Weekly Word

I hope your week has gone well. Mine has been very full – Session meeting, taking a day to watch after my oldest child while schools were closed for voting day, trying to fit in all the rest of the stuff for this coming Sunday (and beyond), band practice, and planning for this weekend at BPC. . .
The week has been very full – but very good….

This past week, I stepped into Michelle Jones’ office at the church and asked the odd question that I ask every year at this time: “Could you please look and give me a list of everyone who has died since November 1, 2025?”

Yes, I know. . . It’s a weird question….

We’ve come a long way, together. . . Amy and I first arrived in New Hampshire – thirteen years
ago, this week – truly and humbly believing that God had called us here. In those early days in
Bedford, I can remember looking up at a section of the church’s roof and spotting a few shingles
that were peeling. I can also remember being told, “Oh yeah. . . if we don’t replace the roof (and
the front portico) with money we haven’t raised yet, the insurance company won’t insure the
building.” “Yikes!” I thought. “What has God gotten us into?!?” Thankfully, God’s good future
was on the way. . .

This week, BPC’s own Larry Cowen was wearing at least two hats: Hat 1) planning for tonight’s sold-out show of the Wolff Sisters in BPC’s Fellowship Hall and, Hat 2) asking anyone and everyone involved with our Neighborhood Support Team to write a letter of support for Malalai Safi as she prepares for her Immigration Hearing in the coming weeks.
For my part, I had the privilege of helping with both – both unboxing and putting up the curtains in the Fellowship Hall that will get some good use over the years, schlepping some panels for the stage, and setting up some lights for the concert, as well as sitting down to write a letter on behalf of Malalai.
Setting up for the concert was exciting because I love live music and very few things build community like in-person live music. Writing the letter for Malalai was emotional because the outcome could be life-changing for her and her family….

This past week, the Session voted to make two different investments in the future of Bedford Presbyterian Church. One investment is physical and the other investment is in the size of our church staff.

The Session voted to replace three sets of steps on the outside of the church – at the Fellowship Hall, the Food Pantry, and on Church Road, next to our mailbox. Each set of steps needs to be replaced for the safety of the people who use our building. It was gratifying to be able to pull the $50,000 in funds for this project from our Capital Reserve Fund (a savings account set up for the purpose of capital expenses like this) as well as our operating budget for the year. Work will begin on the steps in the next few weeks and will be complete before winter sets in. The work might impact some of the traffic flow around the Fellowship Hall steps but we will make sure that you will be able to enter the building via the ramp up to the Fellowship Hall portico and/or another entrance….

This week, as I write to you, there are people who are either going above-and-beyond or are getting ready to do so.

This week, a small team of people from Bedford Presbyterian Church are up in Farmington, Maine, doing some much-needed winterizing of several homes, making them livable before cold temperatures arise.

This week, members of our congregation are delivering food from the Bedford Community Food Pantry to local schools so that hungry young people will have food to eat over the upcoming weekend. Also, preparations are being made to celebrate two of the Food Pantry’s key volunteers – Jason and Kat Piracini – at this year’s Good Samaritan Awards.

This week, results are being collected for our ongoing “Good Futures” initiative – studying who we are, as a congregation, and preparing us for the good future that God has prepared for us…..

Back in 2012, Bedford Presbyterian Church was in a time of transition and discernment. The Senior Pastor had left to go to another congregation and the idea of the Co-Pastor model had been approved, in theory. But, in addition to all of the conversations that took place around the type of leadership model the church would have, there was also a long season of asking questions like,

Who are we, as a congregation? What are our priorities? What are our gifts?
What are the things about us that are unique? When have we been at our best?
And, based on the answers to all-of-the-above, What is God calling us to do?

Years ago, there was a comedian named Bill Hicks who told a story about a time that he was sitting in a restaurant, reading a book at the counter.  When the waitress came up to take his order, she asked, “What are you reading for?”  Not, “what are you reading?” but “what are you reading for,” as if he needed to justify why he was reading in the first place.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve noticed something rather alarming happening when I sit down to read….