News

Good morning, Friends! On Sunday, Josiah preached to us about putting on new “clothes”—changing our thinking, our identity, and then our character to align with Jesus.  This is a great reminder for us to always embrace disciplines of self-reflection. As we continue our journey with Christ, a big part of our growth in that journey is taking the time and space to reflect on where we’ve been, where we are now, and what needs to change so that we live…

Greetings in Christ’s name! Most likely, the name “Quaker” was originally a derogatory term given to members of the Society of Friends in 1650.  The term had earlier been applied to members of other religious sects who shook with religious fervor during their worship.  But, as the story goes, George Fox admonished Justice Bennett in Derby, England, saying that the judge ought to “tremble at the word of the Lord.”  The judge then turned the phrase and called Fox and…

Greetings in Christ’s name! According to John’s gospel, when Jesus appeared to the disciples after God raised him from the dead, he said to them, “Peace be with you.  As the Father sent me, so I am sending you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; if you don’t forgive them, they aren’t forgiven.”  What struck me when I read this passage last week was different than what has garnered my…

Greetings in Christ’s name! You may know that the Friendswood 4th of July parade has been moved to July 5th at 10am so we won’t have to worship on Sunday while fire engines are blasting their way down Friendswood Drive.  You may not know that Carol Cline Vaughn will be the Grand Marshall of this year’s parade.  Carol is the oldest surviving member of the Frank J. Brown family, who founded Friendswood.  Her grandson, Bobby Kirkpatrick, will be accompanying her…

A few weeks ago we received some thank you notes from Evangelical Friends Mission board members.  You probably remember that EFM is the mission arm of Friends churches and is the agency that sponsors the Brad and Chelsea Carpenter family in Rwanda, David Thomas in Oregon, and the M. and K. L. family in Asia—all families that our church supports.  In the past, we’ve had several other missionaries from our church serve with EFM and have been thankful for their…

Greetings in Christ’s name! Therefore, as God’s choice, holy and loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Be tolerant with each other and, if someone has a complaint against anyone, forgive each other. As the Lord forgave you, so also forgive each other. 14 And over all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.  –Colossians 3.12-14 Rochelle and I had friends in Boise who joined Boise Friends Church because of one specific experience.  When they arrived…

Greetings in Christ’s name! Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name.  Make known his deeds among the people!  (1 Chronicles 16.8, Psalm 105.1) That refrain was apparently a popular song or chant among the Israelite people because it’s found in at least two places in our scripture.  The song is a call to thanksgiving and an imperative to announce the good works of God.  And we have much to be thankful for.  Another school year has come to…

Greetings in Christ’s name! In the past year, the differences in opinions about things like the pandemic or racial reconciliation or the presidential election have all created stress in the relationships we have.  Whether it has been colleagues at work with whom you have disagreed or friends down the street or even family members, it’s safe to say that most of us have experienced strained relationships over some of these issues.  In fact, some of those disagreements have felt personal…