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Pastor’s Message

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In Church Blog, Pastor's Message

A note from our Pastor 10/18/20

I’ve been thinking a lot about this town and this country and the stress we’re all under due to politics, COVID, and racial tensions. I’ve been concerned about erupting emotions after the election that is just a couple of weeks away. I’m fearful that anger and frustration which is barely being controlled will find its justification to explode at the announcement of the winner of our presidential election. I’m afraid people will be hurt. I’m more afraid that people will die.

When I bring this fear to God through prayer I ask, what can I do to sooth this angry and participate in peace? A dear friend of mine, a Boston Police Officer, told me that all officers are on call through the week of the election and that they would be running 12 hours shifts. I thought, they are being called in to insure peace on the streets of Boston. Surely there is a way, as faithful Christians, to help.

Every time I pray this prayer – ask these questions – I come out of my prayer humming the song I learned as a child, Make Me an Instrument of your Peace, the lyrics of which are the prayer of St. Francis of Asissi, an Italian Catholic friar, deacon, philosopher, mystic, and preacher of the late 12th century. It feels as if, beloved fellow followers of Christ, we are called now more than any other time in our lifetimes, to be God’s instruments of peace. It seems that, instead of fear and worry, frustration and debate, we can instead implement peace, love, pardon, union, truth, faith, hope, light, and joy. It seems, dear Loves, that our lives and journey of faith have been building to the very moment in history when the world – this nation – this town needs what we have and know and are more than ever before.

Friends, I invite you by your faith to join me over the next weeks in choosing to be not what the world calls us to be – that is, Democrat or Republican – but instead, an instrument of God’s peace.

Pray this prayer with me today, tomorrow, and every morning upon waking as a reminder of how Christ is calling us to be in a world that is broken in a way that only hope and love can heal.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring love.
Where there is offence, let me bring pardon.
Where there is discord, let me bring union.
Where there is error, let me bring truth.
Where there is doubt, let me bring faith.
Where there is despair, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness, let me bring your light.
Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.
O Master, let me not seek as much
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love,
for it is in giving that one receives,
it is in self-forgetting that one finds,
it is in pardoning that one is pardoned,
it is in dying that one is raised to eternal life.

 

Peace,
Pastor Cheryl

 

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In Pastor's Message, Worship Informaton

Pastor’s Cheryl’s Letter RE: COVID-19

Dear Allin members and friends,

Blessings of communion and hope in this unprecedented time
of isolation and fear. I do hope this letter finds you all in good
health, both physically and mentally.

I have missed you all these past weeks. The church has been so
quiet without the many community groups who use our space
over the course of the week, the music programs and choral
groups who fill our four walls with life and spirit in the evenings, and the joyful and holy community that we create
every Sunday morning. In the nearly 12 years that I have been your pastor we have canceled our
Sunday morning sanctuary worship only once and that was the result of a blizzard that was
predicted to peak at exactly 9:45am that Sunday morning.

And yet, now we are in a time and space that insists the church doors remain closed indefinitely, all
meetings canceled. My heart is broken for us and for this world.

However, we are people of the resurrection and so know better than others that life always comes
out of death. And so, as we wait for this to pass over us, we, your Allin leadership and staff, are
doing what we can to care for you, each other, and this community. Here are some of the ways we
are doing this:

Digital worship. Our first week apart we gathered only a small team of worship leadership and,
together went LIVE on facebook with 260 members and friends! Unfortunately we can no longer
get together to create a live experience (our building has been closed by MA order) so we will be
putting together a 20-30 min video that will be published at 9:45 Sunday morning to both
Facebook and our website, www.allinchurch.org, so we can watch it together. At the end of this
“watch party” I will go live on Facebook with an interactive prayer. If you do not have Facebook
you are welcome to send in your prayers via email or phone call in the days prior. This is a work in
progress and we will be learning each week. We thank you for your patience and participation!

