This Week at Glade

This Week at Glade Church

     Glade Church, a United Church of Christ (UCC) congregation, is a progressive Christian community—welcoming, compassionate, and joyful—seeking to embrace all people wherever they find themselves in life.  We strive to discern God’s still-speaking voice through worship, study, fellowship, and service. We work for God’s peace and social, economic, and ecological justice. We seek a greater understanding of ourselves and others, recognizing that all persons are members of our one human family, God’s family.

Pastor Kelly is available for meetings on Mondays. Contact them at [email protected] to schedule an appointment.

Weekly Post-Service Fellowship

Please sign up to bring refreshments for our weekly post-service fellowship time. The signup sheet is posted outside the sanctuary or you can contact Sandra Bryant at [email protected] to sign up.

Strengthen The Church Offering – Sunday, May 24^th

The Strengthen the Church Offering furthers the work of our conferences and the national UCC as we work together to strengthen and renew existing congregations, fund leadership development, and provide exciting new programs for youth and young adults. The offering is divided, with 50% staying regionally within our conference and 50% supporting the National Ministries. How can we follow the Spirit to bless emerging ministries in the United Church of Christ? Through the Strengthen the Church Offering you support the formation of new congregations and the renewal of existing ones, fund new programs for youth and young adults and sponsor leadership development for the whole church. Thank you for your gifts!

Volunteers are needed for Kids Church and Youth Group

There are leader slots available for youth, kids, and nursery. Youth Group and Kids’ Church are on alternating weeks during worship service. Here is the link to sign up to help serve our children:

Glade Kids & Youth Church 25-26 Signup

Sunday May 24

Nursery: Erica B.

Sunday May 31

Nursery: Volunteer needed!

Pastoral Evaluation Survey

Glade Church requests your participation in the Pastoral Evaluation Survey. The survey is designed to improve the effectiveness of the pastor’s ministry, foster professional growth, and strengthen communication between the pastor and the congregation. You do not have to be a member to participate in the survey, and we would appreciate as many viewpoints as possible. When approaching the task, please keep the following in mind:

• Pray for openness and a spirit of discernment
• Be honest and provide more than one-word answers
• Be respectful (speak the truth in love)
• Give it the time it deserves
• Answer only for yourself, not for anyone else (don’t report hearsay or gossip)
• Remember that this is meant as an exercise for pastoral as well as congregational learning and growth

There are paper copies of the survey available in the sanctuary. You can also access the survey through a Google Doc available here: https://forms.gle/6jpf7uXqeUDqRF1h8

Please submit your responses by Sunday May 31, 2026.

Did You Know?

Join Advocates for Love and Religious Freedom (ALRF) every Thursday in May from 7-8 pm EDT for an on online discussion of the NY Times bestseller – The Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person’s Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-Fleecing Frauds — by comedian and broadcaster, John Fugelsang.

Register here to join this important discussion, facilitated by UCC pastors, the Rev. John Dorhauer (past General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ) the Rev. Barry W. Lynn (retired Executive Director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State and former legislative counsel in UCC’s Office of Church in Society in Washington, D.C.), and the Rev. Corey Sanderson (pastor of Second Church in Newtown, MA).

ALRF’s project, This Is Christianity was created from a belief that, as Christians, we should follow Jesus’s commandment to love our neighbors, and that it is our responsibility to care for the least of us. ALRF does this by advocating for human rights, justice, and freedom, and speaking out against the dangerous political ideology of Christian Nationalism.

 Senior Sunday on May 31^st    

On Sunday, May 31, we’ll be celebrating our Graduates! Thomas graduated from high school and will attend New River Community College, where he will study to become an Electrician. Trips graduated from Salem High School and will attend Roanoke College, where he will study Government/Public Policy. Congrats and best wishes to you both!

Food Pantry

Food Pantry donations collected at Glade continue to supplement the Future Economy Collective Food Drive that’s distributed to Laundry Love guests on the third Sunday of each month. As of April 19, the FEC is requesting donations of dry Purina dog and cat food, trash bags, menstrual products, and non-perishable food items. Thank you all for your donations, they are greatly appreciated!

Thursday May 28 from 6-8 PM and Sunday June 7 from 2-4 PM at North Main Laundromat.

Laundry Love has opportunities to volunteer.  This is a great way to put “Words” into “Actions” of faith and love. We do this at the laundromat on North Main across from the Y-Thrift Shop. Click below to volunteer!

VOLUNTEER FOR LAUNDRY LOVE

Laundry Love is Always Looking for Volunteers on 1^st & 3^rd Sunday & 2^nd & 4^th Thursday

The Hamper – Pop-up Laundry Love Fundraiser

The Hamper is a new mini pop-up gift shop benefiting Laundry Love that can be found at church and other places around town, started by creative genius Jill Sible. It contains random small items like hand painted bookmarks, mugs, and LOVE coffee with suggested pricing. Be sure to check it out, I’m sure you’ll find something to take home! If you’re crafty and interested in donating any of your projects to the gift shop please contact Jill.

Coffee & Devotion on Zoom — Wednesdays @ 10am

This virtual get-together meets at 10 a.m. on Zoom and lasts for about an hour for a time to meet people, share thoughts, hear a brief devotion, and join in prayer. This time of fellowship is open to everyone, it’s a time to gather for conversation, devotion and prayer. Come meet some people you may not know.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89240288592?pwd=KzhRWlJiQTkzWWRlYTNuRkdPaUNqUT09 Meeting ID: 892 4028 8592 Passcode: 290014

Radical Conversations [RadCon] Meets Saturdays at 11:00 AM

Radical Conversations [RadCon] continues a series of explorations on the topic “Resistance as Public Theology in the United States”.  We will explore the role of religion as resistance in movements such as the American Revolution, Abolitionist Movement, Women’s Suffrage, Civil Rights, and Vietnam plus others.

RadCon is an ecumenical group that meets on Saturday mornings from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm (or as long as people want to stay and discuss!). We meet in the “Red Room” at Glade Church. This is an “open forum” rather than a classroom-like lecture and all points-of-view are accepted in an atmosphere of civility.

Everyone is welcome. For more information contact Edd Sewell or email him at [email protected]

You may be asking “What is public theology?” Here is a good definition from a recent article in the New York Times by Lauren Jackson titled “The Role of Public Theology in Crisis” on 22 March 2026:

People have always talked of God in the public square. Faith leaders, scholars, activists and politicians all bring religion to bear on otherwise secular issues, like public policy, economics and social norms. Around the middle of the 20th century, academics named that phenomenon “public theology.”

Women’s Book Group Meets Third Mondays at 7 PM

The Women’s Book Group meets on the third Monday of each month at 7 PM in person and/or on Zoom for a discussion of the current book. The book for June is The Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd Contact Katie Morris at [email protected] for more information.

Do you have an item you’d like included in the weekly newsletter? Send info and pictures (if applicable) to Sandra Bryant at [email protected]

 UCC Purpose, Vision, and Mission Statements

 Purpose: To love God with all our heart, mind soul, and strength and our neighbor as ourselves. (From the Gospel of Matthew)

 Vision: United in Christ’s love, a just world for all.

Mission: United in Spirit and inspired by God’s grace, we welcome all, love all, and seek justice for all.