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Messenger Articles
A Little Church with A Big Voice
Support Our Little Church with Its Special Purpose Most of the time we understand church as an organization on earth. Swedenborg recognizes this and calls this form “the church specific.” But he also shaped a powerful perspective on the way church exists as a form of spiritual force. We individually can be understood as a
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Celebrating Our Work with the National Council of Churches
By Rev. Dr. Jim Lawrence The Swedenborgian Church of North America is the only one of the five Swedenborgian denominations worldwide to be officially involved in ecumenical work in their country. The National Council of Churches in Christ (NCC) in the U.S. arose as a place for Christian denominations to have a structure for common
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Repairers of the Breach
by Rev. Dr. Amanda Riley On the last Wednesday in October, a flurry of emails and text messages began. Everyone was trying to figure out what to do if the Nationwide SNAP program with distribution set for Saturday, November 1, was paused. This has never happened before in the eighty-six-year history of food aid in
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Portland in the Rearview Mirror
by By Rev. Dr. Jim Lawrence The surprisingly green urban spaces of downtown Portland, Oregon look lovely in hindsight as we move forward from our 201st annual meeting held in a conference hotel adjacent to Portland State University for those in person, and we also again maintained virtual participation for people to join us from
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Who Is My Neighbor?
by Amanda Riley “Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’ He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’” Luke 10:36–37 It was a particularly warm day in August, bright and sunny, when church
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Spiritually Appointed
by Lynn Chittick Thompson “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.” —John 15:16 “Let’s all go over the high mountain together, in the twenty-first century, together, hand in hand,” —Aveline Kushi In the quiet serenity of Becket, Massachusetts, I
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2025 Display Tables: Showcasing Our Greater Community
Every year at Convention, we are treated to some delightful displays from our church membership from across the continent, usually with a regional focus to wherever Convention is being held each year. These displays showcase the various communities, endeavors, and organizations within the denomination’s membership. This year, the displays will be located in the Columbia Falls
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What Are You Rising Into?
Easter Sermon from April 20, 2025 by Rich Tafel Good morning, and Happy Easter. The Lord is risen. And the good news of Easter is—so are we. Each Easter has a special and unique message. I’m thinking back today to Easter 2021, just as the world was catching its breath after the pandemic, and in
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