhere on the wall that I hope will stop you in your tracks and invite a little deeper reflection.

This coming Sunday, we continue our Lenten series, Tell Me Something Good—which draws on the beautiful creative resources of A Sanctified Art—we will contemplate Luke 7:36-50 and Matthew 25:35-40.

We’ll be sitting with the pointed question Jesus asked Simon that night: "Do you see this woman?" In a sermon titled Indecent Grace, we will look at what it means to truly see one another and the radical, sometimes scandalous, nature of the grace we are called to practice.

The wall is waiting. Come this week if you haven’t yet. Come back if you have.

Mooi Loop,

Dries