First Congregational United Church of Christ - Grand Junction, CO

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Whoever you are, wherever you are on life's journey, you're welcome here!

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Our Minister and Sermons  

The Rev. Sharyl B. Peterson, Ph.D., Senior Minister

                  

            The Rev. Dr. Sharyl B. Peterson has been serving our congregation since July 2001.  She came to us bringing a rich background in academia, in ministerial training, and in professional experience.  A former Associate Professor of Psychology, she taught both undergraduate and graduate courses in psychology at colleges and universities in Wisconsin and Colorado.  Her ministerial training included an M.Div. degree from Iliff School of Theology, and seven units of Clinical Pastoral Education.

            She provides vibrant, refreshing, and sometimes unorthodox sermons that inspire us to become informed and active people who live our faith daily.  Her passion for creative worship engages not just our minds, but all of our senses as well.  Her commitment to mission and outreach has led to a major expansion of the ways our church serves our wider community.  Those include one or more “regular” mission projects each month, plus special seasonal projects like our Sukkoth booth (collecting food for local food banks), our Angel Trees during Advent (supporting several local agencies), and our participation in the community Homeless Overflow Program. 

A staunch and devoted member of the United Church of Christ, Sharyl has served the wider church as a Board member for Local Church Ministries, and as a member of varied Conference and Association Committees.  Through her modeling and encouragement, our church became one of the first God-is-Still-Speaking participants, and has become a consistent Five-for-Five giver.  In addition, several of our members have served as Association Moderator, and our church has hosted many events for our Western Association, including the Installation of our Conference Minister.

Rev. Peterson believes that we are all called to continue to learn about and grow in faith.  She has taught many adult groups, on topics ranging from Many Ways to Pray (a Lenten series) to God is Still Speaking About Marriage Equality.  Last year (2010), she organized new worship planning groups, in which members learned to create liturgy and worship enhancements, and grow their worship leadership skills.  And, her work has been recognized publicly, both in the publication of many of her sermons in the journal Lectionary Homiletics, and in the publication of two books on pastoral care published since 2008 by the Pilgrim Press.

She invites everyone to join us on our journey!

       

Click on the date to see sermon for that day

 

 

 

 

January 22, 2012 "Decisions, Decisions”

January 8, 2012 "Rise and Shine!”

December 11, 2011 "Children of The Light”

December 4, 2011 "Jesus Is The Light of The World”

November 27, 2011 "Out Of The Darkness”

November 20, 2011 "No Small Potatoes”

November 13, 2011 "Movers of Fences”

October 30, 2011  "What Order Are Our Priorities In?"

October 16, 2011  "Heaven...The Promise"

October 9, 2011, What's Next ?”

September 11, 2011 "What Is There To Say?”

August 22, 2011 "Bread, Bath, and Beyond - The Justice Tee?”

August 15, 2011 "Bread, Bath, and Beyond - We Are What We Eat"

August 7, 2011 "Bread, Bath, and Beyond - Everyday Justice"

"Part I - What Love Looks Like in Public"

July 31, 2011 "Discipleship By The Lakeshore:  Go!"

July 24, 2011 "Discipleship By The Lakeshore:  Trust Issues"

July 17, 2011 "Discipleship By The Lakeshore...Is Anybody Listening?"

July 10, 2011 "Discipleship by the Lakeshore:  Invite! (But Who's on the Guest List

July 3, 2011 "Discipleship By The Lakeshore:  Jesus Calls!”

June 26, 2011 "Oh , The Places You'll Go...!”

June 19, 2011 "Oh Lord...!”

May 22, 2011 "What is Faith?  What Glasses Are You Wearing?”

May 15, 2011 "Faith:  What Do You Mean My Relationship with God?”

May 8, 2011 "What is Faith (Not (Just) Belief)?”

March 20, 2011 “Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places:  The Problem with Grace”

March 13, 2011 “Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places:  Prologue”

February 20, 2011 “Spiritual Affective Disorder:  Who is God?”

