Sunday Morning
September 18, 2011 by Rebecca Blackwell
Filed under Rebecca's Blog
I see and hear the most interesting things as I travel the roads on Sunday mornings, en route to one or more of our congregations. Some of them are hilarious; some of them are profound . Today, the encounter was profound and provocative. As I wa…
Minneapolis Musings
September 6, 2011 by Rebecca Blackwell
Filed under Rebecca's Blog
More than a week has passed since the gathering of the Fellowship of Presbyterians[i] in Minneapolis. Despite the fact that I share the Fellowship’s passion for missional church and a deep fatigue with denominational fighting and politics over ordi…
Thinking About Denominational Division and Divorce
July 6, 2011 by Rebecca Blackwell
Filed under Rebecca's Blog
Well, it has happened. Citing the recent changes in our constitution, one of our congregations has asked to be dismissed to another denomination. Several others are considering similar moves. Some of these are congregations in which we have made considerable investments of time, prayer, energy and money. All of them are congregations with… read more
Approval of Amendment 10-A
May 7, 2011 by Rebecca Blackwell
Filed under News, Rebecca's Blog
Dear Colleagues in Ministry, It now appears that Overture 10A will be approved by a majority of Presbyteries within the next week or so and become effective July 11, 2011. As you may recall this Overture amends the language of G-6.0106b regarding standards for ordained service. As evidenced by the close vote on 10-A and [...]
No brag… just fact
March 18, 2011 by Rebecca Blackwell
Filed under Rebecca's Blog
I know that pride is a sin, and it IS Lent, but I can’t help but be more than a little proud of the work done by our Spiritual Development Team. You may remember that last year, they treated our Presbytery meeting with an experience of group Le…
Discussing “Community”
January 26, 2011 by Rebecca Blackwell
Filed under Rebecca's Blog
A brief update on the book discussion for Peter Block’s “Community: The Structure of Belonging.” (see post from November 24, 2010). You are invited (along with anyone YOU wish to invite) to come to the Presbytery office on Groun…
Theology Anyone?
January 10, 2011 by Rebecca Blackwell
Filed under Rebecca's Blog
I’ve been pondering some things lately, and this snowy, shut-in day finally allows me the opportunity to do some writing about it. Two comments have been on my mind: Comment #1: At our September Presbytery gathering, Rev. Mickey Shealy commented …
From the Margin to the Center (a meditative midrash on the nativity stories in the gospels of Matt and Luke)
December 24, 2010 by Rebecca Blackwell
Filed under Rebecca's Blog
It all began simply enough: Boy meets girl… girl and boy become engaged. Mary was betrothed to Joseph: betrothal is a covenantal arrangement in which a couple are promised to one another in marriage. As customary in first century Palestine, o…



