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.