February 13, 2011 “Spiritual Affective Disorder – What Are You Hungry For?”

February 6, 2011 Spiritual Affective Disorder

January 30, 2011 The Blessings of Now

January 23, 2011 Be Careful – It’s Catching!”

January 9, 2011 “Horses, Snow Monkeys, and Jesus, Oh My!”

December 19, 2010 Awed and Odd: Hope in the Midst of Hopelessness

December 5, 2010 Awed and Odd: Love in the Midst of Hate

November 28, 2010 Awed and Odd

November 21, 2010 Giving..Thanks..Giving

November 14, 2010 Uncommon Valor

October 31, 2010 Generations

October 17, 2010 What’s In a Name

October 10, 2010 “Tend to Life!”

October 3, 2010 “Love-Fest?”

September 26, 2010 “How Sabbath?”

September 19, 2010 “Why Sabbath?”

September 12, 2010 “Become Like a Child”

August 29, 2010 “Art & Faith:  Sound and the Sacred”

August 22, 2010 “Art & Faith:  Eyes to See”

August 15, 2010 “Art & Faith:  It's Just Mud”

August 1, 2010 “Art & Faith:  A Language of Holiness”

July 25, 2010 “Why Do We Believe What We Believe? Experience”

July 18, 2010 “Why Do We Believe What We Believe? Reason”

July 11, 2010 “Why Do We Believe What We Believe? Scripture”

July 4, 2010 “Why Do We Believe What We Believe? Tradition”

[Note: All sermons posted on these sites are copyrighted (c) by The Rev. Sharyl B. Peterson.]

Sermons by Others:

    

Pastor Dan Wilkie,  Assistant Minister

 

 

January 29, 2012 "Who is Jesus? The Son of God?"

January 15, 2012 "Why Justice Matters"

October 23, 2011 "Hell.......The Other Promise?"

September 25, 2011 "Authority Issues"

September 4, 2011 "Labor Justice.....Is It Really Just?"

May 29, 2011 "Everyday Jesus"

March 6, 2011 "Transfiguration to Transformation"

November 7, 2010 "Resolving Differences with Love & Grace"

October 24, 2010 "What Is and What is Not Stewardship"

August 8, 2010 "Woven Together in Love"

June 13, 2010 "Instant Information"

May 23, 2010 "God As Holy Spirit"

February 14, 2010 "The Perfume of Christ -- Experiencing the Divine"

January 17, 2010 "The Wedding - Merging Lives"

January 3, 2010 "Close to God's Heart"

September 20, 2009 "Staying Focused--Who Are the Children"

August 23, 2009 "Saying Grace - Acts of Gratitude"

July 26, 2009 "An Over Abundance of Love"

June 28, 2009 "Grandfrupal--How God Created Diversity"

May 24, 2009 "Adventures in Missing the Point: Doubt and Truth"

Rev. Elizabeth Vincent...our guest preacher February 8, 2009 ... visiting from Rhode Island as an ordained UCC minister...a candidate for the pastorate at one of our Western Slope churches...in keeping with our long-honored UCC tradition of offering a "neutral pulpit" to pastoral candidates in other churches, she was welcomed this Sunday.

Her sermon, "The Image of God", is presented (as she offered it to appear on our website),  Click Here to read it.

Happily, Rev. Vincent subsequently was called to become the minister of Collbran UCC (Colorado), one of our closest Western Slope sister churches.  We congratulate her and the members of Collbran UCC for beginning what we hope will be a long and satisfying relationship.

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Rev. Dr. Cynthia H. Chertos...our guest minister September 27, 2009... visiting from Silverton where she provides services at their UCC Church.  Members of her church's choir joined this Sunday with our own chancel choir in the service.  The two choirs have enjoyed exchanges several times in recent years.

Her sermon, "Serious Admonitions" is presented (as she provided to our website), Click Here to read it.

 

 

 

   

 

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