February 8th, 2026 | Pastor Rachel

Beloved Friends,

Last week, we came together in a time of healing prayer to pray for our community, our country and our world. We are feeling the immense weight of a barrage of bad news. It's a burden too great for us to bear, and many of us are finding that lament is the greatest response we can offer. We lament the loss of lives to violence in any form. We lament the lost relationships of family, friends, and neighbors. But sometimes, our anguish leads us further into anger and despair. I want to offer a reflection on this.

At the start of the year, I found myself growing increasingly more anxious. To be sure, the many injustices in this world are enough to leave anyone uneasy and upset, especially if your concern goes beyond your immediate safety to the safety of your neighbors. This was something different. My brain would not turn off from the constant spiral of anxious thoughts despite the shifts I made in my personal and spiritual life. I was rooting myself in Scripture but finding myself adrift in the algorithmic sea of social media, something that is intent on generating more and more of a certain thing. I felt the tension between staying informed for the sake of my ministry and community and tuning out for my own sanity. How quickly our sermon series, “Turn, Turn, Turn,” left my head!

It was time to return to those messages, so I turned down the noise and deleted some of my news apps. They weren’t helping. In fact, they were causing more harm, putting me at risk of making idols out of my own fears and fixations. If we find ourselves centering something other than God’s love in the ways we act, think, and live we will find ourselves in a hard place that we do not want to be. I also reflected on the message of 1 John 4:17-19:

Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgement, because as he is, so are we in this world.  There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because he first loved us.

“Perfect love casts out all fear” has become a mantra of mine, especially in times of stress, anger, and sorrow. If we sit in the assurance of God’s love let nothing cause us to fear. There is nothing to fear that Christ has not already conquered by his death and resurrection. Our faith is not placed in a person, an institution, a government, or a country but in Jesus Christ who calls us to do the work of building the Kingdom of God. That means we must be peacemakers and advocates for justice in this world. We must center God’s love in all that we do, even when we are afraid, even when we are angry, and live with love as the lead. And maybe, if you’re like me, it’s time to turn down the noise and turn off the screens once again. 

I am praying for you all as you go throughout your week.

With Love,

Pastor Rachel

The Good News: Memorial Hosts Community Vigil with Local Congregations

As an act of collective pastoral care for our community, a group of local pastors offered a time of vigil and prayer Thursday night. Around 250 people gathered peacefully on the steps of Memorial to recognize their shared hurt by praying, singing, and finding comfort together.

The vigil was led by clergy from Memorial, First Presbyterian Church, New Vision United Church of Christ, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Greater Fernandina Beach Church of God, and chaplains from Baptist Nassau and Community Hospice, and supported by the clergy of Trinity United Methodist Church and St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church.

Fr. Eric, from St. Michael’s, was unavailable to attend in person, and sent over a greeting along with words that were shared from a recent message given by Archbishop Coakley, the President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops:  "Let us pray for reconciliation where there is division, for justice where there are violations of fundamental rights, and for consolation for all who feel overwhelmed by fear or loss." 

As a welcome and reminder of the purpose of the gathering, Pastor Charlie said,” We are not here in protest. There are times and places for that. We are here to hold one another up in our collective sadness, concern, and frustration, and to stand alongside our brothers and sisters across the nation and world.” Then, referencing Genesis 4:9, he offered,” We too are asked this question, ‘Am I really my brother’s keeper?’ Yes, you are your brother’s keeper. To be human means to care for one another – brothers and sisters alike.”

Rev. Dawn, from First Presbyterian, lifted up areas of shared concern in her prayers with the people, “for places throughout our world that are steeped in conflict: Ukraine, the Middle East, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo. And also, for our own nation, especially the city of Minneapolis tonight. We lift these places up before you. Your people cry, ‘How long, O Lord?’ “

The candlelight vigil ended with the gathered singing “Amazing Grace” and carrying their lights with them into the darkness. 

January 30th, 2026 | Pastor Charlie

“That’s Good.”

In my sermon last Sunday, I invited you to become "beauty-spotters" this week. Each time you saw something beautiful, I asked you to stop, take a breath, and then say the words “That’s good!” I have been doing that myself this week, although it has not always been in response to the beauty of creation.

After church on Sunday, I made my way to Warren Willis Camp and Conference center in Leesburg, FL, where I was gathering with other members of the Board of Ordained Ministry so we could interview candidates seeking ordination as United Methodist Elders or Deacons. This process takes a long time during which my small group and I get to meet with the same candidates each year, which allows us to see their growth, learning, development, and progress all along the way.  This past week I was deeply moved many times as I listened to candidates telling of how this process, long and laborious as it is, shapes and forms them in all the right ways for their lives of ordained ministry. Each time I heard a story of growth towards readiness for ordination, I whispered “That’s good!” to myself.

On Thursday evening (1/29), I gathered with other clergy and around 200 people from our local community. We were gathering to stand together in these difficult times, to lament what we are seeing with our own eyes in our nation and world, and to pray for all who are suffering most. 

To gather with one another in unity of heart and mind was beautiful. 

Leading an act of collective pastoral care in response to the expressed sadness and concern of our people was a deep honor.

Joining my voice in prayer with the voices of all those gathered was sacred and holy.

I got to the end of it all and whispered to myself, “That’s good.”

My encouragement to you t

oday is to keep spotting moments and places of beauty, and to keep proclaiming “That’s good!” because God is to be found and experienced in of all of them.

Blessings

Pastor Charlie