Dear Siblings in Christ,

   On Christmas Eve we will hear once again the familiar story of the birth of the Christ child with the busy streets of Bethlehem, a shining star, night skies filled with angelic voices, awestruck shepherds, and the cries of the brand-new baby taking his first breath. We will bear witness as the babe is cradled in his mother’s arms and as she wraps him in swaddling cloths. Then, as scripture pauses to tell us, we will find ourselves invited to sit with Mary for a moment as she ponders in her heart all these wonderful and amazing things that have been told to her by the shepherds.

   It might be hard to imagine, let alone embrace, an invitation to make space for pausing & pondering, especially during such a busy season! Yet, Luke’s Gospel is careful to tell us that pausing and    pondering at the wonder, hope, and promise of these things taking place is exactly part of the story. Mary pauses to ponder what God is presently doing in the midst of her life and her world.

What if, this Advent season, we gave ourselves

the gift of nurturing this spiritual discipline

to pause and ponder what God is up to in our own lives?

Even if only for a few minutes each day?

   I am very pleased to see that our Advent resources from A Sanctified Art company has provided a devotional resource with beautiful “Breath Prayers” to help us take a moment each day to pause, to breathe and to ponder. Breath prayers are simple prayers that invite us to meditate with intention while slowly breathing in and out.

   Provided for each day is a “Word of the Day” which is related to the Advent season, including words like—longing, hope, trust, magnify, awaken and love. For example, on December 4^th, the breath prayer is centered on the word “Possibility,” and the prayer goes like this—as you inhale, pray “God, help me see…” and as you exhale, pray, “all that is possible.” These prayers are easy to do and can be prayed throughout the day for as little or as long a time as you feel you need, and they provide a powerful space to seek and encounter God’s loving presence. These prayers give us a space to pause and to ponder what God may be up to in our midst.

   I sincerely hope that you and your household will give yourselves the gift of experiencing these Advent Breath Prayers each day this season. I hope and pray that God will speak through these prayers to infuse hope, joy, peace, and love into your daily lives. And I’ll be praying and breathing, pausing and pondering right alongside of you, my dear beloved siblings in Christ.

Graces Good Garden – Decommissioned

Greetings,

    After our 11th season, on May 13, 2025, the garden was decommissioned!  All of the raised beds built by the boy scouts in 2013 had severely rotted.  The fence was a mess after a huge branch fell on it last year.  We would have faced a major rebuild to make the garden look good again.  The future of this space is yet to be determined, but for 11 years it served the community by providing more than a couple thousand pounds of fresh produce to Open Door for distribution.

    We have had more than 30 congregants who participated in this ministry over the years.

Look at the pictures.  In what was a fitting end today, Bill Kilcoyne, the young boy who built the garden as his Eagle Badge project, was on campus to repair an air conditioning unit.  Where he helped build the raised beds and gate as a youngster, he carried the last boards to the dumpster as a young man.

     With gratitude for your contributions to the success of this ministry.

Kurt Meyers

   If you love digging deep into historical facts and want to better understand why racism is so embedded in our current culture, read “When Affirmative Action was White” by Ira Katznelson.  Or you could try reading Ta-Nehisi Coates’ award-winning book “Between the World and Me.”  

   Also, you could watch the powerful & thought-provoking true story “Just Mercy” about systemic racism and the battle for justice.  You can currently watch this move for FREE on all digital networks.

   Another excellent book is White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo.   Other informative, challenging, and well-done resources include Selma  (movie),  Dear White People (movie and Netflix series), andThirteenth   (Netflix documentary).

“Whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me…. Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”  – Matthew 25:40-45.

Mental Health Resources:   For you or someone you love…

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness)  HelpLine can be reached Mon.-Fri., 10am–6pm, ET.  1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or info@nami.org

Montgomery County Mobile Crisis  Immediate support for crisis

situations available 24/7 at 1-855-634-HOPE (4673).

Mont. County Children’s Crisis Support Program  Immediate

support for crisis situations available 24/7 at 1-888-HELP-414.

Mont. County’s teen talk line  If you’re a teen feeling overwhelmed & need another teen to talk to, please call at (866) 825-5856 or text (215) 703-8411. It is available, free of charge, Mon.-Fri., 3 to 7pm.

PA Department of Drug & Alcohol Program (DDAP). To find

addiction treatment or a treatment provider, call the 24/7 toll-free

1-800-662-HELP hotline.

Laurel House  (domestic violence)  24/7 hotline: 800-642-3150,

Women’s Center of Montgomery County’s  (domestic violence)

hotline: 800-773-2424.

Alcoholics Anonymous   www.aa.org for help with a drinking problem