Sermon delivered at Haydenville Congregational Church Oct. 20, 2024. Hi, my name is Carla Imperial, and I am an imposter. Introduction In September of 2001, Megan and I set out on a much-needed respite from our demanding work lives. We headed as far north as we could before reaching the Canadian border, to a remote lake in Vermont. Our cabin had no…

Based upon 1 Corinthians 12:4-16, September 29, 2024 Rev. Mark Seifried @ Haydenville Congregational Church, UCC For more than a few years, I have been reading about the decline of the mainline church. The mainline church has historically included our congregation. Back in 2008, church historian Phyllis Tickle pointed out that every five hundred years or so the church experiences convulsions as…

`As offered by Pastor Mark as part of his sermon Sunday , March 3.  The service can be found on our Facebook page. How are you? Really. How are you? I just had to send a note to tell you how much I care about you.        I saw you yesterday as you were talking with your friends. I know how much you…

By Annie Turner Recently, I started knitting a Reiki shawl for my husband as a belated Christmas present. The yarn is this astonishing, hand-dyed Bad Sheep yarn in a multitude of bright colors. I finished one ball and got set to stretch out the next skein and roll it into a ball. Somehow, something went badly wrong. Satanically wrong. Throw the skein…

As the new pastor of the church, I have been amazed by how people described their relationship with the church as transformative – that their involvement with this congregation has deeply impacted their lives and changed them for the better. Here’s just a few such sentiments I have heard: I give thanks for the loving kindness and generous Spirit that is at…