Greetings, Friends!

I want to send you an update on what’s been happening in the office lately.  I’ve been quite busy with worship, Bible studies, funerals, visitations, and the work that I do as the Moderator of the Massachusetts Association of Congregational Christian Churches (MACCC) and as the Chairperson of the MACCC’s Clergy Standing Committee.  I’ve also been working with Alex Killian, who has been a blessing as our student minister this year.  In fact, I was at a meeting at Boston University on Tuesday as part of the “wrap-up” of Alex’s field placement with us.  His last Sunday will be May 14.

There are a few things to put on your calendar and to be thinking about.

Bible Study

Some of you may know that I recently wrote a book on ethics — a supplement to classic texts within moral philosophy — entitled, Applied Ethics: Exploring Ethical Theory in the Medical, Environmental, and Business Fields (Dubuque: Kendall Hunt, 2022).  Our next Bible study will focus on ethics.  We will explore theories put forth by some of the greats of history: e.g., Aristotle, Immanuel Kant, and Utilitarians such as Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill.  We will compare the philosophy of these thinkers to Christian ethics as we apply these learnings to some of the social issues we face today.  I will provide passages from my book to all who are interested in taking this class.  We will meet on Tuesday evenings from 7:00 to 8:00 pm in the Social Room.  We will provide a Zoom link as well.  The dates are May 9, 16, 23, 30, June 6 and 13.

Alt Worship @ CCC

I am in the process of planning an Alternative Worship Service with our Deacons.  My vision is of a very, very informal service.  No set-structure.  Spirit-led.  Some singing.  Some praying.  Some sharing ideas about a particular Scripture passage we choose to read.  Watch for details as they develop.

Outreach to Visitors

I’ve noticed that we have had more visitors than usual lately.  We need to be more intentional in greeting these people and reaching out to them.  This, I believe, is the key to turning visitors into regular attendees, and regular attendees into members.  I welcome any one of you who would like to assist me in this endeavor.

Peace and blessings to you all as we approach Pentecost!

~ The Rev. Dr. John Tamilio III