Pilgrim Memorial/First Congregational UCC

10/26/2026

Weekly devotional from Doug Hearn.
Enjoy the beautiful week ahead, God Bless.

The Heart of What Matters

In Matthew 22:34-46, Jesus is asked which commandment is the greatest. His answer draws on the Jewish scriptures: love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus brings these commandments together, reminding us that love is at the heart of a life well lived. It is not enough to speak about what we believe. Our beliefs should be reflected in how we treat one another.

Loving our neighbor sounds simple until we encounter someone who thinks differently, lives differently, or challenges what we believe. Love asks more of us than kind words. It asks us to respect the dignity of every person, stand alongside those who are hurting, and speak up when someone is treated unfairly. We will not always agree, but disagreement should never be an excuse to deny another person’s worth or humanity.

I believe this is where Jesus’ words meet us today. We can spend our time arguing about who is right, or we can put love into practice. We can choose compassion over judgment and inclusion over exclusion. None of us will get it right every time, but we can keep trying.

The question is not simply whether we believe in love, but whether the people we encounter experience that love through us.

Scripture
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”�Matthew 22:39 (NRSVUE)

Prayer
Loving God, help us put love into action. Give us the courage to stand against injustice, honor the dignity of every person, and make room for all to belong. Amen.
💟☮️✝️

10/19/2026

Weekly devotional from Doug Hearn.

The Greatest Among You

Scripture: Matthew 23:11 (NRSVUE) “The greatest among you will be your servant.”

Jesus offered a different understanding of greatness. In a world where so much attention is given to power, position, and recognition, he reminded us that greatness is found in serving others. It is a simple teaching, yet one we often struggle to live. Perhaps we spend too much time thinking about who is in charge and not enough time thinking about who needs our help.

I think about the people who quietly show up when someone is struggling, who listen without judgment, and who speak up when someone is being treated unfairly. They may never receive recognition, but they make a real difference. They remind us that serving others is not about being noticed. It is about recognizing the worth of another person and understanding that we have a responsibility to one another.

What would our communities look like if we measured greatness by how we treat people rather than by the power we hold? We don't have to be in charge to make a difference. We simply have to be willing to care, to listen, and to act when someone needs us. Perhaps that is where we should begin today.

Prayer:
Loving God,
Help us look beyond power and position and see the people around us who need kindness, compassion, and support. Give us the courage to serve others and the humility to do so without expecting anything in return.
Amen

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Join us for Sunday worship at 10:45 AM. Located the corner of Forest & McKinley Avenues.
All are welcome!!

10/18/2026

From our church secretary Peg Frankiwicz.

The UCC of Jamestown celebrated two occasions today at their Board Meeting. Pat Hazenberg, long-time Sunday school teacher and choir member, will be 80 on the 25th, and Pastor Rick Miller was honored for Pastor Appreciation Month. Next Sunday we will be holding our neighborhood Trunk or Treat from 5:30-6:30pm, and on November 1 we are celebrating our 125th Anniversary! If you are looking for a church, give us a try. We are warm and welcoming to everyone. Worship service is at 10:45am on Sundays.

Located on the corner of Forest & McKinley Avenues.

10/13/2026

Weekly devotional from Doug Hearn

The Gift of an Ordinary Day

Sometimes we spend so much time looking forward to something special that we forget to appreciate the day we are living. We wait for good news, a celebration, or a reason to feel that something wonderful has happened. Meanwhile, life keeps moving around us. There are conversations with people we love, a kind word from a friend, a little laughter, or a quiet moment when we step outside and take a breath. These may seem like small things, but they are part of what makes life meaningful.

Not every day is going to be memorable. Some days are simply about getting through our responsibilities and doing the best we can. But even an ordinary day can offer us an opportunity to make a difference in someone's life. A phone call, a little patience, or taking time to listen can mean more to someone than we realize. We don't always know what another person is carrying, and sometimes the smallest kindness is exactly what they need.

Psalm 118:24 reminds us, “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

I think there is something worth remembering in those words. We don't have to wait for life to be perfect before we give thanks. We don't have to wait for tomorrow to find a reason to be grateful. Today, just as it is, is a gift. May we be careful not to rush through it looking for something better and miss the blessings already in front of us.

Prayer: Loving God ,
Help us recognize the blessings in the ordinary moments of today. Keep our hearts open to the people around us and remind us to be grateful for the life we have.
Amen

10/05/2026

Good morning!! Sharing the following devotional written by Doug Hearn.

Have a blessed week!! ☮️💟✝️

How We Love Our Neighbor

“What you do to another, you do to yourself; how you love yourself is how you love your neighbor.”�— Richard Rohr

I keep coming back to that thought. The way we treat other people changes us, too. When we choose to be kind, when we listen instead of dismissing someone, when we make room for someone who feels left out, something happens in us. And the opposite is true as well. Every time we choose contempt, judgment, or cruelty, we become a little more comfortable with those things. What we give to one another has a way of shaping our own hearts.

Jesus says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:31) We have heard those words so many times that it can be easy to overlook how radical they really are. Jesus doesn't say, love only the people who think like you, agree with you, or treat you well. Love your neighbor. That means the person who is different from you. The person you don't understand. The person who gets under your skin. And it also means learning to extend that same grace to ourselves. We are not asked to love others from a place of perfection. We love because we know what it is to need love, mercy, and grace ourselves.

