A note from our Pastor - May 15, 2026

Dear Church Family,

The time has come. The carpet has been laid down in the sanctuary and choir room. The organ has been placed, the piano is settling, hymnals and Bibles are back in the pews, and the wires and speakers have been installed and connected. The font, table, and pulpit are centered.

I know this is an exciting moment, something many of you have long awaited after the events of last July and this winter. Alongside the excitement, there is also grief. Alongside anticipation, there may also be hesitation.

We are asking:

Will it feel the same?

What is missing?

What do we long to see restored?

What if things are not quite right yet?

I am grateful to witness this transition with you. I have loved hearing your stories and seeing this space through your eyes. I also know many bodies and spirits are tired after a long season of disruption, rebuilding, waiting, and carrying so much care for this church home and family.

And yet, Sunday we re-enter and re-center, and live our resurrection story.

We return to a beloved space knowing that our most sacred calling is not perfection, but presence. Presence with God and presence with one another. This Sunday we will gather around the font for baptism, remembering the waters of chaos and calm, and the grace of God that holds us through both. That in itself is holy. That in itself is enough.

The sanctuary may not yet feel complete in every way. There may still be details unfinished, adjustments to make, things to notice or questions to ask. But perfection has never been the point; love, worship, and community is the point.

The invitation is simply to come as you are, carrying both hope and fear, gratitude and grief, and to celebrate together as the family of God. You have come through fire and floods because of the faith you carry and the relationships that have held this community together in every room of FPCHC.

This Sunday, bless the space and bless one another with gentleness and grace, thanksgiving and hope, patience and curiosity.

You will notice changes. Honor them. Be curious about what feels familiar and what feels new. Trust that we are still becoming, together.

You may also notice a few new features in First Day: brand new announcements are boxed in red, and new names added to the prayer list are italicized. Small signs, perhaps, but reminders that even now we are stepping forward together in faith and in life.

With gratitude and hope,

gretchen