Preaching: Ben Barczi

This Sunday is the festival of Christ the King. Christ the King Sunday is the climax and conclusion of the Church’s liturgical journey through the life of Christ and the Gospel message. Its purpose is to celebrate the culmination of Christ as king and his completion of the renewed creation that marks the fullness of his kingdom. As we look back along the church year and its seasons, we'll explore how Jesus reveals a new, revolutionary idea of king and kingdom, in ways that make for peace.

Pearl Church exists to express a sacred story and to extend a common table that animate life by love. A primary expression of our sacred story is the weekly sermon. If our sermons inspire you to ponder the sacred, to consider the mystery and love of God, and to live bountifully, would you consider supporting our work? You can donate easily and securely at our website: pearlchurch.org. Thank you for partnering with us in expressing this sacred story.

Preaching: Mike Roth

This week we continue our series "Wrestling with Words." This sermon series intends to consider, ponder and mediate on words that have been overused, misused or used so narrowly that to us they have lost their meaning. Our intention is not so much to perfectly understand or define, but wrestle with these words so their profound beauty and texture and depth come alive to us again.

This week we are completing the series with the word "Repentance." We'll explore its meaning in the Hebrew Scriptures and New Testament text, turning back to your true self and/or having your mind changed.

Pearl Church exists to express a sacred story and to extend a common table that animate life by love. A primary expression of our sacred story is the weekly sermon. If our sermons inspire you to ponder the sacred, to consider the mystery and love of God, and to live bountifully, would you consider supporting our work? You can donate easily and securely at our website: pearlchurch.org. Thank you for partnering with us in expressing this sacred story.

Preaching: Mike Roth

This week we continue with the word "Inspired." The word used to describe the Bible in 2 Timothy 3 is a combination of two Greek words, God and Breathing—God-breathed. We will explore the blending of divinity and humanity, God's spirit found in human writing, words, lives, hearts.

Preaching: Becca McMartin & Mike Roth

Note: there was an error with our recording of this Sunday’s service; we have re-recorded the content to make it available online.

Bulletin for this service

The Feast of All Saints celebrates the faithful women and men, known and unknown, past and present, whose lives have been marked by the love and grace of God. It is an opportunity for us, as a church, to thank God for them and to remember the roles they have played in bringing God’s kingdom into our lives and into this world.

Today, instead of celebrating the saints, we’re going to take time to do the opposite. We’re going to reflect on how the church has failed children by not proactively keeping them safe from abuse. Not only has the church been silent and allowed abuse to flourish, but in many cases the church itself has become the perpetrator of child abuse and a haven for abusers. Our plan is to grieve and confess the church’s part in this terrible evil, to honor and stand in solidarity with survivors and to resolve as a community to do better. The sermon time will educate and empower our community to take active and practical steps toward this resolve.

We know child abuse is a heavy, difficult topic that will be triggering for many of us. As a community we want to lean in to it courageously, and we also want to practice good self-care. For some of you, that might mean leaving during the greeting time that we’re about to have, or at any moment when it all becomes too much. Please take care of yourselves well. Reach out if you need help. Let’s do this hard but important work together as a community.

Resources for Reporting & Counseling

Preaching: Ben Barczi

This sermon series, "Wrestling with Words” intends to consider, ponder and mediate on words that have been overused, misused or used so narrowly that to us they have lost their meaning. Our intention is not so much to perfectly understand or define, but wrestle with these words so their profound beauty and texture and depth come alive to us again.

This week we continue with the word "gospel" as the “good news” pronounced by Jesus, announcing a new way of being here, now, under the peaceable reign of God, which brings mercy and goodness to all people.

Pearl Church exists to express a sacred story and to extend a common table that animate life by love. A primary expression of our sacred story is the weekly sermon. If our sermons inspire you to ponder the sacred, to consider the mystery and love of God, and to live bountifully, would you consider supporting our work? You can donate easily and securely at our website: pearlchurch.org. Thank you for partnering with us in expressing this sacred story.

Preaching: Mike Roth

This sermon series, "Wrestling with Words” intends to consider, ponder and mediate on words that have been overused, misused or used so narrowly that to us they have lost their meaning. Our intention is not so much to perfectly understand or define, but wrestle with these words so their profound beauty and texture and depth come alive to us again.

