REFLECTIONS OF A DESERT PADRE
By Michael Malone
Twelve years ago I was leading a retreat with my UCC Church in Connecticut. One of the points I made really got under the skin of an attendee, one of the rock-solid members of the church. Ginny was a hardcore progressive, and she was the backbone of our mission work in the community. She never missed a Sunday. Her partner, whom she had been with for years, was a staunch Unitarian.
What upset Ginny was that I had said in order to call someone a Christian, they needed to be involved in a faith community.
From Crisis to Creativity
A message from Pastor Wes from the February edition of The Herald.
Report of the Pastor
It is my sincere hope that we can look back on 2021 with fondness, remember that God did something in our midst. It is my hope that 2021 was the year when we relearned who we are and discovered anew who we’ve always been—the church that helps, the church that lives a life of love.
The Historian’s Report
At First Congregational Church of Ramona, we know that we can’t see where we’re going without knowing where we’ve been. That is why our historian is an officer of our Church Council. We take our history seriously as we remember the faithfulness of God. In our Annual Report, we include a report from our historian to help us understand the challenges and celebrate the victories of the year we’ve just experienced.
Christian Education Report
This week, as we gear up for our Annual Meeting we’ll be featuring some of the reports from our 2021 Annual Report.
The Report of the Moderator
2021 was a good year for our church. I did not say it was an easy year, but we proved that we could withstand an onslaught of tribulations. In fact, I think we are even getting pretty good at it.
Why We’re Changing The Bylaws
First Congregational Church of Ramona is a member of the United Church of Christ denomination. Therefore, our polity (our structure of church governance) is a congregational polity. That means that even though we are in a covenantal relationship with the whole family of UCC churches, we are governed by our own congregation. In other words, we call the shots!
