News & Announcements
Swedenborgian Church Youth League By Kurt Fekete Six enthusiastic teenagers from five different states came to Duxbury, Massachusetts, to attend the annual fall retreat at Cedar Hill Retreat Center. Our theme was “Look to the Heavens,” and we explored celestial bodies, both natural and spiritual, through art, religion, science, creative projects, and the writings of
Teens Look to the Heavens at Cedar Hill Retreat Center Read More »
Reflection on the Keynote Address By Sage Cole At Convention this past July, I offered a keynote address titled“Being Everyday Mystics: Helen Keller and the Inner Call of the New Church.” Standing before our denomination’s representative body, my intended address got lost in an exposed vulnerable panic as I spoke hardly a word at all.
Be Love, Be Honest, Be Useful Read More »
by Jay Barry Our story begins with a soldier. He was on horseback, entering the city during a time of war. It was a winter day, and he saw a man who appeared desperate, and cold. The soldier approached him; he took off his own coat, and ripped it in half. He wrapped this around
Saint Martin’s Robe Read More »
A Message from the President Still basking from our annual denominational convention at Bridgewater State University, I’m in a reflective mood about our tradition of our large denominational gathering every summer. Especially I’ve been musing about how we gather. Save for 1984 when we met at a large church camp owned by the National Council
How We Gather in the Summer: Past, Present, and Future Read More »
By Andrew Dodd Last October (2022) was the 500th anniversary of Columbus setting foot on land that, to most Europeans, was a “new world,” but in reality, it had been already been inhabited for many millennia by diverse people and civilizations, with languages and cultural practices that deeply connected all life rooted in their home on
Acknowledging Indigenous People: Our Journey Read More »
Message from the Ordination Speaker By Rev. Jane Siebert Introduction to the reading from Ezekiel 47:1–12. The Hebrew prophet Ezekiel had several visions while in captivity in Babylon. He foresaw the destruction of Solomon’s temple, and the reading tonight is taken from his last vision during the twenty-fifth year of his exile. An angel took
The Cloud of Witnesses Read More »
Convention Preacher Sermon By Rev. Rich Tafel In all my years of preaching, there’s one thing I have said that really gets push back. It’s not the topic I expected. Mind you I’ve preached on the most controversial topics you can imagine. In fact, I preached a whole sermon series called “Sermons Ministers Won’t Preach
What in the World Comes Next: Why I Remain Optimistic Read More »
Opening of Convention By Rev. Dr. Jim Lawrence Welcome to the 199th Convention of the Swedenborgian Church of North America. Of course, our legal name and the one which we commonly used until about twenty years ago is the General Convention of the New Jerusalem, and that legal incorporated name came the first words of
Practicing Optimism Toward Our Future Read More »
A Message from the Ordinand By Rev. Dr. Devin Zuber The text for my sermon today comes from the gospel of Mark 4: 26–32: He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts
Planting for the Future Read More »