Community. Community is one the most important parts of being Christian and of being a
member of our church. When we come together, share our stories, and listen to each other’s
experiences we are creating a Holy Spirit that is love. Unfortunately, in an effort to stay the spread
of COVID-19 (novel Coronavirus) we are called to find creative ways to be in community. For
some of us this has been through social media. Allin Church has been posting daily devotions,
prayers, and silly memes to our account in an effort to engage and encourage our people over
these weeks. In addition, nearly daily emails with the same devotions and prayer requests have
been sent. Finally, this week we’ve begun exploring digital meetings among leadership to keep
active on the business of the church as well as insure our activities, care for each other, and
upkeep are not being neglected.

Church building and business. Per the Governor of the state of MA’s advisory, the Allin
Church is closed indefinitely. We will be abiding by state and federal instruction and order
regarding the building. However, your staff has been working harder than ever to continue the
good work of the church, insure that we continue to be accessible to those in need, and also to all
of you. Mail is still being received daily. Phone messages are checked every 24 hours. Email is
checked regularly throughout the day. If there is an emergency please do not hesitate to
call me on my cell phone at 617-688-8619.

If you would like a phone call, even just for company, you are welcome to call my cell phone!
Chances are I WOULD LIKE A PHONE CALL TOO! In the meantime, you are all in my
prayers and I look forward to the day we can come together once again, celebrating new hope
and life resurrected!

Peace,
Pastor Cheryl

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In Pastor's Message

February 2020 Pastor’s Message

 I lift up my eyes to the hills— from where will my help come?  (Psalms 121:1)

I promise to love you regardless of your love, like, or dislike of Christian music.

You’ve heard me say it before:  I don’t like Christian music.**

I know, however, that I will need to elaborate as I am writing to an audience of Congregationalists for whom “Christian music” could be anything from Amazing Grace to Handel to African American spirituals.

What I’m talking about is what you get when you ask your kitchen “Alexa” to play “Christian Music.”  Groups like “Hillsong” and “MercyMe” show up including gorgeous if not simplistic pieces queuing up with names like “Jesus Saves” and “I believe” and “My Savior God.”  From one to the next I hear a pattern: A verse that draws a picture of life in all of its temptations and tribulations followed by the oft repeated refrain that includes the *seemingly simple* answer to life which is, in a nutshell, Jesus.

And the music, if I may comment from my 46 years of musical education and experience beginning with Barry Manilow, moving through punk, hanging out in grunge for way too long (admittedly I may never have left), though with some appreciation for jazz, classical, and the organ at Radio City Music Hall, is not what I would call creative or even challenging.  One can expect possibly a minor key during the verses but things will quickly turn major as the singers proclaim through the refrain that “Jesus is Lord!” YES! “JESUS IS LORD!” and then, in harmonies that are at a perfect 1/3rd interval, “JESUS IS LORD OF ALL!”

Maybe you’re thinking, sounds beautiful!  What’s not to love?!

A lack of Dissonance, tension and conflict, that’s what.

I don’t know about you, but my life and faith is anything but perfect harmonies and confidence in my Lord and Savior as the answer to everything.  There are more unanswered questions in my day than there is scripture to solve them. And, I have discovered, this is true for most of the folks I meet with over coffee or lunch or tears.

And the most faithful people I know are the ones who live squarely in the middle of tension.  They are the ones who have the deepest and most heartfelt conversations with God. I mean, can you imagine the emotional and mental growth of a child if that child never asked questions of her parents, never even questioned that parent’s knowledge or experience in this world?  Have you ever even heard of a child who only sings, “You are the answer, mom. Whatever you say is exactly right.”

I have found, especially recently, that God is far more approachable, far more accessible in times of tension and dissonance.  And it is when I ask questions rather than repeatedly proclaiming Christ’s sovereignty, that I can feel God’s love and mercy holding me, sitting beside me, or simply acknowledging the hard stuff that is my life in that moment.

