I remember the Ash Wednesday when everything went wrong. I was moving a small bowl of ash, and it tipped over. Black palm ash went everywhere! It is so fine that you can’t just sweep it up but rather need to attack with damp cloths and the knowledge that you will not leave the affair unmarked. My hands resembled those of a chimney sweep- molted with soot. My fingers were tipped with perfect half circles of pitch-black embedded under each nail.
Pastors’ Column
![photo showing part of a bible.](/images/sectionheros/Psalm133.jpg)
Each week one of our pastors or staff members writes a column observing what is going on in our congregation, the Church and the world, and offering reflections on the Christian life and faith. Through this series of columns, we hope to connect your and our story to the enduring story of Christ; to offer pastoral reflections on our ongoing congregational life and mission; to report on news of the Presbyterian Church and Church universal; and to invite further reflection and deeper discipleship. We welcome your comments and suggestions. In other words, our words here are an invitation to continue the conversation.
Each year, Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church asks the youth to lead the church in congregational Worship on Youth Sunday. As the Associate Pastor for Youth & Their Families at BMPC, it is likely unsurprising that I believe this Sunday to be one of the holiest days in our church calendar.
My first winter at BMPC was in 1983. What a winter that was. That February, Philadelphia was struck by a blizzard named “Megapolitan Blizzard” (21 inches of snow). Record cold temperatures prevailed. I still remember going to Chinatown with BMPC members for dinner and thinking, “I’ve never been this cold before!” (this is from a guy who grew up in Iowa and then went to graduate school in Rochester, NY!) That spring, the Music and Fine Arts Council decided to offer a “Midwinter Festival” the following February, on the Saturday before Lent – as a kind of “Bryn Mawr Mardi Gras.” Plenty of skeptics said, “Jeff, BMPC will never go for this.” Happily, they were wrong, and a tradition began that continued for nearly 25 years.
Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Miriam, Zechariah, Elizabeth, Simeon, Anna – these are names of just some of the senior adults that God used in significant ways as told in scripture. Even if they had retired from work to support their livelihood, God still actively engaged them in ministry in a variety of ways. I am thankful to get to support senior adults at BMPC in ways that enrich and engage them in active ministry in service to our Lord Jesus Christ.
Here are some upcoming initiatives having to do with senior adults (keep reading even if you are not a senior adult):
Almost every night since January 2 the Atrium and Gymnasium here at BMPC have been used to shelter men sleeping outside in our community on these cold nights of the winter. For them it is a much-needed relief from the stress of sleeping in the elements, of navigating spaces where they are not welcome, and simply a respite from the dangers of being outside in the cold.
On Sunday, January 21 at 2 p.m., you are all invited to attend a wonderful organ recital by James Kealey, the recent laureate of the American Guild of Organists National Young Artists Competition in Organ Performance (NYACOP). It’s always nice to learn more about performers, so please enjoy this brief interview with this immensely talented organist.
The snow was falling at a frantic pace, it was a nice change from the sleet that had been falling earlier, but the howling wind and ominous grey sky did not make anyone in the classroom feel better about the afternoon’s outlook. I was in a room filled with social workers, counselors, and pastors all attempting to learn new techniques to help people ground themselves. The instructor was outstanding. Despite the fact that the entire room would turn each time a branch whacked a window or a new weather alert buzzed on someone’s phone; she continued speaking in a calm clear voice encouraging us to breathe deeply, keep both feet on the ground, let our eyes focus on a neutral point on the wall. We would nod and scribble down notes, about how in moments of high stress it can be difficult to convince someone that such methods could prove helpful. I think the class collectively blushed when she said, “For instance, right now.”
- A Prayer for the New Year
- Finding the Holy
- Longest Night Worship Service
- Advent Lessons and Carols
- The Gift of Advent
- A PRAYER FOR THANKSGIVING DAY 2023
- Thanksgiving Pancake Breakfast 2023
- 2023 Advent Gift Market
- All Saints’ Sunday
- Theologian in Residence
- Christ is Made the Sure Foundation
- Anniversary Greetings from Afar
- A Time to Celebrate
- Table Scraps
- Celebrating Twenty-five Years of Mission
- Third Grade Bibles
- The Joy of Being Christ’s Church
- Expressing God’s Deep Care
- Evening Worship
- BMPC Youth Camp @ Massanetta Springs!