News & Announcements
By Rev. Robert McCluskey In the fall of 1978, I was introduced to John Barents, a neighbor and soon-to-be best friend. He was a very talented and prolific abstract painter, and very well read in philosophy. Our interests were many, but standouts would be Plato, Spinoza, Wittgenstein, Gurdjieff, and Nicoll—and our love of Wassily Kandinsky,
Kandinsky’s Triangle Read More »
By Dr. Rebecca Esterson In the spring of 2026, with the support of the CSS Board of Trustees, I took a partial leave of absence to enroll in a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE). There were two reasons I decided to do CPE. The first relates to professional development as the Dean of the
Accompanying the Dying and Their Loved Ones Read More »
Compiled By Rev. Jay Barry During their annual meeting in 2024, the Council of Ministers created a chaplaincy committee whose purpose was “to advise the denominational endorsing officer for the certification of chaplains, as well as supporting our chaplains through professional and educational development.” Rev. Jay Barry is the chair of this committee. In honor
The Ministry of Chaplaincy Read More »
By Dr. Rebecca Esterson This past summer, the Department of Defense (DOD), under the direction of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, dropped 180 faith groups from its official list of religious codes for service members. The list, which was reduced from 211 religions to just 31, is used for collecting information on the religious affiliation of
A Tradition of Service Read More »
By Rev. Dr. Jim Lawrence One of the strongest programs in our church these days is the teen youth work of the Swedenborgian Church Youth League (SCYL), led by our Youth Director Kurt Fekete, who has also been the vice president of the denomination for many years. This is the national group that spans coast
Teen Ministry: From Innocence of Childhood to Responsibility of Adulthood Read More »
By Rev. Roslyn Taylor Women from across the Swedenborgian and New Church communities gathered September 25–28, 2025 for the international women’s retreat Gathering Leaves, at the beautiful Temenos Retreat Center in West Chester, Pennsylvania. The theme, “Remaining Rooted Through Adversity,” framed a weekend filled with worship, learning, creativity, and sisterhood. Thirty-six women from North America
Gathering Leaves 2025 and 2027 Read More »
By Kurt Fekete Fifteen teenagers gathered at Almont Retreat Center in Michigan for the Memorial Day Weekend Swedenborgian Church Youth League (SCYL) retreat titled Becoming You: A Retreat on Freedom, Formation, and Divine Providence. SCYL Chaplain, Rev. Renée Machiniak, seminarian Ben Gunter (with Rev. Kit Billings observing), and I led spiritual workshops and worship, while
Who Are We Becoming? The SCYL Memorial Weekend Retreat Read More »
By Gretchen Goodine On Sunday, June 21, 2026, the Church of the New Jerusalem in Bath, Maine, held an Installation Ceremony for Rev. Alison Lane-Olsen. Alison began preaching at the church as an interim minister beginning in October of 2024. While the congregation endeavored to search for a permanent minister, the desire to find a
The Social Justice Committee presents:Faith Under Fire: Defending Democracy in the Age of Authoritarian ThreatsWednesday, October 7, 2026, 7 PM Eastern on Zoom. The agenda for this 90 minute workshop on Voting Rights includes: This workshop will be led by Min. Christian S. Watkins, MDiv (he/him). Christian serves as senior government relations advocate for Criminal Legal Systems, Democracy Reform, and Reparatory Justice at NETWORK Lobby
