Building Beloved Community— that has been our worship theme at Harvard-Epworth Church this autumn and will be our ministry focus as we plan for 2025 and beyond.

As your pastors, Barb and I have been reflecting deeply about what Building Beloved Community means in our context.  And two facets come immediately to mind. One: Building Beloved Community takes all of us!  Every one of us is needed. Together we bring an amazing variety of spiritual gifts; together we embody the joyous giving that enables vibrant ministry. If anyone is left out, we are the poorer for it.

And Two: All the people in Beloved Community all really different! The great variety of gifts, talents, beliefs and outlooks is our great stength, and also, sometimes, a source of friction. What does it mean to live, work, worship, and celebrate in the midst of our differences?

This Sunday, we’ll have opportunities to explore both of those facets of Beloved community.

The first event is in the morning, when we’ll celebrate Pledge Sunday. This is an opportunity to make pledged gifts of planned giving to the programs and ministries of Harvard-Epworth (and enjoy a wonderful meal in the Vestry after worship!) As we wrote in the letter you received last week, our shared giving is our expression of gratitude for and commitment to God’s love and justice, and a crucial part of making vibrant ministry possible at Harvard-Epworth Church. You are also invited to share ideas about how you might use your spiritual gifts and special skills in ministry in 2025.  If you did not receive the Stewardship Letter, you can make a read about how to make a pledge at https://harvardepworthchurch.org/giving/stewardship.  You can make a pledge online, or there will be Pledge cards available on Sunday.  Please be in prayer about how God is calling you to offer spiritual and financial commitments that help Build Beloved Community.

The second event is Sunday Evening, when we’ll explore diversity. We have the privilege of listening in on a conversation between Dr. Diana Eck and Elinor Pierce about “Pluralism in Place/Pluralism in Practice: How do we navigate the dilemmas and disputes of our multi-religious society?” (See the article below)  A crucial part of Building Beloved Community is learning to live and love in the midst of our differences. This conversation will be a powerful step toward not just living with, but celebrating the religious diversity of our larger community.

We hope you can be a part of both these exciting events, either in person or on-line, so you can lend your voice, your heart, your hands, your skills, and your gifts to Building Beloved Community at Harvard-Epworth and beyond!

In Christ’s Peace,

Pastor Mitch