Lamenting together

Lamenting together

by Sarah S. Scherschligt I lived in a rural village in Malawi, East Africa, as a Peace Corps volunteer in the late 90s. There, I experienced the power of communal lament. When someone died, the women in the community would stop everything and start to wail. They would bawl for hours. Neighboring villagers could hear […]

The uncertainty of in-between time

The uncertainty of in-between time

by Becca Ehrlich When I was an intern at a congregation, I took part in an annual tradition called Confirmation Camp. For one week in the summer, the local Lutheran conference would take over half of a Christian camp in the Adirondack Mountains. The students prepared for confirmation by learning, growing spiritually, and spending time […]

Cafe group: Gratitude

Cafe group: Gratitude

October 2020 Table grace by Emily K. Hartner Our thanksgiving tables may look different this year. God is still with us. Read more Faith reflections: Reclaiming gratitude by Emily K. Hartner How do we experience gratitude in challenging times? Read more November 2020. How to use Café with a group Young women are sharing community, […]

Reclaiming gratitude

Reclaiming gratitude

by Emily K. Hartner   Do you remember how this year began? At the turn of the decade, we looked to the new year with “2020 vision”—a play on the year 2020 that I thought was clever at the time. In March, the future looked more unclear. What was clear was that a global pandemic […]

Table grace

Table grace

by Emily K. Hartner Our dining room table hasn’t been clear of clutter for months–since the beginning of the pandemic. Pre-COVID, we used it almost solely for eating. Now it has become a work table, a homework table, a craft table, a game table, and a puzzle table. It also remains a place to eat. […]