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By THE REV. CINDY LAJOY

Have you ever walked through a season of your life where, no matter how hard you tried, you were unable to see your way through to the “other side?” Maybe you have been anxious for months about a major decision you need to make, but despite your...

By THE REV. RANDOLPH CALVO

This weekend, Jews are celebrating the feast of Passover. Passover began at sundown this past Monday and ends at sundown this coming Tuesday. Usually, Passover and Easter coincide on the calendar. However, this is a Jewish leap year. The Jewish...

By JASPER LAPIENSKI

“In a place where there is no man, strive to be a man.” (Avot 2:6)If you take just the second half of this statement, it sounds uncomfortably familiar: Be a man. We hear that a lot these days. Real men don’t cry; be a man. Shoulder the burden. Do your...

By THE REV. DR. CANDI ASHENDEN

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday and many little children in our towns will wake up to discover that the Easter Bunny has arrived while they slept and hidden real and/or plastic-colored eggs around their living rooms or yards, perhaps along with some little...

By HETTY STARTUP

There are many citations about prison fellowship and ministry in the Bible, including the Psalms, the Book of Isaiah and perhaps most well-known, chapter 25 of Matthew’s gospel.At St. John’s Episcopal Church this spring, the teachings are being taken...

By JAN FLASKA

I often ask the students I teach to tell me which fruit was forbidden by God in the Garden of Eden. A quick, abrupt answer is speculative: “Apple!” A thoughtful answer obligates us to read the source, which states that it is not specified. Now the...

By AALIANNA MARIETTA

One hundred and fifty years ago in Lake Pleasant, horse-drawn wagons shuffled along dirt roads lined in tents, cottages and boathouses. Steamboats raced along the lake while swimmers played water games, hot air balloons flying over their heads....

By THE REV. JAMES KOYAMA

I’d like to share a recent experience with you and what it says to me about being part of the church in our world. Quite recently, one of our members passed away. He was a man beloved by many, who I came to know near the end of his life.When we...

By TINKY WEISBLAT

Peter Stilla of Deerfield has had multiple careers. For much of his life, he was a journalist. This work included stints doing editorial work at the Greenfield Recorder and its sister paper, the Daily Hampshire Gazette.In 2000, he decided to attend...

By JUSTIN LAWRENCE

Every year, we find ourselves eagerly anticipating the return of a beloved tradition that warms not only our hearts, but also our stomachs — the roast beef suppers at the United Church of Bernardston. This cherished event has been an integral part of...

By THE REV. LINDA M. RHINEHART NEAS

In a few days, people around the world will spend billions of dollars on cards, candy, jewelry, flowers, and a night on the town to prove their love and affection to a special someone. I may be wrong, but I think St. Valentine is rolling over in his...

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

NORTHAMPTON — The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield has filed a lawsuit against Northampton, claiming a stop-work order preventing the removal of stained glass windows at the former St. Mary of the Assumption Church ahead of an impending sale...

By THE REV. CINDY LAJOY

Have you ever wondered why God sometimes leads us on what seems like a long and winding road, just to end up mere steps from where you started? Have you ever asked God to answer your prayers in a hurry, only to find yourself waiting for a response for...

By BISHOP DOUG FISHER

As you are reading this column, we are 35 days away from the official start of Major League Baseball’s Spring Training.So it is only fitting that I begin this column with a couple of inspirational baseball stories.Growing up in the 1960s, like many...

By PASTOR MARK E. ELLIS

One of my favorite movies is “Castaway,” a dramatic, Robinson Crusoe-type tale about one man’s survival on a desert island. Tom Hanks plays FedEx executive Chuck Nolan, who boards a FedEx plane to attend a business meeting in Malaysia. Over the...

By GURUJIMA

The year of awakening from slumber is upon us, and many new things will happen that will create this awakening. Open your eyes, beloved ones, and see what we need to awaken to. It is to the preciousness of each day of life and our responsibility to be...

By TINKY WEISBLAT

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I opened “God’s Hidden Places.” The book’s author, the Reverend Patricia Gallagher of Greenfield, bills it as a memoir and more. It’s unconventional, and yet it generally works and moves the reader.The book is a...

By HETTY STARTUP

As the calendar year turns, our faith communities seem like they are running to just catch up from the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts, both positive and negative. In this context, it makes more sense that I was asked recently to talk with...

By THE REV. RANDY CALVO

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. The excitement is palpable, especially since Frosty and Rudolph have engulfed us since the moment Halloween was over. However, I mention with reservation that some Christians seem somewhat dissatisfied with the Christmas...

By THE REV. CANDI ASHENDEN

We are now right in the middle of the Advent season and also in the middle of the frenzied holiday rush. We are trying desperately to find the joy in the season as we shop for gifts, or help others out, or begin to consider baking special treats, or...

By DOMENIC POLI

LEYDEN — The Leyden United Methodist Church has taken its lumps in the past few years, and parishioners hope a holiday craft fair, paired with a crowdfunding campaign, can help raise the money needed to keep the doors open.The craft fair is scheduled...