This morning in worship we will sing the familiar hymn When I Survey the Wondrous Cross. This hymn was written by the father of English hymnody, Isaac Watts, and is considered by many to be his crowning achievement. While originally intended as a communion hymn, it...
Back in August my daughter started kindergarten, which means she also started joining us in the Sanctuary for worship. She had spent the previous year watching her brother go to “big church” and was so excited when it was finally her turn. She was wide-eyed and a bit...
This week the ministers of Wilshire were on retreat in Beech Grove, Indiana, spending time deepening our relationships with each other, with God and with ourselves. It seems the overwhelming message of our time together challenged us to seek the uncovered places in...
I remember the first time I heard a pipe organ in person. I was 13 and attended an organ concert at the First Christian Church in downtown Eugene, Oregon. I remember walking into the impressive Corinthian-style building with enormous Tiffany stained-glass windows...
Today, 11 Wilshire members are worshiping alongside Primera Iglesia Bautista de Río Piedras in San Juan, Puerto Rico. First Baptist Church Río Piedras is a historic congregation. Established in 1899, it was the island’s first Baptist church and at one time its...
By LeAnn Hampton. Today is the first Sunday in the season of Lent and coincides with a new season in the life of our church as we welcome Ariel Merivil as our new minister of music. In the search committee’s conversations with Ariel, we heard his desire to build on...
By R.G. Huff. It’s Super Bowl Sunday. It’s the last Sunday before Ariel, our new minister of music, starts. Timothy is back from preaching at St. Bart’s Cathedral in New York, and it’s Transfiguration Sunday in the lectionary. I have to admit: I understand the first...
In looking over this morning’s service, I was immediately struck by the words our Youth Choir will be singing in the Call To Worship: “In the midst of pain, I choose love … in the midst of war, I choose peace … when my world falls down, I will rise.” These words are...
The year was 1978 in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. A group of five teenage boys came together and created a band, New Edition, so named to indicate they were a new edition of the Jackson 5. The group reached the height of its popularity in the 1980s and...
Have you ever assessed your listening skills honestly? I recently did and realized I am often least attentive when I’m listening to those I love most. There are times when Chris or the kids mention a person or anecdote that I have no memory of previously hearing. It’s...