Church on the Mall

04/21/2026

To all our past followers please note that Church on the Mall has closed its doors after 60 years of existence. Thank you.

01/25/2026

11/12/2025

10/27/2025

08/28/2025

Loving God, we lift up our prayers today for yet another community that now knows the brutal impact of gun violence. We pray for the lives that have been lost, those who have been injured, and the families that will be forever changed. As we remember those impacted, we renew our commitment to build safer communities for every beloved child of God.

08/23/2025

Truth

"When life gets hard," said Bear, "look to the willow tree."

"Why?" asked Rabbit.

"No matter how harsh the storm, it has learned it's better to bend than to break." said Bear.

©Tara Shannon, 2020

***

There have been a few times when I thought I might break. I thought for sure I was going to. When my mom passed, it felt like the very last of what I could manage. It was as if the floor was falling away from beneath me, and I was going to be swallowed whole. Part of me hoped for that. A place where time could stand still. Even just for a little while so I could catch my breath. But. Life doesn't work that way.

In the face of great adversity, it's essential to give yourself time and permission to grieve, collect your thoughts, process, and live in that moment, no matter how uncomfortable it may feel. Running from it doesn't make it better... it simply buys a bit of time before it returns. Ready to be dealt with.

There's no time limit on grief. No limit on figuring out who you are and where you're going.

The world can wait. In fact, it will bend with you as you sit in your silence and slowly make your way forward.

There are still days when I wonder how it is that I have arrived where I am. My steps forward after my experiences with loss, grief, and cancer were at many points, messy to say the least. Yet, here I am.

There's a willow tree on the site of a place my family used to gather. I visit it at least once a year. It sits at the very edge of a lake known for rough storms. It has survived all of them over its many years. Bending in the storm... but never breaking.

©Tara Shannon, 2020
The Willow Tree

05/10/2025

May the weekend be an opportunity for us to celebrate with grace the nurturing love that women have brought into our lives along the way…