Writing from the FCM community.https://fedcm.org/https://fedcm.org/blog/communion/https://fedcm.org/blog/communion/On a dreary Sunday morning, my colleague asked if I would take a case for him. Someone was asking for communion, and because of the denomination he represented, he preferred that someone else do it. I was fine with…Wed, 10 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://fedcm.org/blog/behold-i-make-all-things-new/https://fedcm.org/blog/behold-i-make-all-things-new/Swords into plowshares / Pruning hooks into spears / Mourning into dancing / Laughter from our tearsWed, 11 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://fedcm.org/blog/a-lament-for-these-times/https://fedcm.org/blog/a-lament-for-these-times/Take a deep breath. Place both feet on your ground. Roll your shoulders. Relax your jaw.Thu, 08 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://fedcm.org/blog/taking-time-to-remember/https://fedcm.org/blog/taking-time-to-remember/I have spent ten years of my ministry career working in continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs), also called life plan communities. These communities offer an instant neighborhood, replete with amenities for…Mon, 05 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://fedcm.org/blog/teal-eyeshadow-and-trust-lessons-from-lenora/https://fedcm.org/blog/teal-eyeshadow-and-trust-lessons-from-lenora/My favorite hospice patient died over the weekend. This patient, who I’ll call Lenora, was a spunky lady who had teal eyeshadow tattooed on her eyelids so she’d always look her best, even when confined to a hospital…Wed, 03 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://fedcm.org/blog/prayerful-reflections-for-advent-2025/https://fedcm.org/blog/prayerful-reflections-for-advent-2025/Reflections for Advent, edited by FCM Member Rev. Julia Styles.Tue, 25 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://fedcm.org/blog/transitions-a-poem/https://fedcm.org/blog/transitions-a-poem/Transition takes various forms and modes. / Stories left untold. / Some heartbreak, some bold / Yet, all lead to similar roadsThu, 30 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://fedcm.org/blog/statement-on-annunciation-catholic-school-shooting/https://fedcm.org/blog/statement-on-annunciation-catholic-school-shooting/The tragic shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis this morning has left us heartbroken and horrified. The very places we seek for safety, refuge, and fellowship – schools and churches – have once…Wed, 27 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://fedcm.org/blog/sacred-moments-a-poem/https://fedcm.org/blog/sacred-moments-a-poem/Sacred moments, how are these defined? Are they marked by goosebumps and hallelujahs intertwined? Are they comprised of rituals and ordinances, washing feet, baptism, and partaking of bread and wine? How do we…Wed, 20 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://fedcm.org/blog/nothing-is-impossible-with-god/https://fedcm.org/blog/nothing-is-impossible-with-god/Abraham is the Patriarch of the Jews. He was the first of his people to profess the belief in One God, Yahweh. While others worshiped many, he and his family worshiped only One. As the story goes, one day he got a…Wed, 23 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://fedcm.org/blog/a-pastors-journey-to-becoming-fully-affirming-in-10-parts/https://fedcm.org/blog/a-pastors-journey-to-becoming-fully-affirming-in-10-parts/There is a whole category of sex named after a biblical city that was destroyed by God.Wed, 25 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://fedcm.org/blog/simon-peter-the-rock-and-the-church/https://fedcm.org/blog/simon-peter-the-rock-and-the-church/Have you ever wondered why Jesus chose Simon Peter as the rock for which the church is built on?Wed, 18 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://fedcm.org/blog/fcm-executive-director-statement-faithful-resistance-to-fear-and-violence/https://fedcm.org/blog/fcm-executive-director-statement-faithful-resistance-to-fear-and-violence/FCM’s mission requires love. As an organization dedicated to supporting, nurturing and empowering expansive ministries and faith communities, we must always center love, acceptance, and justice in our work. Guided by…Mon, 16 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://fedcm.org/blog/youd-be-so-pretty-if-the-spiritual-toll-of-conditional-love/https://fedcm.org/blog/youd-be-so-pretty-if-the-spiritual-toll-of-conditional-love/The other day, in the spirituality group I lead for adolescents in inpatient psychiatry, we talked about the invisible weight we carry when other people's expectations and judgments strike at our very core. It didn't…Thu, 12 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://fedcm.org/blog/how-i-became-woke-my-30-year-journey-of-faith-justice-and-change/https://fedcm.org/blog/how-i-became-woke-my-30-year-journey-of-faith-justice-and-change/Thirty years ago (1995), I was a Republican. I had a life that revolved around my local parish, was a pro-life advocate, was someone who couldn’t quite understand the need for affirmative action and was someone who…Thu, 05 