So maybe the question for today is pretty simple: How am I treating the people around me? Am I making life a little lighter or a little harder? Am I offering grace, or am I keeping score? We don't have to change the whole world today. We can start with the person in front of us. A kind word. A little patience. A willingness to listen. A bit of grace. These things may seem small, but they are how love becomes real. And perhaps, in loving our neighbor, we discover that God's love is changing us, too.

Prayer: God of love, We ask for help to remember that every person we meet is worthy of grace, including ourselves. Give us eyes to see one another with compassion and hearts willing to choose love, even when it is difficult. May the love we offer today change us as much as it blesses someone else.
Amen.

09/16/2026

09/14/2026

Weekly devotional from Doug Hearn

When We Carry One Another

Romans 12:15 NRSV
“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.”

There is something wonderfully simple about these words. We are not always called to fix something. Sometimes we are simply called to be present. To celebrate when someone we love has something to celebrate. To sit quietly beside someone whose heart is breaking. To listen when there are no easy answers. Some of the most meaningful moments in life are not the moments when we find the right words, but the moments when we refuse to walk away.

Every one of us carries something that others may never see. There are joys we are eager to share and sorrows we may struggle to put into words. There are times when we have the strength to carry someone else, and there will be other times when we need someone to carry a little of ours. That is not weakness. That is what it means to be human. We are made for community, for compassion, and for the kind of relationships where we do not have to pretend that everything is fine. Sometimes what another person needs most is not an answer or an explanation. They simply need someone willing to sit beside them and say, “You don't have to go through this alone.”

So perhaps today we might pay a little more attention to the people around us. Someone may need us to celebrate with them. Someone else may need us to sit with them in their sorrow. Someone may simply need to know that they have not been forgotten. We do not have to have all the answers. We do not have to make everything better. We can simply show up, listen, love, and stay. Maybe that is what it means to build the kind of community God hopes we will become: people willing to share both the joy and the sorrow, and unwilling to let anyone believe they have to carry it all alone.

Prayer:
Loving God, We ask for help to be people who notice, who listen, and who stay. We ask for open hearts to share another person's joy and the courage to sit beside one another in their sorrow.
Amen.

09/12/2026

We hope you all had a wonderful summer. It’s amazing how fast it went.
Church service returns to 10:45 a.m. this Sunday, September 13.
All are welcome!
God bless and take care. ☮️✝️💟

09/07/2026

Weekly devotional from Doug Hearn.

Christ in the Space Between Us

Matthew 18:20 NRSV
For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.

We sometimes think church has to be about numbers. A full sanctuary, a busy calendar, a growing congregation. But Jesus offers us a different measure of what matters. Two or three are enough. A few people gathered around a table, sitting beside someone who is hurting, sharing a meal, listening to one another, or simply making room for someone who needs to belong. That is church, also. And Jesus tells us that when we gather in his name, he is already there among us.

I love the simplicity of that promise because it reminds me that faith is not something we do alone. We are called into community, not because we will always agree, but because we need one another. The United Church of Christ has long reminded us that no matter who we are or where we are on life's journey, we are welcome. I believe that welcome is more than words on a sign. It is something we practice when we make room for another person, listen without judgment, and recognize the sacred worth of the person sitting beside us.

Maybe today we should look a little differently at the people around us. That brief conversation. The friend who checks in. The stranger who needs a little kindness. The small gathering where people come together simply because they care. These moments may seem ordinary, but they can become holy ground. Where two or three gather with open hearts, compassion, and love, Christ is there among us. And perhaps the greatest gift we can give one another is to make sure there is always room for one more.

Prayer:�God of all people,
help us to create communities where everyone knows they are seen, valued, and welcome. Open our eyes to recognize Christ in the people around us and give us the courage to make room for one more.
Amen. 💟☮️✝️

09/01/2026

Weekly meditation from Doug Hearn

Following Jesus Isn’t Always Comfortable

Matthew 16:24–26
“Take up your cross and follow me.”

I think sometimes we make these words of Jesus harder than they need to be. Taking up our cross does not mean we are supposed to go looking for suffering. It means being willing to follow Jesus even when following him asks something of us. It means choosing love when it would be easier to walk away. It means standing with someone when others have decided they are not worthy of our attention or compassion.

I have come to believe that some of the most important moments of faith happen when we are willing to be uncomfortable for the sake of someone else. We see someone being pushed aside and decide to stand beside them. We hear words that hurt someone and decide not to remain silent. We meet someone whose life is different from ours and choose curiosity and kindness instead of judgment. None of that may seem particularly heroic, but I believe it is part of what Jesus meant when he told us to take up our cross and follow him.

Jesus asks us to consider what our lives are really about. We can spend our lives protecting what we have, proving that we are right, and making sure we are comfortable. Or we can spend them loving people, making room for others, offering grace, and leaving a little more kindness behind us than we found. For me, that is where faith becomes real. Following Jesus is not about having all the answers. It is about deciding, day after day, that love is still the way we will choose to live.

Prayer:�God, help us follow Jesus with the courage to love when loving is difficult and to stand beside those who need someone to stand with them. May our lives reflect your love in the ordinary choices we make each day. Amen.