Mission Moment: Tyra Reeves of the JMK Foundation Read about the loss of her incredible son and how she is driven to prevent another young soul from taking their own life by clicking the link below.
What if worship is more than something we do on Sunday morning? What if worship begins with simply noticing? This fall, we’re going to spend time looking at some of the most extraordinary things in the natural world and asking what they might teach us about faith, about life, and about ourselves.
From the vastness of the sky to the deep roots of a tree, from the remarkable journey of a bird to the ever-changing nature of water, we’ll explore the wonders that surround us every day. We’ll consider the quiet work of bees and pollinators, the light of distant stars, the rhythm of the tides, and finally, the remarkable gift of being human.
Along the way, we’ll ask some important questions:
What can birds teach us about trust?
Can water teach us how to embrace change?
What do bees reveal about the importance of the small things we do for one another?
How far can the light of one person's love travel?
What can the rhythms of nature teach us about the seasons of our own lives?
And perhaps most importantly:
Where is God? We often look toward the sky for God because the sky feels distant and mysterious. But what if God isn't far away at all? Inspired by Meg Cowan French's "Prayers of the People" on August 23rd, this series will propose that perhaps the same life that opens the flower, moves the bird, pulls the tide, and makes the stars shine is also breathing through us...teaching one heart to care for another.
Maybe we keep asking where God is while standing inside the answer. So, this fall, come wonder with us. Come look a little closer. Come see the ordinary world in a new way. And come discover that worship may be much bigger than what happens inside these walls.
Because perhaps we were made to notice.
We were made to wonder.
We were made to love.
We were made to worship.
Join us this fall for Made to Worship; an inspiring eight-week journey through creation, faith, and the sacred gift of being alive. Starts on September 13th.
Will be held in the CLS Barn parlor and also available via Zoom, FOTJ will hold its organizational meeting to plan the calendar for the program year.
What does it mean to live a life of faith and spirituality in today’s world? And what happens when we gather with people who may answer that question very differently? Friends on the Journey is a monthly discussion group where we explore those questions together. The Church of the Loving Shepherd is a congregation made up of people with wonderfully diverse religious, spiritual, and life experiences and we believe there is something to be learned from each perspective.
In FOTJ, every voice is respected, every question is welcome, and there’s no expectation that we all have to agree! Over the years, the Friends have explored topics such as forgiveness, healing, compassion, hope, prayer, mercy, and spiritual gifts. Our conversations have been shaped by personal experiences, books and articles, guest speakers, videos, and most importantly, the insights and questions we bring with us.
You don’t need to consider yourself “religious” or have all the answers to join us. Whether your faith is strong, your questions are many, or you’re simply curious about spirituality and what it means to live with purpose, you have a place at the table.
FOTJ meets monthly from September through May, in the evening on the second Thursday of each month. We meet in person, with a Zoom option available for those who cannot join us in person.
Topics and dates are announced during Sunday worship, in the weekly virtual meeting announcements from the Office, and in Light Matters. One special exception: During Lent, we meet weekly for six weeks and spend that time discussing a book together.
Come as you are. Bring your questions, your experiences, your curiosity...
and maybe even a willingness to see things from a different perspective.
Each year in the December issue of Light Matters, a calendar of members' favorite quotations for Advent is published. This provides an inspirational quote for each day of Advent and the days leading up to the New Year.
The quotes are short, pithy expressions to ponder during the full days of Advent. Members share poems, prayers, sayings, and readings that speak to their hearts. If during your readings this summer something makes you stop, think, or catch your breath, please share it! You never know how it will inspire someone else!
You can give it to Maureen McGovern after worship service any Sunday or send it to her in the email link below. New to CLS and don't know who Maureen is? Just ask the person greeting you at the door and they will point you in the right direction! Thank you!
It’s hard to believe that summer is coming to an end. Even with many volunteers
travelling, our congregation and Foodies stepped up to help out with August’s
food delivery. We thank those of you who helped with set up, loading and
delivery. Because of your help, the August food delivery went smoothly.
September’s food delivery will be here before we know it!
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Next Food Delivery - Friday, September 25th
*Thursday, September 24th at 8:30 AM
*Meet in the food pantry to load bags with non-perishables
*Friday, September 25thbetween 8:30 - 9 AM
*Meet at the food pantry to unload CCFB food truck
*Bag perishables
*Deliver bags to families in pairs or small groups
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There’s room for new hands and hearts, so come be a part of the team!
