From Our Pastors                                                                  Lent:  Renewal, Transformation, and Hope  

Lent arrives each year like a gentle but persistent invitation. Not an invitation to feel guilty or to prove our spiritual worth, but an invitation to pay attention — to our lives, to our relationships, to the world around us, and to the quiet voice of God calling us toward deeper love.

In the Christian calendar, Lent is a season of reflection and preparation. Traditionally, it has been associated with repentance, fasting, and sacrifice. But at its heart, Lent is really about renewal — about making space in our lives for transformation and rediscovering hope.

We understand God not as distant or controlling, but as deeply present — always inviting, always luring creation toward greater compassion, justice, beauty, and wholeness. God is not the author of suffering, but the companion who walks with us through it, offering possibilities for healing and new beginnings.

That means Lent isn’t about earning God’s love. It’s about waking up to the love that is already here.

Renewal: Making Space for What Matters

Our lives are often full — schedules packed, minds racing, hearts pulled in many directions. Lent invites us to pause and ask: What truly matters? Where is life calling me to slow down, to listen, to breathe?

Renewal doesn’t always look dramatic. Sometimes it looks like taking a walk without your phone. Sometimes it looks like praying honestly instead of perfectly. Sometimes it looks like letting go of a grudge or choosing kindness when it would be easier to stay guarded.

Renewal happens moment by moment. Each day brings new possibilities, new choices, new chances to participate in God’s ongoing work of love in the world.

Transformation: Small Changes, Real Grace

Transformation is at the heart of the Lenten journey. We see it in the stories of scripture — people encountering God and discovering they are capable of more love, more courage, more compassion than they imagined.

But transformation is rarely instant. It happens slowly, through small faithful steps. It happens when we choose generosity over fear, curiosity over judgment, connection over isolation.

God works with us, not on us. Like a gentle guide, God offers possibilities, nudging us toward growth while honoring our freedom. Lent is a time to notice those nudges — to pay attention to where we feel drawn toward greater life.

Hope: Trusting New Life Is Always Possible

Lent ultimately leads us toward Easter, toward the profound truth that life is always stronger than despair. Hope is not wishful thinking. It is trust that God is continually bringing new possibilities out of every situation, even the most difficult ones.

We see signs of hope all around us — in communities caring for one another, in acts of courage and compassion, in the quiet resilience of people who keep showing up for love even when it’s hard.

Hope reminds us that no moment is wasted. Every experience, every joy and sorrow, becomes part of the ongoing story God is weaving with creation.

Walking the Journey Together

Lent is not meant to be a solitary burden. It is a communal journey. As a church, we walk together — supporting one another, praying for one another, learning together how to live more fully into God’s dream for the world.

This season, we invite you to consider one simple practice:

•           Spend a few minutes each day in quiet reflection
•           Reach out to someone who might need encouragement
•           Notice moments of beauty and gratitude
•           Ask yourself, “Where is love inviting me today?”

These small practices open space for renewal, create room for transformation, and nurture hope within us.

As we move through this sacred season, may we remember that God meets us exactly where we are — not with judgment, but with compassion. And may we trust that each step we take toward love participates in the ongoing renewal of our lives and our world.

Grace and peace,

Pastors Phil and Leigh

March 2026  ~  Lent: Renewal, Transformation, and Hope

Worship is Sunday at 9 am

UMCOR Sunday & One Great Hour of Sharing – March 15, 2026

As a federated congregation connected to both the United Methodist Church and the Presbyterian Church (USA), we participate in two important denominational mission offerings that support disaster relief and humanitarian aid around the world.

On the United Methodist side, United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) responds to disasters, conflicts, and humanitarian crises both in the United States and internationally. UMCOR provides emergency food, shelter, relief supplies, and long-term recovery assistance to communities facing devastating circumstances.

In the Presbyterian tradition, the One Great Hour of Sharing offering supports ministries that address disaster response, hunger, poverty, climate change, and assistance for refugees and migrants. Through these programs, individuals and communities around the world receive help with basic needs such as food, clean water, and sustainable resources.

Because our church is part of both traditions, all contributions received will be shared between these two mission efforts, allowing us to support both ministries as they bring hope, relief, and healing to people in need.

Your generosity helps extend the compassion of the church far beyond our local community. Thank you for your continued support of these important missions.

Links to read about both missions are below.

March Ruining Lunch – Thursday, March 12 at 11:45 a.m. at Plattsburgh UMC

Walking With God: Not Above, But With

Thursday, March 12 | 11:45 a.m. at the Plattsburgh UMC Chapel

Register with Diane P. – luv2garden5@gmail.com

What if following God sometimes means stepping into discomfort?

On Thursday, March 14 at 11:45 a.m., we invite you to join us for a Ruining Lunch conversation—a gathering where we share a meal and engage in honest, courageous reflection on what it means to experience God as relational, present, and walking alongside us in the messy, complicated realities of life.

This month’s Ruining Lunch will explore the ways faith has often been imagined as distant or controlling, and how a relational, open, and co-creative understanding of God can transform our spiritual lives, our communities, and the world around us. Drawing on insights from Process Theology, Progressive Theology, Open Relational Theology, and Pannentheism, we will ask: What does it mean to pray, worship, and act in partnership with a God who is not above, but with us?

We’ll examine how this vision of God calls us to live differently: to embrace uncertainty, to notice God in the ordinary, to stand with the marginalized, and to participate in the ongoing work of justice, healing, and hope. This is not about abstract theory—it’s about spiritual practices, questions, and reflection that shape how we walk in the world every day.

Ruining Lunch is not about arguing or assigning blame. It’s about honest reflection, listening, and spiritual discernment. It’s a space where questions are welcome, learning is ongoing, and faith is taken seriously enough to be challenged.

Bring a sandwich. Soup, beverages, and dessert will be provided.

Most importantly, bring your questions—and an open heart.

Rev. Phil Richards 

Coffee with Pastor Phil - Sunday, MARCH 22nd after Worship 

(sign up in the back of the Sanctuary)

• Get to know the pastor in a casual setting 
• Learn more about the congregation and its values 
• Ask questions about faith, worship, and community life 
• Discern whether church membership is right for you