I am feeling especially joyful this week as I pack for a five‑day retreat at Yogaville in Virginia, Living in the Radiant ONE, with Mary Reed and her community of which I am a part. It will be wonderful to finally meet in person many people I’ve been gathering with weekly on Zoom. While I will truly miss being with you next Sunday, I’m delighted to leave you in the loving care of Rev. Matt Purinton, which I know will be a real treat for the community.
I also want to share an update from our Board of Trustees, who met on Saturday with Vanessa Gates‑Elston. While we don’t yet have a clear direction emerging, there is a shared sense that something is bubbling up for us as a community. We’re grateful for the depth of the conversation and are holding this unfolding process with curiosity and care.
One thing that is very important to us as a community is the fellowship and coffee time following the service. For quite some time now, this has been carried by just a few people, and we would love to broaden that support so it can continue joyfully and sustainably. We hope to keep offering weekly coffee hour as well as our two monthly potlucks — but we need a few more helping hands to make that happen regularly.
What does that look like?
- Arriving around 9:30 a.m. to start the coffee and have it ready before the service
- Helping ensure cleanup after fellowship time
- On potluck Sundays, a couple of people to help set things up and tidy afterward
Several people have already stepped forward, thank you! And a few more volunteers would make a real difference. If you enjoy staying for coffee, might you consider arriving a bit earlier or staying a little later, whatever fits best with your schedule?
If this is something you feel called to help with, please reach out to me. Your willingness to share in this simple act of care helps strengthen the sense of connection we value so deeply.
In this week’s message, From Empty Tomb to Open Table, we were invited to notice how the resurrection story continues not as a moment to be admired from a distance, but as a way of living that draws us into relationship.
The story does not end at the empty tomb. It moves outward into conversation, shared meals, and ordinary moments of connection. Again and again, the risen Jesus is recognized not through certainty or spectacle, but through presence: walking together, listening deeply, breaking bread. The open table becomes the place where fear softens, hearts awaken, and life quietly begins again.
This movement from tomb to table speaks directly to the work of Creating the Beloved Community. Resurrection is not just personal renewal; it is communal transformation. It invites us beyond isolated faith into shared life where dignity is honored, differences are held with compassion, and belonging is practiced rather than proclaimed.
The Beloved Community is not built through grand gestures. It is formed through small, faithful acts of presence: welcoming one another, making room at the table, choosing to stay in relationship when it would be easier to withdraw. It is in these ordinary spaces that healing happens and new ways of being together take root.
As we carry this message into the week ahead, we might gently ask ourselves: Where am I being invited to come to the table literally or figuratively? How can I participate in creating the Beloved Community through simple acts of presence, listening, and care?
If you missed the service, you can watch it here.
May we remember that resurrection continues to unfold each time we choose connection over separation, openness over fear, and shared life over going it alone. This is how the Beloved Community is created one table, one conversation, one act of love at a time.
You are a blessing in my life,
Rev Pat Bessey
