“What is the New Cathedral Project’?”
We were in a meeting envisioning our capital campaign next fall. The New Cathedral Project was on a list of things we want to fund, so it’s a reasonable question. But I found myself fumbling with how to explain it.
Basically, it means we’re at the source for the best “contemporary” worship music being written. We’re not just receiving it from others. John Arndt has helped his band “The Brilliance” and collectives like… Read more
I was there by invitation from AMIS, the Association for Music in International Schools. I was invited to be the guest conductor for the European high school honor choir (they spell it the American way) last March in Poland. I wasn’t yet cleared to travel internationally, so they postponed and held it this year in Germany.
I am so glad it… Read more
In recent years, people in the West have felt confused and have had to rethink the role of Christianity and the church in society. We have seen ultra-right movements (such as those observed in our southern neighbors) that represent themselves as Christian while performing very questionable actions. As a reaction, others conclude that these actions are what Christianity is and are ready to blame the faith for all that is wrong. I believe the ideas and statements raised by this exhibition offer an alternative explanation of what Christianity truly is, especially… Read more
Dr. Olga Sobkovych Curatorial Statement
Thank you to everyone who has made this exhibition possible. And thank you especially to Payman Doddress, my ESL teacher here at the church. He is the editor of everything written, even this speech! So, any mistake I make in English is his fault!
As I stand here thanking everyone who’s done their bit, I remember it all started with thanksgiving, too! My first… Read more
I’m delighted to tell you about an upcoming art exhibit at our church. “The Passion of Christ in Times of Adversity” won’t just hang on our walls. It will adorn our worship space during holy week. “Art for art’s sake” has its place, but this is art for worship’s sake.
Its curator, Dr. Olga Sobkovych, and one of its artistic contributors, Olha Tkachenko, have been worshiping at our church for a year or so. As you might have guessed from their names, both are… Read more
By Pastor Jason Byassee and Lisa Brisebois
I often use this blog to reflect on the challenges and opportunities we face as a church—and sometimes to share exciting news. Today, I hope to do both. I want to offer a few reflections and extend a heartfelt invitation to an important interfaith event taking place in the Flora McCrae Auditorium on March 1 (2-5 pm).
This initiative began when two interfaith advocates at TEMC, Lisa Brisebois and Mary Rolland,… Read more
One of the foundational texts most of us had to read in secondary school is Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, about a caravan of pilgrims on the way to St. Thomas Becket’s shrine in Kent. We complained about having to read it, but I feel sorrier for kids today not made to read it. It’s good for you. It’s beloved partly because it’s so secular—bawdy and ordinary and alive—and not just churchly.
The travels I have upcoming are a combination of sacred and secular, if a bit more PG than Chaucer’s… Read more
I’ve enjoyed preaching at TEMC this summer perhaps a bit more than senior ministers traditionally have. Our Festival of the Word has brought amazing preachers, as we have had this summer in Paul Scott Wilson and Donyelle McCray from Yale. Thanks for indulging me the chance to preach through Judges with Pastor Dayle and Joanne.
Earlier in the summer I got to preach and teach at Lakeside OH’s Chataqua Institution. This was originally a… Read more
Our team is doing their part to engage community and mend the world in one way or another. Take a look at what's going on:
Jason is jamming his summer travel into a one-month window in late spring and early summer. He’ll be in Turkey for a pilgrimage commemorating the seven ecumenical councils and the seven churches in Revelation through the end of May. Then he’ll preach and speak at a Chataqua in Lakeside, Ohio the first week of June and will teach at Northern Seminary outside Chicago the second week of… Read more
I can’t recall a time I’ve been more proud of a ministry supported by Timothy Eaton Memorial Church than after visiting New Circles.
For years I have heard about their work, and I’ve admired Cindy Blakely, the founder and spiritual heart of the organization. Cindy’s journey started as a social worker. There she recognized the challenges of those underserved, living on a limited income with limited access to the necessities of life. So, she did something about it. Her vision birthed… Read more