Image: Rev. Melissa Tumaneng Dear Beloved Community, We had such a wonderful church picnic service this past Sunday. We gathered for a sweet and meaningful outdoor service on the lawn, celebrated communion together, and then shared in a beautiful time of community, conversation, and plenty of good food. This Sunday, we are blessed to welcome Rev. Melissa Tumaneng, our Associate Conference Minister, as our guest preacher. She will be sharing a timely message on “how Artificial

Image: Jorge Bautista Dear Beloved Community, This Sunday, we will gather and honor migrants, our neighbors, our siblings, and beloved children of God. We will hold in prayer those who have crossed borders seeking safety, dignity, work, family, and hope. We will remember that migration is not just a political issue; it is a deeply human story, filled with courage, heartbreak, faith, and the longing for a life where people can flourish. We will also take time to honor those wh

Image: Rev. Terri Echelbarger Dear Beloved Community, This week, we hold our beloved church member Teri Jackson and her family in our prayers as they grieve the death of her nephew, Jason Collins. Jason was known to many as a trailblazer in the NBA, a gifted athlete, a courageous advocate, and the first openly gay active player in the league. His life and legacy reached far beyond basketball. He helped open doors, create space for others to live more fully as themselves, and

Image: Jorge Bautista Dear Beloved Community, What does a “happy family” really look like? For many of us, that phrase brings up a familiar image, one shaped by culture, expectation, and tradition. But what happens when our lives don’t quite fit that picture? Where do we find belonging then? This Sunday, we’ll explore Jesus’ powerful promise in John 14:18 -- “I will not leave you orphaned.” Spoken to anxious disciples facing uncertainty, these words offer more than comfort.

Image: Rev. Polly Moore Dear Beloved Community, My heart is full of gratitude this week. Thank you to everyone who came out this past Saturday to help clean the church. There is something deeply sacred about caring for a space together. Not because the building itself is the church, but because it holds so much of our shared life, prayer, grief, joy, welcome, and hope. When we clean, organize, repair, and tend to this place together, we are also tending to one another. I am

Image: Rev. Victor H. Floyd Dear Beloved Community, What a joy it was this past Sunday to have Jim Garrison, David Hooper, and Stephen Hulse lead us in worship for Holy Humor Sunday. Their offering brought laughter, delight, and a spirit of holy joy into our sanctuary, and it was a beautiful reminder that joy is not separate from our faith, but part of how God meets us and sustains us. In times that can feel overwhelming or uncertain, joy can arrive as a sacred interruptio

Image: Jorge Bautista Dear Beloved Community, This Sunday is Easter Sunday, and what good news it is that love, life, and hope rise again! We will reflect on Mark 16:1–8 alongside Mary Oliver’s “Morning Poem,” as both invite us into the wonder of a new morning and the promise of new life. In Mark’s Gospel, the women arrive at the tomb expecting death, only to discover that the stone has been rolled away and resurrection is already unfolding. Mary Oliver reminds us that eac

Image: Jorge Bautista Dear Beloved Community, Palm Sunday was, in many ways, a no-kings protest. More than two thousand years ago in Jerusalem, there were two parades that day: one for Pontius Pilate and the power of empire, and the other for Jesus, with palms waving for love, justice, and the kin-dom of God. That contrast still speaks to us now, especially as many of you prepare to attend this Saturday’s No Kings protest. I am sorry that I will not be able to join many of

Image: Caje Remedios Dear Beloved Community, Last week, on Thursday, my heart was heavy as I learned of the attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, which the FBI called a targeted act of violence against the Jewish community. Let us hold our Jewish sisters and brothers in prayer, grief, and steadfast solidarity. At College Heights Church we condemn antisemitism and every form of hate directed toward any people. I am grateful that at College Heights w

Image: Jorge Bautista Dear Beloved Community, This Sunday’s scripture is John 2:13–25, alongside Mary Oliver’s “Where Does the Temple Begin, Where Does It End?” We’ll reflect on Jesus’ fierce response to what’s happening in the temple, and what that reveals about love, holiness, and justice. Together we’ll ask: Where is sacred space today? Is it only inside a sanctuary, or does it extend into creation. Into the trees, the birds, the sky? And if Jesus points to the temple a