Our Pastor
The Reverend David Hanks was called to lead our congregation as pastor in 2012. Since joining us he has led us through many of the same issues facing all mainline Christian denominations as we deal with relativity in an ever-evolving society. He prides himself, with the congregation, as being a safe space to worship and gather as community without regard to our differences in age, socio-economic status, education level, race, gender, or orientation. He strives to make our family one where everyone is welcome.
Reverend Hanks came to us from his hometown of Lowell, Massachusetts. With more than 35 years in ministry his background is varied and extensive. His theology is progressive while still being traditional in nature. He loves to interact with his people and welcomes you to join us in exploration and dialogue.
“A Place of Love and Hope”
The pastor says they sit front and center.
The gay boys. Sometimes they hold hands. And some folks have said he should address the issue. But the pastor tells me he doesn’t know what to say.
There is the couple who are pregnant and not married. Walks in shame as her father a “Man of God”, physically slaps her legs while she is having morning sickness and the Boyfriend who is not wanting to marry her. But the pastor tells me he doesn’t know what to say.
April ‘25
While we live through challenging times, we know that turning towards scripture often will offer guidance and hope. The scripture listed above (seen in the ‘Read More’ section) can be misleading because we can jump to conclusions based on current events, I do need to offer a warning that we do not over think the scriptural context. While our scriptures are ancient, they can offer us insights into how God speaks and warns us of dangers. These dangers can be both real or imagined, but I can offer you this advice to read the whole scripture, the context in which it was written, and how the scripture can open our hearts and minds to potential danger.
March ‘25 - Lenten Season
Happy March and beginning of the Lenten Season. As Lent officially begins on Ash Wednesday on March 5th, I am asking that we take a different approach towards the weeks leading up to Holy Week and Easter. Typically lent is a time of sacrifice, i.e., giving up something. Often, we take the approach to cut back on sweets and chocolate which only seems to benefit our waistlines and possibly improves our health.
Reflections of the Pastor
Happy 2025!!! That has a sort of odd ring to it, but here we are again at the start of another new year that will be filled with much of the same but also speckled with new and exciting things. With the start of a new year, it is often thought that by January 2nd or 3rd we will have already broken the many resolutions and romises that we made before the crystal ball fell on Times Square. Do not fret, resolutions seem to always fall quicker than they are made.