It is these dissonant moments, months or even years, that have us crying out to Christ and to one another, my God, why have you forsaken me?  That had our ancestors singing songs (psalms) with lyrics like “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?” and “Help, O Lord, for there is no longer anyone who is godly.”

These are the minor key, dissonant cords that, again and again, call us into the presence of a loving and compassionate God.  They are the blues riffs and the gospel solos. They are the Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young harmonies that are impossible to break apart. They are the Dueling banjos and the Good Friday hymns.

They are the cords of our lives promising the one thing that is sustainable in good times and bad:

The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and for evermore. (psalms 121:8)

Peace,

Pastor Cheryl

**Disclaimer… the opinions of the author are hers and hers alone.  Just because she has this opinion and feels strongly about it does not mean she is right.  Your love of Christian music does not and will never preclude you from her love and care. Though she may look at you funny.

 

 

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In Pastor's Message

Pastor’s November 2019 Message

One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, ‘Which commandment is the first of all?’ Jesus answered, ‘The first is, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” The second is this, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.’ (Mark 12:28-31)

 Recently I made the decision to catch up with our culture and so joined Twitter.  On this social media platform one can decide who she will “follow” including both general topics (politics, religion, health) and very specific opinions.  And the more a person “likes” posts of a particular opinion or theme, the more of those same opinions or themes show up in one’s feed. AND, should that person write a post, tagging related topics, she will be forever connected into those feeds.

I know this from experience as, just last week Gabriel and I thought it would be fun to “tweet” an invitation at Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to visit us at Children’s hospital because we were bored and imagined his presence might brighten our mood.  In the end, Mr. “The Rock” did not come and visit, however, because I had tagged #childhoodcancer in the tweet, our message got retweeted a couple of dozen times AND now I get tagged daily in childhood cancer tweets being sent out from all over the country.

All of this is to say that I am convinced that Twitter exists to hold like minded people close.  The unfortunate downside of this is that, often, in the empowerment that inevitably comes from community, we are tempted to mistaken our ideas and opinions as fact and then use them as weapons against one another.  And so Twitter, as far as I have experienced, is a collection of ideas, opinions, and rants thrown violently and carelessly at others.

… at our neighbor.

Yes, these human-less profiles on social media and even often on the other side of our televisions and newspapers are indeed our neighbor.  I know we progressive Christians prefer to define the “neighbor” Jesus calls us to love as the marginalized, the oppressed, and the voiceless.  We fulfill this most important requirement by bringing food to the homeless, visiting the imprisoned, and protesting racial violence. And, these are our neighbors – our co-created; our co-divine.

But Jesus reminds us that “loving our neighbor” ALSO requires us to pray for our enemies for “he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.”  By asking, “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?” Jesus harkens us back to our selective reasoning around who we recognize as neighbor and challenges us to see the divine neighborhood as it was created to be:  infinitely diverse, with as many “truths” are there are experiences.

But I’m pretty sure Twitter is not interested in the humility and self sacrifice it takes to love those who do not share our experiences and ideas.  I don’t see those posting their self righteous impressions for the world to re-tweet or at least reply, terribly concerned with learning the life story including challenges, hopes and dreams, of the brother they are calling out.  I can’t imagine that Twitter users are looking for unity and peace between people. Twitter is not a platform for empathy.

Twitter IS a microcosm of our real-life communities though, and so we ought to take note.   While I may be capable of avoiding partisan scrumming and against those with whom I disagree on Twitter, my life in Christ requires I love these even as I love God – even as I love myself.  

I would argue the most important and even dire command of our God today, as we love our God with all of our being, is to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, remembering that our neighbor is ALSO that person we have dehumanized, called stupid or monster or ignorant, or even pointed out as the perpetrator of the very injustices we have committed to making right…

… for the sake of unity among creation and for the sake of peace.      Cheryl

 

 

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In Pastor's Message

Pastor Cheryl’s September Message

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:26-27)

 We are an institution in a volatile place.  We have spent the past year(s) opening ourselves up in vulnerability, going deeper and deeper, telling and listening to our stories, and uniting in a common vision.  And then, just as we took that courageous step into unity that is committed relationship and community, a place of defenselessness and humility, we were hit with the bombshell of cancer… and the loss of leadership and planning and organization that inevitably comes with it.

Together in prayer we asked, “What now?”  Individually in quiet corners we questioned, “Was all of this for nothing?”

And so we planned what we could plan and then, with confidence in one another and faith in God’s love and loyalty to our community… we stepped back.

I’ve been watching your good and faithful work this summer.  I’ve seen how the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, has lead our leadership to take the reigns of this church and it’s organizational needs.  I’ve seen how this divine spirit called so many of you again and again to Show Up on Sundays, for mid-July meetings about plumbing, interim pastors, and the crisis of death.  I watched you show up for each other, generously sharing the divine within yourselves through compassion and mercy and presence.

I’ve been watching and, in doing so, have witnessed the presence of God in you.

On September 8th, this year’s Rally Sunday, I look forward to returning to the pulpit and to leadership.  I can’t wait to share with you all some of what I’ve been researching in my downtime this summer. I’m excited to step back into a place of leadership among you and alongside our interim, Rev. Wayne Earl.

However, I will not lead at the expense of the beautiful Spirit of humble leadership that has evolved these past months.  Instead, I will be listening to both your minds and your hearts. I will be giving space to the leadership of our many ministries to explore what has been learned by this holy presence.  And I will be calling us to a place of peace. Peace because when we allow for The Advocate – The Holy Spirit – to lead us in the way of God’s call, we can be assured that we will live!

Thank you all for leaning into your faith, taking up responsibility for leadership, and for Showing Up this summer.  I can’t wait to discover what the Spirit has in store for us this fall!

Peace,Cheryl

A NOTE:

Let’s talk logistics!  As mentioned above, I will be returning at ½ time (25 or so hours a week) beginning Tues, September 3rd. W

Wayne and I will hold office hours Tuesday mornings

Cuppa Faith Formation will resume EVERY OTHER WEDNESDAY beginning Wednesday, September 11th.

Sunday school and nursery care will continue to be held every Sunday with the exception of intergenerational Sundays (will be advertised 2 weeks prior.)

Confirmation (if your child is of age for this program you have already been contacted) will begin in November.  Communications to follow…

½ time is a challenging schedule to hold for a minister!  I will do my best to attend to the priorities of both the church and each of you, but please tell me if there is something you need from me!  And do not hesitate to tell me if I missed an opportunity to care for you at a time when you needed me. These are opportunities for me to grow and improve the work I do for and with you.

If you are a chair of one of our many ministries I would like to hear what you are up to!  Send me a note or give me a call. I’m looking forward to thanking you for your dedicated work while celebrating your vision for your ministry!

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In Pastor's Message

Celebrating FAITH INTO WORKS at the Allin Church, UCC -Summer19

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill’, and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?…For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead. (James 2:14-16, 26)

 The good news is that the Allin Church is an example of the works that come from our faith.  There are so many of you who, after receiving God’s blessings of grace, peace, and understanding on Sunday morning, share these blessings beyond the walls of this church through service,

This month, we get to hear from church member, Jo-Ann McDonagh.

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In Pastor's Message

Celebrating FAITH INTO WORKS at the Allin Church, UCC – June19

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill’, and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?…For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead. (James 2:14-16, 26)

 The good news is that the Allin Church is an example of the works that come from our faith.  There are so many of you who, after receiving God’s blessings of grace, peace, and understanding on Sunday morning, share these blessings beyond the walls of this church through service, benevolence, and work.  While The World does not always make space for our efforts in faith, it does not realize that our faith that is of Jesus Christ cannot be stopped, because faithful practice is the byproduct of our own worship and prayerful self care.

This month, we get to hear from church member, Nancy Finkel.