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://fedcm.org/blog/the-problem-with-being-perfect/https://fedcm.org/blog/the-problem-with-being-perfect/I took The Power of Myth off the bookshelf when PBS replayed the Bill Moyers’ interview with renowned mythologist Joseph Campbell recently. It brought me back to the days when I was doing men’s work. Campbell is…Thu, 29 May 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://fedcm.org/blog/the-pinhole/https://fedcm.org/blog/the-pinhole/A young one wandered, lost in the dark. Occasionally, she bumped into others who also roamed, though none seemed to realize they, too, were lost. A few believed they knew the way and took her along. She trusted them,…Wed, 21 May 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://fedcm.org/blog/order-my-steps-a-story-on-forgiveness-of-self/https://fedcm.org/blog/order-my-steps-a-story-on-forgiveness-of-self/These are the lyrics to the song that earned me an F in choir during my freshman year in college. I was new to being out on my own, and I went buck wild. The first real taste of independence for someone who had never…Wed, 14 May 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://fedcm.org/blog/what-the-beatitudes-really-teach-us-about-gods-priorities/https://fedcm.org/blog/what-the-beatitudes-really-teach-us-about-gods-priorities/The Beatitudes that Christ taught come to us in two parts.Wed, 30 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://fedcm.org/blog/remembering-the-earth-today-and-everyday/https://fedcm.org/blog/remembering-the-earth-today-and-everyday/I was reflecting today as I looked out my window as I watched six deer feeding in the yard, robins flying and seeking worms, trees cautiously beginning to bud and the ground melting and making mud so that the new…Wed, 23 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://fedcm.org/blog/fcm-statement-on-the-passing-of-pope-francis/https://fedcm.org/blog/fcm-statement-on-the-passing-of-pope-francis/San Francisco, CA, April 14, 2025 — FCM Statement on the Passing of Pope FrancisMon, 21 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://fedcm.org/blog/the-crucifixions-trembling-truth-we-are-always-there/https://fedcm.org/blog/the-crucifixions-trembling-truth-we-are-always-there/“Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.” And the reason we tremble is because we wonder, “Would I have taken part in nailing him to the tree?” “Was I there when they crucified my lord, and maybe I…Wed, 16 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://fedcm.org/blog/fcm-statement-of-expansive-inclusivity/https://fedcm.org/blog/fcm-statement-of-expansive-inclusivity/San Francisco, CA, April 14, 2025 — FCM Statement of Expansive InclusivityMon, 14 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://fedcm.org/blog/the-and-yet-promise-of-easter/https://fedcm.org/blog/the-and-yet-promise-of-easter/I stood in the ultrasound room weeping in joy at the sight of the monitor. The baby curled up like a little cashew, with a button nose and tiny hands.Mon, 14 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://fedcm.org/blog/on-being-seen/https://fedcm.org/blog/on-being-seen/“I didn’t know that I needed you today,” she said to me as I was leaving the room where her father had just died. “But I did. Thank you for walking us through this.” The “this” was a planned, compassionate extubation…Wed, 09 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://fedcm.org/blog/my-spiritual-journey-from-dogma-to-divine-connection/https://fedcm.org/blog/my-spiritual-journey-from-dogma-to-divine-connection/I was born and raised in the St. Joseph catechism. As children we were focused on dogma. Who is God? Why did God make me? These have been the essential questions of my life going all the way back to Release Time.…Wed, 02 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://fedcm.org/blog/creativity-as-resistance/https://fedcm.org/blog/creativity-as-resistance/Are you at a loss for what you can do in these tumultuous times? Are you wondering how you can push back against the negativity that swarms around us like torrential force winds? Here’s an idea that has helped me…Wed, 26 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://fedcm.org/blog/grief-and-lent-holding-sorrow-in-a-season-of-reflection/https://fedcm.org/blog/grief-and-lent-holding-sorrow-in-a-season-of-reflection/As a Christian clergyperson, Lent has always been a season of reverence—a time of reflection, repentance, and preparation. It’s a space carved out for stillness and self-examination, a return to God through humility.…Wed, 19 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://fedcm.org/blog/strategic-plan/https://fedcm.org/blog/strategic-plan/The FCM Circle of Directors conducted one of its most significant meetings February 6, 7 and 8. They acted on new governance proposals for FCM in accord with our strategic plan. The most significant change for FCM is…Wed, 19 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://fedcm.org/blog/blog-exciting-changes-reflect-a-new-chapter-for-fcm/https://fedcm.org/blog/blog-exciting-changes-reflect-a-new-chapter-for-fcm/Author: Rev. Christopher Breen, Vice Chairperson, FCM Circle of DirectorsTue, 18 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMT