Pastor’s Blog, Week of Sept. 7: Welcome Back, Beloved Community

by Stacey Hilliard | Sep 9, 2026 | Conversations

This coming Sunday (Sept. 13) we begin our fall routines in earnest: worship moves back to the sanctuary, the choir returns, the adults resume their Sunday morning study group. For those who have been away over the summer months—and for those who have stayed—“back-to-church” Sunday is an opportunity to reconnect with our church family and establish a rhythm for the coming season.

This September, as we continue to get to know each other as pastor and congregation, our worship will center around the beloved community, a concept named by Josiah Royce and built upon by Martin Luther King Jr. To them, beloved community was grounded in God’s agape love, a love strong enough to confront injustice without growing to hate “the enemy.” The beloved community is a place where all can participate and flourish even now, and creating that community, King said, would “require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives.”

Since arriving at Crawford, I’ve heard many testimonies to the power of community found here: annual traditions that bring people together, small groups that respect and challenge our perspectives, the presence of prayerful friends during a difficult moment. I’ve also heard (and share in) the concern that not everyone has this type of community to turn to. And when we look around, we recognize that our community does not include everyone that it could. 

This fall as we worship together, we will do so with eye and heart toward the vision of beloved community that God sets forth. We’ll examine some of the obstacles, but more importantly, we’ll look at tangible steps we can take now to join, create, and invite others into transformative relationship with God and neighbor. And, as Dr. King said, we should prepare for some quantitative and qualitative changes ourselves!

In pursuit of that change, the adult study group will be reading together Mónica Guzmán’s I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times. This book, which focuses specifically but not exclusively on political divisions, will be an important guide as we prepare to be beloved community through the midterm elections. This study, facilitated by Pam Reeve, will run through October 11. View the study plan. 

Another way we’re refreshing our sense of community is through the (re)connect sessions. Initially billed as meet-the-pastor sessions, these are opportunities to learn a bit about me, but also to share with each other what has been most transformative about life at Crawford as well as where our hopes and energy lie at this moment. It’s my dream that every Crawford member would attend at least one session. There are still several opportunities, including virtual ones. I hope to see you at one of them!

Last but not least, Sunday Sept. 13 will be a special day of celebration. After major renovations this summer, we will rededicate Gifford Hall for future ministry use, dreaming of and praying for the beloved community who would be formed within that space. Also during coffee hour, the parsonage will be open for visitors. My family and I are very grateful for your stewardship of this property which has become our home; we’d love for you to see how we’re settling in.

September Worship Schedule

9/13 – The Vision of Beloved Community | Acts 2:1-21
After church: Gifford Hall Dedication & Parsonage Open House

9/20 – Overcoming Obstacles to Beloved Community | Matthew 23:1-5, 37-39
After church: (Re)Connect session (Meet the pastor) (begin at 11:45)

9/27 – Becoming Beloved Community | Matthew 25: 31-46
After church: Sunday School Showcase in Gifford Hall (11:00)
(Re)Connect session (Meet the pastor) (begin at 11:45)

Webinar: The Moral Urgency of Voting Rights

by Stacey Hilliard | Sep 7, 2026 | Conversations

From the September 9th UMCatalyst, The Weekly newsletter for the New England Conference

As we enter the midterm general election season, the NEAC Board of Church & Society invites you to join us at 7 pm on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, for a special webinar featuring Chavis Jones, Counsel at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Chavis will share with us the current threats to voting rights in our country and how we are called to work for change as people of faith.  Click here to register for this event. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Rev. Nicholas Perez at ndperez040592@gmail.com.

Pastor’s Blog: Meet Pastor Jen

by Stacey Hilliard | Aug 19, 2026 | Conversations

As promised, I’m putting together several opportunities for small-group, informal conversations that will allow us to get to know each other a bit better as we embark on shared ministry.

At each meeting, I’ll take some time to share about my own life BC (before Crawford!) while leaving plenty of time for us to talk about the life we now share. The three questions below should give us plenty to talk about.

1. What do you most want your new pastor to know about you (as an individual)?
2. Name one transformative experience you’ve had through Crawford.
3. What is one area of potential future ministry that excites or energizes you?

We’ll allow 75 minutes for each meeting and up to eight slots for participants. It is important to sign up ahead of time so that we don’t end up with a group too large to allow for full participation. As you’ll see, there will be opportunities following worship, during the week (night and day), in person and via video chat. Find the time and format that works best for you! I’m looking forward to meeting with you soon.

Jen Mihok

Sign up for a timeslot that works for you via Signup Genius HERE, or on the physical sign-up available in the lobby outside of Gifford Hall after worship on Sunday. And yes, our first one of these is coming up quickly – this Sunday after church! 

Pastor’s Blog: Soft Relaunch of Sunday School, August 16

by Stacey Hilliard | Jul 29, 2026 | Conversations

It is with joy, excitement, and gratitude that I announce an official relaunch of Sunday School at Crawford, beginning August 16. If you’ve been attending worship—either online or in person— you may have noticed that we’ve had 3-7 young children in our midst over the last month, some of them older than our current guidance for nursery use.

In order to support their learning, growth, and connections to the Crawford community, beginning Aug. 16, we will offer the following plan for Christian Education in addition to nursery care:

• All children are invited to stay in worship through the children’s time (early in the service)
• After dismissal, kids will go to a downstairs classroom for 10-20 minutes of structured activities, which may include a story, video, craft or game.
• During the remaining worship time, kids will have free play, possibly in conjunction with the nursery

We’ll begin by using the Mini-Revolutions curriculum from Illustrated Ministry. This lectionary-based program comes with several options for engaging with the weekly story, each embracing inclusive theology that centers wonder over fear, and questions over rote, “right” answers.

Sunday School is open to PreK-elementary age children, roughly 4 years through 10 years. We recognize that this is a wide span, and that some younger learners may do better in the nursery than in the Sunday School room.

Part of this “soft launch” from August 16 through September 6 is to experiment and tweak. Families are encouraged to use the nursery or Sunday School as best meets their needs that day. We’ll be making our own adjustments as we go, providing any updates to the format in time for back-to-church Sunday, which is September 13.

Many and great thanks to Kim Burke and Bernadette who have raised their hands to get the program off the ground, but we will certainly need more volunteers in the rotation. We’re hoping that this flexible, first-step format will work well not only for kids and families, but also for potential volunteers. Being in the classroom even once a month will make a huge difference in moving the program forward. Please speak to Kim, Bernadette, or me if this might be a possibility for you.*

Nursery care will continue to be offered each week, beginning at 9:45 and ending at the conclusion of worship. Many thanks to Cindy Slack who continues to provide a consistent presence and coordinate nursery staff. She is also very excited for Sunday School’s relaunch and ongoing connection between the groups.

With gratitude and hope,

Pastor Jen

*Please note that in keeping with Crawford’s Safe Sanctuary policy, all volunteers must submit to and pass a background check.