A Message from Pastor Kaji
Church, I want to begin with gratitude. Last week, we were blessed by an excellent Word from Vanessa Lindley during our Thanksgiving worship. Her ministry strengthened us, and I am grateful.
Dear Church:
This Sunday, we welcome our Disciples of Christ (Christian Church) Regional Minister, Rev. Thad Allen, to our pulpit. Please take a moment to view his bio, below, to learn more about his ministry and leadership. I look forward to sharing worship with him and to greeting each of you as we welcome him to The Park. Rev. Thad, along with Rev. Marsha from the United Church of Christ, have so beautifully led us through the many growth moments we have shared in our congregation over the years.
In worship, I will be inviting you to join us on a very special journey called: The Turning. We will also be taking in new members again on Sunday, so if you’ve been considering making this commitment, please step forward when I open the doors to the congregation.
I also want to thank everyone who contributed to The Park Sets the Table for Thanksgiving. Your generosity allowed families throughout our community to receive a steady meal during the holiday season. We are preparing to do it again for Christmas. On December 22, we will distribute an additional fifty meals.
To make this possible, we need volunteers.
- Join us after worship on December 21 to package the meal kits in the Social Hall.
- Join us on December 22 to distribute meals after school. We begin at 2:30 pm at the church and continue at 4:00 pm uptown at the school.
- If you wish to give a donation to support the Christmas distribution, your gift will go directly toward feeding families in our community.
SCRIPTURE PREVIEW
This week we enter the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Their long waiting becomes the soil where joy takes root. Luke invites us to trust the quiet work God is already doing.
As you prepare your heart for worship, I invite you to sit with three questions.
- What does joy look like when it is still ripening in the dark.
- Where in your life is God preparing a new beginning that you cannot yet see.
- How does the promise of gladness support you in a season that does not always feel light.
I will be back in the pulpit for the rest of the month. I cannot wait to see you this Sunday as we welcome Rev. Thad and offer our praise to God together!
Pastor Kaji
Luke 1:5–17, 24–25 (Year A, p. 48)5 And it was in the days of Herod king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the lineage of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 Both of them were righteous before God, living according to all the commandments and righteous requirements of the Sovereign God blamelessly. 7 Now they had no child because Elizabeth was barren, and they both were advanced in age.8 And it happened that when Zechariah was serving as priest and his order had the service before God, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to offer incense and he entered the sanctuary of the Holy God. 10 The whole assembly of the people was praying outside at the time of the incense offering. 11 There appeared to Zechariah a messenger of the Living God, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12 Now Zechariah was shaken when he saw the messenger and fear overwhelmed him. 13 But the messenger said to him, “Fear not, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will give birth to a son for you, and you will call his name John. 14 You will have joy and gladness, and many at his birth will rejoice, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Sovereign God. Wine and strong drink he must not drink. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb. 16 He will turn many of the women and men of Israel to the Holy One their God. 17 He will go before the Holy God with the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to prepare for the Redeeming God a people made ready.”
24 After those days Elizabeth his wife conceived, and she hid herself for five months. She said, 25 “This is the Holy God’s doing; God has done for me when God looked favorably on me and took away my disgrace among humankind.”
Our Guest Preacher This Sunday
The Rev. Dr. Thaddaeus B. Allen
The Rev. Dr. Thaddaeus B. Allen, Regional Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in West Virginia, was called to his office on August 19, 2007, and began his service to the Region in this capacity on November 1. Rev. Allen was Consecrated and Installed by General Minister and President, the Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins, at the Regional Assembly the following April. In 2014 he was also called to the Regional Minister and President post for the Pennsylvania Region of the Disciples. In the fall of 2017 he also became the Acting Regional Minister for the Northeastern region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and was subsequently called to the office of Regional Minister in 2019. In November of 2018 he was named Visiting Regional Minister for the Christian Church in Ohio a post he held for two and a half years.
Rev. Allen was previously pastor of the Madison Avenue Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Huntington, WV, Big Run Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) near Cameron, WV, and Bethany Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of New England, WV. He also served as the Associate to the Regional Minister for Youth Ministry in this Region. He is the former Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Disciples of Christ Historical Society, the Vice-Chair of board of trustees of Bethany College, and a board member of Thomas Campbell Apartments, a large affordable housing campus in Washington, PA, Christian Associates of Southwest Pennsylvania, and the WV Council of Churches of which he is President.
A 1992 graduate of Bethany College, Rev. Allen holds the M.Div. degree from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, OH, holds a post graduate Certificate in Congregational Renewal and Leadership from Lexington Theological Seminary where he was awarded the 2020 Riley Montgomery Award, and holds the D.Min. degree from Lexington Theological Seminary where he was presented the George V. Moore Work in a Congregational Setting award as well as the Reverend Rafael Martell Award. He holds an Executive Certificate in Religious Fundraising from Yale Divinity School and the Lilly School of Philanthropy.
Dr. Allen and his wife, Jennifer, are the parents of two daughters, Kaylie who is a civil rights litigation attorney in Parkersburg, WV and Haddae who is the Youth Development Director for the House of the Carpenter in Wheeling, WV.