Besides your physical presence, we welcome donations for our deliveries.
CURRENT NEEDS: Toilet paper and paper towels are always appreciated.
Are you available for 1-3 hours to assist us in setting up the tent for the next weekend's Barn Sale (see below), spreading wood chips, cleaning up fallen branches, and tending to our flower beds? Please let us know.
The weeds continue to grow, and the branches continue to fall from these seasonal storms! We could certainly use the extra hands to help keep our property beautiful. This Grounds Day is rain or shine!
We are offering church members the opportunity to take a piece of CLS home! Furniture we no longer need, books, decor, and old pews will all be available for church members and their friends & family BEFORE we have the sale to the public. Most of the pews are in need of repair and are no longer used in worship. Due to a lack of space to store these pews, we are offering them to members before selling them.
Our former pews have held generations of worship, prayer, celebration, and sacred memories. We would be honored for members of our church family to have the first opportunity to give them a new home.
If you are interested in selecting a pew before September 18th, please contact the church office or speak with Pastor Jill for details and availability.
Sound Bath to Celebrate the Fall Equinox
For many years, the loft of our barn has quietly waited.
Long before the barn was completed in the late 1990s, that loft echoed with songs of worship and the voices of people gathering together. Now, after many years, we believe that space is being called back to life...but in a new way.
With the creative vision of Lena Shigeno and other local youth from Henderson High School, we are beginning the exciting work of transforming the loft into a welcoming gathering place where young people can experience community, creativity, and faith. Imagine a space filled with art that celebrates young artists, open mic nights where teenagers discover their voices, conversations about life and God, laughter, friendships, and memories that will shape a lifetime of faith.
This wasn't part of our 2026 budget because, quite honestly, we never imagined we would have this opportunity. What a wonderful "problem" to have!
Over the next month, our teenagers (and adults supporting this new ministry) will begin clearing the loft and preparing it to be designated for teenagers and no longer storage. The improvements we are planning to do are not structural, but practical steps to cover pipes and electrical lines in the loft, allowing the space to be used safely and comfortably throughout the year.
If you are in a position to make a gift beyond your annual pledge, we would be deeply grateful. Every dollar given to this special offering is a way of saying to our young people, "You belong here. This church believes in you, and we are making room for your future."
Buildings become sacred not because of the lumber that holds them together, but because of the lives that are transformed within their walls! Thank you for helping us prepare a place where faith can grow, friendships can flourish, and young people can discover that they are deeply loved by God and by this congregation.
An excerpt from Pastor Jill's sermon from August 16th
Have you ever noticed how desperately human beings try to explain why things happen?
Someone survives an accident..."God must have had a plan."
Someone dies..."God needed another angel."
A promotion..."God opened the door."
It’s cancer..."Maybe God is teaching them something."
We seem almost uncomfortable admitting one simple truth: Sometimes wonderful things happen. Sometimes heartbreaking things happen. And sometimes...it’s our own choices that change everything and not the Divine.
The question is… How involved do you think God is in every single detail of your life?
Long before Jesus, long before theologians debated free will and predestination, Moses stood before the people of Israel knowing they were about to enter an uncertain future. They had wandered in the wilderness for forty years. They were anxious. They wanted to know what God was going to do next. He doesn't say, 'Don't worry. God has already planned every detail of your future.' He says something far more challenging. 'See, today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and adversity... Therefore choose life.' CHOOSE LIFE. God doesn't hand them a script. God hands them a choice.
There are traditions that believe nearly everything is predetermined. Ancient Greeks believed the gods manipulated human lives like chess pieces. Some branches of Christianity emphasize God's absolute control over every event. (i.e. something bad happens…they must repent of their sin) And there are other faith traditions that focus on free will, including much of Judaism where they place a tremendous emphasis on human responsibility. And Buddhism teaches that our intentions and actions create consequences.
Of course they do! All humankind wrestles with the same question: How much of my life is happening to me...and how much is being created by the choices I make? God may give us possibilities. But we decide which possibilities become reality.
22 years ago, I met an extraordinary boy while starting a nonprofit in the city of Chester. This boy was a natural born leader. He was charismatic, smart and everyone loved him. How loved? Everyone loved him so much in school and the community that they nicknamed him “the Mayor”. He personally recognized that he could choose his gifts for good or bad…and he was determined to live a successful and godly life. He drew the students to our after-school ministry. He not only was a core leader in my faith-based non-profit, but even Mayor Butler created a city Youth Council with him at the helm!
