News and Views

Dear Eastern, You were not a church to me. Instead, you were a home, a place orphans yearn for, a place the homeless only dream of finding. A place called Eastern!

Ancient church mothers and fathers often greeted one another with the phrase, “Give me a word.” This greeting led to the sharing of insights and wisdom. Today we continue this tradition with this monthly column.

Our nation is a nation of immigrants who passed through Ellis Island long ago. We took in millions from Ireland, Germany, Scotland, England, etc., and we will take in more than a million immigrants per year, more than any other country. But those people were not seeking to do us harm. They were...

It’s Saturday night, the sermon is prepared, the bulletin is printed and in the narthex. The pastor is about to go to sleep for the night when a parishioner calls and asks if she has heard about the shooting at the local shopping center. Several people have been killed, the caller says, and his...

We understand that some church members may be hesitant to discuss guns, but if we are to follow the call of Jesus to be peacemakers, we must address our gun violence epidemic here in the United States. We encourage dialogue and conversation about gun violence based on our faith values. We are...

By Dr. Helen Stafford Fleming Racism, whether institutionalized or legislated, is being practiced in some form of discrimination that segregates us today. Our nation is still the product of hatred, bigotry and prejudices. The scenes of flags burning, people marching in the street, a hail...

What are you giving up for Lent? That question is one that has haunted me for as long as I can remember. Growing up Catholic, giving something up for Lent was a given. It usually involved the removal of sweets or chocolate when I was a child. As an adult, it now involves giving up my favorite...

Ancient church mothers and fathers often greeted one another with the phrase, “Give me a word.” This greeting led to the sharing of insights and wisdom. Today we continue this tradition with this monthly column.

What can we rely on in an ever-changing world? Who can we turn to in the brokenness and craziness that seems to be all around us? These are questions that people, especially youth, feel pressed to know the answers to.

Life has already been in the fast lane for many of us and we haven’t even gotten out of January. Let’s recap what has happened for the past few weeks or so, starting with Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, and moving forward.