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The thing I love about ministry is that it is
collaborative. The pastor of a church is not "The Minister," but "a minister" among many. That conviction is at the heart of our Congregational tradition. That reality is the source of the greatest joy and consolation the Church has to offer.
Ministry is all about relationships: our relationships with God
and with each other. The life of a community of faith is about
nurturing those relationships in worship, in work and in joyous
fellowship. Though church life is about an intentional Christian
life in a particular congregation, we must always strive to
serve God in reaching out beyond our own familiar congregation.
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In reaching out to the wider
church, to people of other faiths and no faith, we can enrich
our experience and our spiritual lives. At Second Church we take
this seriously without taking ourselves too seriously.
That is what I love about being the pastor of Second Church.
If I were to boil our shared ministry down to one element, it would be a biblical ethic of hospitality. In worship, we welcome the spirit of God into our midst. We welcome old friends and strangers alike. We welcome those who
come from other traditions of the wider church, those of different faiths, those who are searching or merely curious about what we do. God's
love calls us together and our purpose is to share that love.
I hope you will find a warm welcome should you choose to visit us. Please introduce yourself so that I may greet you
personally. I would also be happy to hear from you via email. Please
click here .
May God's peace be with you,
The Reverend Richard E. Malmberg
Pastor
Bio:
Richard Malmberg was born in Wilmington, Delaware and grew up in Dallas, Texas. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies from Guilford College, in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1984, and earned a Master of Divinity from Andover Newton Theological School in 1988. Before
ordination, Malmberg spent five years working for a daily newspaper. In continuing education, Richard has pursued the study of Judaism, Hebrew, and Jewish/Christian dialogue.
Richard's journey to ministry has been a winding road, and he
continues to pursue a variety of interests. His preaching is
rooted in a passion for writing, and his own search for God
within the life of a faith community. He has published articles
and poetry in a variety of publications and pursued his interest
in music playing bass in two rock bands: The Vagrants and
Calvinist Anxiety. |
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Richard lives with his wife Jane and sons Max and Oscar. He enjoys biking, golf, films, reading, music, cooking and collecting toys. He is active in interfaith community organizations in the Greater Boston Area, and has served on a variety of committees within the Metropolitan Boston Association Committee and Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ.
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Message from the March SPIRE
Friends,
This month begins in Lent and ends on Palm Sunday. The season is characterized
by reflection and prayer. In March, there will be ample opportunities to study
and reflect together. Our Field Education Seminarian, Maureen Frescott, will
lead a Lenten Adult Study Series on all four Sundays in March. The series will
focus on what we believe about Jesus. Each session will be organized around a
specific question that comes to us from the Bible.
Also during Lent, we will hold our eleventh annual Interfaith Bible Study with
Temple Shalom. This year we will be looking at Jerusalem: in history, in
Jewish and Christian tradition, in theology and in Jewish and Christian
eschatology. Not only is this a rare opportunity to compare our respective
beliefs about the biblical city held sacred by the three Abrahamic faiths, but
it will be excellent preparation for our observance of Holy Week. After all, it
is in Jerusalem that the drama of Christ’s passion unfolds.
Learning together allows us to enrich our faith life and understanding. It also
provides a wonderful opportunity for us to open ourselves to our traditions and
to one another. By learning together, we engage in a special kind of fellowship
and share a journey of spiritual and intellectual discovery. I hope many of you
will join in.
Yours in Christ,
Richard Malmberg |
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