No matter who you are, or where you are on life's journey, You Are Welcome Here.

The Margins of our Lives

September 4, 2016 Ruth 2:1-16 Rev. Kristen J. Kleiman   On this Labor Day weekend, when we honor and benefit from those who fought for workers’ rights, we remember that long before unions and the industrial revolution, God was telling us of the need for rest in our lives, of...
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Connections

August 28, 2016 Ruth 1 Rev. Kristen J. Kleiman   While First Corinthians 13, “Love is patient, love is kind” is by far the most popular Bible passage read at weddings, this passage from Ruth is often used as well. As brides and grooms pledge their lives to one another, these...
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Summer of Psalms: Testify and Believe

August 7, 2016 Psalms 27 & 40 Rev. Kristen J. Kleiman   Growing up, there was one person I believed embodied the life and way of Jesus Christ more than anyone else and that was Mother Theresa. From an early age, she felt called to spread the good news of Jesus Christ,...
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Summer of Psalms Trust & Song

July 31, 2016 Psalm 46 & 91 Rev. Kristen J. Kleiman   The sight of her made me smile. There she was, in the car in front of me, just rocking out and singing along with a favorite song. I couldn’t hear a word she sang, as we were stopped at the traffic light, but I...
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Summer of Psalms Lament

July 24, 2016 Psalms 44 & 55 Rev. Kristen J. Kleiman   Play video clip of “I am a Man of Constant Sorrow”   There is an old joke: what do you get when you play a country song backwards? You get your wife back, your dog back, and your truck back. It’s not true of...
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Summer of Psalms Praise

July 17, 2016 Psalm 8, 100, 150 Rev. Kristen J. Kleiman   “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.” (Psalm 100:1) “Praise [the Lord] with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with dance; praise him with strings and pipe!”...
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Summer of Psalms Happiness

July 10, 2016 Psalm 1 &23 Rev. Kristen J. Kleiman   Were they words written by faithful individuals to help them through difficult times? Were they beautiful words of sacred poetry written by the boy who beat Goliath and grew up to be the famous King David? Were they the...
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Nurtured

May 8, 2016, Mother’s Day 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 Mark 12:26-27a Rev. Kristen J. Kleiman   “The Gospel is caught, not taught.” So read the banner on the ceiling beam in the basement fellowship hall. Words written in hand by an Associate Minister who came years before my tenure...
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Upside Down

April 17, 2016 Acts 17:1-9 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 Rev. Kristen J. Kleiman   When you go to the amusement park, do you love the large roller coasters that flip you over loop after loop after loop? Are you the first in line for the rides that tumble you side to side and upside...
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Transformed

April 3, 2016 Acts 1:1-14 Mark 1: 16-20 Rev. Kristen J. Kleiman   The First Congregational Church is a church of welcome and hospitality. We welcome all people to participate in this community, ministry, and mission, regardless of whether you are a member or not. There comes...
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