But something happened. You see, his mother chose a boyfriend over her son and moved out of their rental into her boyfriend's apartment. She didn’t bring him. This young man found himself on the streets at 18 years old and he was too ashamed to tell any of the adults, like me, in his life. A friend of his had a solution - sleep in one of the school district buses that is not being used. Well, that friend was not just playing landlord, but he was also stealing things and hiding them in those buses. Long story short, the “Mayor” landed in jail and it changed the course of his life.
I can't look at this part of his life story and say “well, it was God’s will and hopefully he will learn from it.” Because I see something different.
I see a mother making a choice.
I see a teenager too ashamed to ask for help.
I see another young man making criminal choices.
None of those were God's decisions. They were human decisions.
But...here's the part that still haunts me. One phone call. One. If he had called me, or any adult who cared for him...I would have dropped everything and driven to him. I'd have found him somewhere safe. My husband and I would have helped him finish school and made sure he had a future.
One phone call. Not because I'm extraordinary. But because I was one of many that would have cared enough to respond. What happened to him wasn't free will or predestination. That was a broken world breaking someone who should never have had to carry that burden alone.
The tragedy wasn't that God abandoned him. The tragedy was that the people around him kept choosing death instead of life. A mother chose herself. A friend chose theft. Shame chose silence. One different choice - by anyone in that story- could have changed everything!
So… what if we've misunderstood what God asks of us? Instead of… "Sit back and wait for God to act." Maybe it's… "Become the answer to someone else's prayer." James, the brother of Jesus, understood this. He looked at the early church and saw people with wonderful beliefs but very little action.
James isn't attacking faith. He's reminding us that faith is something YOU CAN SEE. Faith isn't simply believing God will act. Faith is becoming the kind of person through whom God acts.
God may give us possibilities, but we decide which possibilities become reality. Here's where this conversation really matters. Because if we say God personally orchestrates every single outcome...then we have to answer some heavy questions.
Let me list some obvious ones...
Why heal one child... and not another?
Why spare one family... and not another?
Why heal one person...but remain silent for thousands more?
I don't believe God is choosing winners and losers. I believe we live in a world where illness exists... accidents happen... violence exists... economies fail... hurricanes strike... people betray us... governments make decisions...We call this "life." Please don't believe every tragedy reflects God's intention; we live in a world where freedom, brokenness, love, and loss all exist together BUT the Divine is always inviting us to decide… "Now what?"
Across traditions, people are told all the steps they have to do to make sure they are faithful followers of whatever they believe. Those of you with a Catholic background know all about the sacraments! But I will venture to say there is only one truth that keeps emerging that I think all of us in here can agree on: 'Show me your faith by what you do outside of church.'
We are not commanded to become spectators; we are invited to become participants. Scripture isn’t telling us that God will fix our life. But it does tell us to… Forgive. Give. Love. Feed. Welcome. Share. Build. Every verb assumes choice.
I think we've accidentally taught generations of Christians to ask the wrong question. We've asked, 'What is God's will for my life?' But perhaps Moses and James would ask something different. 'What choice are you making today?'
Because God's will isn't simply something to discover. It's something we participate in. Imagine what could happen if every one of us woke up tomorrow believing that every conversation matters...every kindness matters...every invitation matters...every forgiveness matters...every act of courage matters...because every choice changes something.
Maybe the future isn't already written. Maybe...together...we are writing it.
God has given us something extraordinary. Not a script. Not a puppet show. Not a predetermined ending. But the freedom and the responsibility to become people whose choices bring more healing than hurt...more hope than fear...more love than division.
And perhaps that has been God's invitation all along. Not to predict tomorrow. Not to explain every tragedy. Not to wait for someone else to step up. But to choose life. To choose compassion. To choose forgiveness. To choose courage. To choose generosity. To choose hope. Because every choice becomes part of the story. Maybe God isn't writing every chapter of your story. Maybe God keeps handing you blank pages. And every morning, another page. Another opportunity. Another choice.
So the question isn't, "What has God already written for me?" The question is… What will I write? What will you write that brings more healing than hurt? More hope than fear? More love than division? The pages are blank. Pick up the metaphorical pen.
NOTE: You may call the office and leave a voice message anytime for Jill (ext 101) or Lisa (ext 102). If we are working from home, calls are forwarded to us.
CLS | 1066 South New Street | West Chester, PA 19382 US
