This week’s guest blog is courtesy of The Rev. Gregory Han who describes himself as “half-Asian, Midwestern-raised, Jesuit-educated, Harvard-trained, Texas-residing, Presbyterian Minister.” Since moving to Houston in 1998, Greg has worked at the intersection of religion, education, and dialogue. After a year as a hospital chaplain, Greg served Presbyterian congregations for eight years. He then taught courses in the study of religion and ethics, as well as high school English literature, for six years. He’s […]
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Pandemic Lessons to be Learned?
The pandemic continues to infect increasing numbers of people over the summer 0f 2020. As part of my #ListenLearnLove blog series I asked my former pastor, Kerry Nelson, to chime in with his thoughts about Pandemic Lessons to be Learned? He was my pastor when I first moved back to Houston in 2004. He’s since moved on to another congregation, but his insights continue to inspire me. Thank you Pastor Nelson for this guest blog. […]
Continue readingLeiden and the Future Pilgrims
Today Leiden in the Netherlands is a delightful city of about 125,000. The center city is much as it was hundreds of years ago, but easily reached today by modern bus service. In 1609 the Scrooby Separatists religious refugees relocated there from Amsterdam. At that time Leiden was a significant industrial community of around 15,000 and growing. By 1650 the town had grown to a city 55,000. Though I grew up knowing our family tree […]
Continue reading#BlackLivesMatter
This week I pay my respects to #BlackLivesMatter, George Floyd, and the many other black people who have died primarily because they were not white. I lift up all who have suffered striving for justice and peace for people of all colors. I invite you to join me as I: Reflect on the gross injustices people of color continue to experience generation after generation. Read, listen, and learn the perspective of people of color. Resolve […]
Continue readingAmsterdam Refugees
When the Scrooby Pilgrims’ 1607 first attempt to immigrate to the Lowlands failed, they returned to Scrooby and organized for another attempt. Their 1608 efforts resulted in successfully becoming the Amsterdam refugees. It was a mixed blessing. No longer must they worry about searchers and enforces rounding them up and handing them over to authorities. Instead they had to worry about where they would live and how they could support themselves in a bustling city, […]
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