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In Pastor's Message

Celebrating FAITH INTO WORKS at the Allin Church, UCC

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill’, and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?…For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead. (James 2:14-16, 26)

 The good news is that the Allin Church is an example of the works that come from our faith.  There are so many of you who, after receiving God’s blessings of grace, peace, and understanding on Sunday morning, share these blessings beyond the walls of this church through service, benevolence, and work.  While The World does not always make space for our efforts in faith, it does not realize that our faith that is of Jesus Christ cannot be stopped, because faithful practice is the byproduct of our own worship and prayerful self care.

This month, we get to hear from church member, Kevin Mawe.

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In Pastor's Message

Celebrating FAITH INTO WORKS at The Allin Church, UCC

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill’, and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?…For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead. (James 2:14-16, 26)

The good news is that the Allin Church is an example of the works that come from our faith.  There are so many of you who, after receiving God’s blessings of grace, peace, and understanding on Sunday morning, share these blessings beyond the walls of this church through service, benevolence, and work.  While The World does not always make space for our efforts in faith, it does not realize that our faith that is of Jesus Christ cannot be stopped, because faithful practice is the byproduct of our own worship and prayerful self care.

This month, we begin with church member/friend, Lisa Dwyer.

How long have you been involved with the Allin Church and in what capacity?

I started attending Allin Church about 10 years ago.  I wanted to have a community based church experience for myself and for my children.  Over the years, I helped out with Sunday school and I have been on and off the missions ministry/committee several times.  Even when I was not on the missions committee, I continued to manage the Dedham Food Pantry volunteer process and I have run the Angel Tree Prison Ministry for 5 years.  Another joy has been helping out with the Greens committee for the snowflake fair.

What faith informed work do you do outside of the church?  In what capacity?

I feel like the idea of doing God’s work comes in many forms.  Over the years, I have enjoyed different types of volunteer work that helped to impact those less fortunate than me, including volunteering at the Fisher House and working with the Dedham Junior Women’s Club to raise money for local charities.  Most recently, I started working a full-time job in a behavioral health care company.  Our program supports some of the most vulnerable people in our state.  Little things like having a kind voice and a listening ear when people call our program tells them “you matter”.

Doing many behind-the-scenes tasks to support our team of care coordinators provides space for them to make a big difference with our members directly.  Taking the time to publicly acknowledge hard work and celebrating the success of co-workers brings light and joy to a job that can sometimes be very dark and frustrating.  I feel like this period in my life is filled with lots of small acts of kindness.

 What is your favorite part of the work you do?  Bringing a smile to someone’s face.

What is the hardest part?  In general, my greatest challenge is to quiet my self-judging inner voice.  Luckily going to church is a grounding reprieve and reminder to practice patience and forgiveness of myself and others.

What of your faith (scripture, practice) informs the work you do?  What is the passion that makes this work important to you? 

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”.  I honestly get a lot of joy in being a support system to a team.  Teamwork makes the dreamwork!

My thoughts on Lisa’s faith and practice:

It is my experience knowing Lisa both inside and outside of the church that she is far too humble to fully detail all of the work she does in the name of her faith in the power and practice of love.  Indeed, Lisa exudes love – so much so that we both know we much find each other every Sunday (and some days in-between!) for “our hug.”  Lisa’s love of life and creation clearly dictates all of her life, how she chooses to live, and what she offers of herself to those with whom she has contact.

As mentioned, for years, Lisa has run our Angel Tree program every Advent.  Through this program she offers members and friends of the church an opportunity to buy gifts for families with at least one incarcerated parent/guardian.  She is our contact and communication into the national organization, Prison Fellowship, organizes and then creates a beautiful “Christmas Tree” display of requested gifts, insures that all gifts are accounted for, and then collects, wraps, and delivers these gifts to the families.  Those of us who have helped with the delivery understand the impact this program has on these families and their sense of worth and well being.

In addition, Lisa has been our go-to contact with the Dedham Food Pantry.  For many years Allin Church has had a prominent presence among the volunteers of irreplaceable local organization, loving our neighbors in real, hands on, life giving ways.

I imagine that, if Jesus were living among us today, we would certainly find him actively engaging in ministry and miracle-making with both of these organizations.

Lisa is a gift of divine grace to our congregation simply by her presence.  That she quietly and humbly leads us in service and love is a gift of ministry far beyond anything I could say on Sunday morning! Peace,

Pastor Cheryl

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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In Pastor's Message

Celebrating FAITH INTO WORKS at The Allin Church, UCC

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill’, and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?…For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead. (James 2:14-16, 26)

The good news is that the Allin Church is an example of the works that come from our faith.  There are so many of you who, after receiving God’s blessings of grace, peace, and understanding on Sunday morning, share these blessings beyond the walls of this church through service, benevolence, and work.  While The World does not always make space for our efforts in faith, it does not realize that our faith, that is of Jesus Christ, cannot be stopped because faithful practice is the byproduct of our own worship and prayerful self care.

This month, we begin with church member/friend, Judy Raymond.

How long have you been involved with the Allin Church and in what capacity?

Having been a Congregationalist all my life and moving from the South Shore to be near my daughter and new grand-daughter we joined Allin Church, UCC about 14 years ago.  I’ve served as an usher, on the flower ministry, as a knitter, house ministry, acolyte coordinator, deacon ministries, mission ministries, Snowflake Fair and nursery attendant over these past years.

What faith informed work do you do outside of the church?  Through what organization?  Tell us about this organization.

I joined the UCC Immigration, Refugee and Asylum Task Team of the UCC MA Conference. This small body of both lay and clergy members works to educate our church community in Massachusetts about the issues related to immigration, to provide information and materials so that churches can educate their own congregations and their communities, to look for ways to help those who are or have immigrated to this country, and to watch and affect policies that relate to immigration, refugees and asylum.

**For more information here is the website address:     https://www.macucc.org/immigration

I was then guided to The Dedham Refugee Resettlement Collaborative,  consisting of Allin Congregational Church, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, and Saint Susanna Catholic Parish which is composed of it’s clergy, church and community volunteers.  These communities have joined together to welcome a refuge family in finding a home in Dedham and give support in their relocation and beginning their new life in a new country, as well as aiding other towns with their refugee families.

**For more details, here is the website address    http://www.saintsusanna.org/refugee_family.shtml

What of your faith (scripture, practice) informs the work you do?  What is the passion that makes this work important to you? 

There is a Scripture phrase that has deeply felt meaning for me, “I heard a voice in the wilderness”, when I realized that the “wilderness” meant our human societies, my heart said…. act, and find a place to fight injustice, especially for children.  Not to be any kind of hero but to just be helpful.

Why do I do this ?  It’s simple, I believe it is exactly what Jesus calls us all to do.  Finding time is the hard part.  Maybe you’ve noticed, I display a bumper sticker on the rear window of my car.  For me, it sums it up.

“If you want Peace,  Work for Justice”

My thoughts on Judy’s faith and practice:

I remember the morning Judy told me about her call to immigration reform.  The news about massive numbers of children crossing the border alone, being “arrested” by border patrol and then held in large warehouse facilities had just hit the major news networks.  Thousands of children sleeping on cots stacked next to each other.  Churches opening their fellowship halls because there simply was not enough room or resources for so many unattended immigrant children.  Judy’s heart had been broken and, as Leonard Cohen would say, through that crack entered the light of God and God’s call.

I could not be prouder of Judy’s bold, imaginative, relentless, and faithful action for immigration reform (big picture) and in supporting struggling immigrants (small picture).  And that she offers her gifts of compassion and companionship through the Allin Church so that we might jump on her Peace Train, is an example of how divine grace cannot be held and must be shared outwardly.

With deep gratitude for your humble, faithful service, thank you, Judy.  God has called you to justice. May your courage and faith precede you always!

Peace,  Pastor Cheryl