Parson to Person

January 29, 2023

Children and Church

Many of you have probably noticed that we have been getting more families with children here at UCN. (Which is exactly what we were hoping for when we revamped our Sunday School...
December 30, 2022

Angel Hair on the Tree

One of my favorite singer/songwriters, Chris Williamson, grew up in Wisconsin (in a little place called Moonlight Ranch). This holiday season I've been thinking about a story she once...
July 6, 2022

“Carpets, Clothing, Little Drops of Water” June 24, 2022

As I watched UCN folks clear the sanctuary for the laying of the new carpet (thank you, thank you!), I thought about a few typos from church bulletins that I...
May 31, 2022

“Success vs. Significance–and Donkeys” Apr. 29, 2022

The African-American preacher and author, the Rev. William Sloan Coffin, once said: “We don’t have to be ‘successful,’ only valuable. We don’t have to make money, only a difference…” Yet […]
March 30, 2022

“An April Fool’s Birthday” Mar. 25, 2022

March 8, 2022

“Humility and Ash Wednesday” Mar. 8, 2022

Just over a week ago was Ash Wednesday, a day I remember as a time to be humble. The priest would put ashes on people's...
February 1, 2022

“Chicken or Lamb?” Jan. 29, 2022

Some of you may remember my sermon on "The God I Believe In" (delivered on December 12, 2021). In it I referred to a Jewish concept--"tikkun olam," which means "repair of the world."...
January 4, 2022

“Unintended Humor” Dec. 31, 2021

Every once in a while I have shared actual typos from church newsletters and bulletins in my Northliner column. Not all of them are technically typographical, of course--some are simply words...
December 3, 2021

“Much Obliged, Lord” December 3, 2021

By the time you read this, Thanksgiving will have come and gone. But, since it’s important to give thanks on more than one day a year, I thought I’d include this anecdote...