working for the unity of the church and the wholeness of communities through collegiality, collaboration, and connectedness

Dear friends, It is no small privilege for a white girl from New Hampshire to stand in the pulpit of a Black congregation. I grew up in a community that was almost entirely monochromatic. As a child, my only knowledge of Black history and culture came from classroom Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations and The Cosby Show on TV. As an adult, I’m so grateful to the Black colleagues and friends who have vastly expanded my perspectives and had patience for my mistakes. For a p

As he reflected on his mission to walk on the moon fifty-five years ago, astronaut Edgar Mitchell reflected on the shift in perspective that comes from seeing the Earth from space. (Warning: he uses saltier language than typically appears in these pages, but I think his point is well taken.) “You develop an instant global consciousness," he said, "a people orientation, an intense dissatisfaction with the state of the world, and a compulsion to do something about it. Fro

Dear friends, My family often takes a short trip in January when our kids have a few days off school; this year, we went to Los Angeles for Disneyland and the beach. While Pittsburgh froze in single-digit temperatures, we took off our sweatshirts to feel the sunshine (remember sunshine?) on our skin. Pittsburghers gather outside the Immigration & Customs Enforcement office on the South Side for a weekly vigil. The same weekend that we spent dipping our toes in the Pacifi