The Villager Voice

Yesterday I attended the annual Middlesex Association’s annual clergy retreat at the Mercy Center in Madison, a lovely retreat/conference center overlooking Long Island Sound.  Now, I do meet with my colleagues regularly; the UCC clergy meet monthly, our interfaith Valley Shore Clergy Association does the same, and my membership on the Association’s Committee on Ministry and Executive Board means I see some clergy and lay folks regularly as well.  But yesterday was different:  instead of agendas to pursue and the usual chit-chat among us, we had the opportunity to focus on our own ministry, the state of the church and denomination, and to spend time in listening, discerning and prayer.  Because it is an annual event, I also see colleagues from across the Association (which ranges from East Hampton in the north to Old Lyme and Old Saybrook in the south to Clinton in the west!) who only come out for the retreat.  Whenever I get together with colleagues, I like to joke that I am off to hobnob with my fellow wizards, and in a sense that is true:  there is a lot of wisdom in the room from which I continue to learn and benefit.  The fellowship and camaraderie we experience in the Middlesex Association is not unique, but in my experience they are more deeply felt, and there is a greater commitment to holding one another up than in other settings I’ve experienced.  I remain grateful for the opportunity to spend time among so gifted and faithful a group.  (I also met, for the first time, the pastor of the North Guilford UCC, a sister Princeton alum.)

Closer to home, many thanks and much gratitude to Jonathan Tobin and Giroux Landscaping for the beautiful job they did sprucing up our church grounds last week.  You’ve likely noticed the shrubs are trimmed, trees pruned, gardens cleaned out and lawn groomed and edged.  When next you see Jonathan, be sure to thank him and give him and his crew two thumbs up!

The links to this Sunday’s bulletin and service are here:

Link to Bulletin

Link to Service