This week we continue with the word "chosen" as we address the work for which we are chosen, which is to mediate divine love and inclusion—to be a blessing to the world.

Pearl Church exists to express a sacred story and to extend a common table that animate life by love. A primary expression of our sacred story is the weekly sermon. If our sermons inspire you to ponder the sacred, to consider the mystery and love of God, and to live bountifully, would you consider supporting our work? You can donate easily and securely at our website: pearlchurch.org. Thank you for partnering with us in expressing this sacred story.

Preaching: Mike Roth

This sermon series, "Wrestling with Words,” intends to consider, ponder and mediate on words that have been overused, misused or used so narrowly that to us they have lost their meaning. Our intention is not so much to perfectly understand or define, but wrestle with these words so their profound beauty and texture and depth come alive to us again.

This week we continue with the word "salvation" as we explore the wide biblical concept of being saved as liberation from bondage, return from exile, and rescue from peril.

Pearl Church exists to express a sacred story and to extend a common table that animate life by love. A primary expression of our sacred story is the weekly sermon. If our sermons inspire you to ponder the sacred, to consider the mystery and love of God, and to live bountifully, would you consider supporting our work? You can donate easily and securely at our website: pearlchurch.org. Thank you for partnering with us in expressing this sacred story.

Preaching: Mike Roth

This sermon series intends to consider, ponder, mediate upon, and wrestle with really beautiful, really important, Christian words that have been so overused or so misused or so narrowly used, that, for many of us, they have lost their meaning. The goal of this series is not to perfectly understand every word, nor is it to precisely define every word. Instead, the goal of this series is to wrestle with words in order that we might be able to reimagine their profound beauty, texture, and depth. Genesis 32 sets a narrative context for this sermon series. In this passage Jacob is blessed by wrestling with God. It is in the wrestling, not the conclusion of the wrestling, that Jacob is blessed.

This sermon series intends to consider, ponder, mediate upon, and wrestle with really beautiful, really important, Christian words that have been so overused or so misused or so narrowly used, that, for many of us, they have lost their meaning. The goal of this series is not to perfectly understand every word, nor is it to precisely define every word. Instead, the goal of this series is to wrestle with words in order that we might be able to reimagine their profound beauty, texture, and depth. Genesis 32 sets a narrative context for this sermon series. In this passage Jacob is blessed by wrestling with God. It is in the wrestling, not the conclusion of the wrestling, that Jacob is blessed.

Pearl Church exists to express a sacred story and to extend a common table that animate life by love. A primary expression of our sacred story is the weekly sermon. If our sermons inspire you to ponder the sacred, to consider the mystery and love of God, and to live bountifully, would you consider supporting our work? You can donate easily and securely at our website: pearlchurch.org. Thank you for partnering with us in expressing this sacred story.

Preaching: Mike Roth

This sermon series intends to consider, ponder, mediate upon, and wrestle with really beautiful, really important, Christian words that have been so overused or so misused or so narrowly used, that, for many of us, they have lost their meaning. The goal of this series is not to perfectly understand every word, nor is it to precisely define every word. Instead, the goal of this series is to wrestle with words in order that we might be able to reimagine their profound beauty, texture, and depth. Genesis 32 sets a narrative context for this sermon series. In this passage Jacob is blessed by wrestling with God. It is in the wrestling, not the conclusion of the wrestling, that Jacob is blessed.

Pearl Church exists to express a sacred story and to extend a common table that animate life by love. A primary expression of our sacred story is the weekly sermon. If our sermons inspire you to ponder the sacred, to consider the mystery and love of God, and to live bountifully, would you consider supporting our work? You can donate easily and securely at our website: pearlchurch.org. Thank you for partnering with us in expressing this sacred story.

Preaching: Mike Roth

As we return to our fall rhythms and remind ourselves of our values, this week we are exploring the question - why church? What does gathering as a community at Pearl bring into our lives, and bring into the world? And how can we be a part of the unfolding work of the Divine bringing peace into all creation?

Pearl Church exists to express a sacred story and to extend a common table that animate life by love. A primary expression of our sacred story is the weekly sermon. If our sermons inspire you to ponder the sacred, to consider the mystery and love of God, and to live bountifully, would you consider supporting our work? You can donate easily and securely at our website: pearlchurch.org. Thank you for partnering with us in expressing this sacred story.