June 7 Sunday Message

Have you ever heard someone say, “I am spiritual but not religious”? Reverend James Kress says that he “hears it often”, usually from those who have stepped away from organized religion or never felt at home in one to begin with. Kress says that “In the circles I move through, I meet plenty of former Christians who now identify as shamans, Wiccans, witches, or practitioners of some newly discovered mystical path.” What strikes him is the intensity with which these converts hold to their new spirituality. There is a conviction, that would make a Baptist preacher nod in admiration.

This newfound devotion is a reminder that leaving a religion and being free of religion are not the same thing. You can walk out of a church in a single afternoon, but the lingering effects of the church experience do not leave quite so quickly. The stories, the symbols, the rituals, the longing for meaning, and the hunger for belonging are all threads that stay woven into the psyche and are likely to manifest anew when a new path is chosen. They shape how you search for truth, how you form community, and how you understand the sacred.

The real art in this transformation is not in rejecting religion or clinging to it, but in recognizing the ways it has shaped you and then choosing how to carry that forward with humility, love, and compassion. When you can hold your spiritual practice lightly but sincerely, something beautiful happens. You begin to see that “religious” and “spiritual” are not opposites at all. They are companions on the lifelong journey toward meaning.

Join Reverend James Kress this Sunday for a message about navigating the intersection of religion and spirituality in a way that is honest, integrated, and your own.

Wherever you are on your spiritual journey, you are welcome here.

You can join us in person or online. If you wish to watch this service live, click this Livestream link at 10:00 AM on Sunday, June 7.

Our music ensemble features Julie Croteau. She will be accompanied by George Conrad on piano, Dan Schmedtje on bass, and Stephen Croteau on drums.