“Lord, help us to encourage meaningful ways to create change without losing our identity and sense of purpose.” Board member Jill Wood-Naatz offered this faith reflection on change and identify at PCG’s board meeting on May 15, 2012. more

Yom Hashoah, the annual Holocaust Commemoration, is held each year in Springfield on April 19th. PCG staff attended the 2012 ceremony and, with permission, share the litany of remembrance and hope from that service as a prayer for those who died, those who survived, and those who —today— live with courage and hope despite that legacy. more

Like humanity, nature bears God’s imprint and likeness. It can never be a mere play-thing at the total and utter discretionary use of humans. Instead, we humans are a part of God’s creation as a whole. more

Rev. Erik Christensen, Pastor at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Logan Square, has shared his sermon from Palm Sunday with us to reflect on during Holy Week. He discusses last week’s Mega Millions payout and the constant struggle we all face in determining whether Christ or wealth will occupy our hearts. more

Responsibility. What’s your policy? That’s what the American people are being asked today. And that’s what religious communities and people of faith are again asking, especially on issues like sexuality, and reproductive health, and, yes, contraception. more

Sunday morning, GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum appeared on CBS’s “Face the Nation” to defend his remarks to the Ohio Christian Alliance. While speaking to the conservative Christian group last weekend, Santorum stated that President Obama perpetuates “some phony theology. Not a theology based on the Bible. A different theology.” This statement itself is problematic in several ways, not least of which is the tired implication that the president might not be a Christian. It was Santorum’s clean up, though, that actually mucked everything up. more

Over the years, I have fasted both communally with my prior church for the 40 days of Lent, and also individually as a one-day fast several times throughout the year. The key for me is that it’s not just about fasting alone; it is being very intentional about fasting for the purpose of praying at the same time. more

It has been 44 years since the death of Martin Luther King, Jr. What would he think about our life together today? I doubt very much that he could visualize an African American in the White House so soon. I can only imagine the quiet satisfaction he might feel. But he would agonize over the fact that we are in this country more divided by wealth and income than at any time since the Gilded Age of the 1890s and the Great Depression of the 1930’s. He would not be surprised that African Americans, as usual, are bearing a disproportionate share of the burden. more

Rev. Susan Johnson discusses themes of danger and hope in the Magnificat and asks us to dwell on Mary’s witness and participation, which magnify God for us – that is, making God visible, tangible, palpable, follow-able, helping us to understand where God is, what God is doing, what the signs are – scattering the proud, bringing down the mighty, lifting up those of low estate, feeding those who hunger and thirst, sending away those who have had more than enough already. more

The following letter was written by Rev. Don Ashmall, Council Minister for the International Council of Community Churches. It was passed on to us by a PCG constituent and we enjoyed it so much, we wanted to share it with you. Happy Advent! more