The following sermon was preached at Rutgers Presbyterian Church on November, 22, 2015, Christ the King Sunday. Author Rev. Mark Koenig writes, “I rarely post sermons, however this one received enough positive feedback that I make an exception. Note that this is the manuscript that went into the pulpit; the
MoreA New Worshiping Community Embracing (but not bound by) Denominational Affiliation “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” -African Proverb Write Blog Article Make Drs. Appointment for Mom Plan Ministerium Meeting Set Up Petting Zoo Finish Wedding Service Pick Up Wedding
MoreAsking the Right Questions There are two fundamentally different ways to start. You can start by asking questions like, “What is the future of ecumenism in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)?” Or even “What does the future of institutionalized denominations hold?” These questions are important, but counterintuitive as it might seem,
MoreDenominations are a strange thing. Denominations divide us into discrete boxes of distinct doctrine but can also reflect dynamic diversity. For decades, the ecumenical movement in the United States has sought to transcend, unite, and even bypass these institutional categories to invoke a universal body of Christ. At times, that
MoreA Presbyterian, a Lutheran, and two Episcopalians walk into a hospital. Not the start of a joke, I promise. Instead, it was the start of my summer working at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, OH, as a student intern in the Clinical Pastoral Education program. Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is
More“Can I ask you a question? Hugging during the passing of the peace… is that an all-Lutherans thing or just a Lutheran Campus Ministry thing?” Of all the ecumenical worship service’s elements that were different than our usual Sunday UKirk worship (including the use of real wine rather than grape
MoreRuminations on Institutional Ecumenism Picture this: Gathered in the headquarters of a labor union are about 40 persons who want to make it easier for ex-felons to regain the vote as part of re-entering society. The participants’ average age is about 35. Almost half are ex-felons. The rest are from
MoreWords both denote and connote, which is to say that they both mean something and suggest a constellation of associated ideas, images, and feelings. Ecumenism means, simply, cooperation among Christian churches. The word connotes, however, a certain kind of cooperation among a certain subset of churches. The image it brings
MoreThis article is reprinted from Rebecca Todd Peters’ blog at Patheos, “To Do Justice.” For original, see: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/todojustice/2015/07/06/what-motherhood-and-ecumenism-have-in-common/ “There are practical obstacles to women during intervals of pregnancy, giving birth and nursing, of which the female employees usually take extensive leave from their employment. Being occupied in priestly work may
MoreTo tell the truth, we didn’t think it went all that well. Almost five years ago, four pastors from four different denominations came together to write a proposal for a grant from the Calvin Institute for Worship Renewal. The granting agency warned us that there was a high chance of
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