On occasion when I was growing up in upstate New York, Halloween was an affair complete with snow. This year in northern Illinois we had a rather dramatic display of that possibility as we began the darker half of the year in the northern hemisphere. Don’t forget that Saturday is the night when you turn […]
We are about a month away from the end of the church year and the end of ordinary time, the long season of Pentecost. The liturgical color for ordinary time is green. However, on this last Sunday in October, the green is interrupted with the bright red of the spirit as we celebrate Reformation Day. […]
As we gather to celebrate 159 years of Mayfield life on Sunday, we consider all the seeds of life strewn widely in years past and those that we still can scatter and tend for the thriving of neighbors near and far and for the earth on which we stand. Celebrate with us Sunday in body […]
The Mayfield peanut butter collection totaled 109 jars. Thank you to Cary for providing peanut butter leadership week to week and for delivering the peanut butter to the Northern Illinois Food Bank in Geneva. Taste of Kenya It was good to see so many Mayfield people at the October 11 Taste of Kenya event. It […]
Today is the feast day of Saint Francis. This autumn sky photo reminds me of his canticle to the sun composed to celebrate creation. It begins with reference to Brother Sun and Sister Moon. Better Together Our children’s fall unit on diversity, “Better Together” continues this Sunday with the first of two weeks centered in […]
All around us the palette of fall is here. There are the yellows and golds of ripening fields of soybeans. Brilliant oranges abide in roadside piles of pumpkins. Leaf colors vary widely among bronze, purple, brown, gold, yellow, orange, and red. But there is no better showcase of the breadth of fall colors than the […]
Happy Autumn (9.23.19, 2:50 am) Thanks Peggy for another beautiful photo. If you look to the far upper right side of the picture, you can glimpse a caterpillar just getting into position for a chrysalis to form. Quietly in northern states where monarchs have spent the summer and spring, the drama of transformation and preparation […]
And another new life emerges. A new season begins. The super generation of monarchs is upon us, emerging from chrysalis after chrysalis. They are the ones who will make the 2000 plus mile journey to Mexico, winter over, and then begin the migration back north in the spring. What courage it takes to lean into […]
The colors of high summer’s blooming are fading, and the Monarchs will be headed south in a few weeks. But the beautiful evidence of a season of fruitfulness is still with us. How fortunate we have been to bear witness to it again. Northern Illinois Food Bank You can currently support the Northern Illinois Food […]
You may remember that back on June 9 when Lars was confirmed he had gladiolus bulbs for everyone. They were a thank you to the congregation for our accompaniment with him during his confirmation year and also a reminder of the growth that confirmation represents. Marlo and Wilma planted some of the leftover bulbs in […]