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