My friends, the Season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, March 5, 2025. Join us for Ashes and Communion, “on the go”, near the Coffee Bar by the Great Room from 7:00am-8:30am. A traditional service of Ashes and Communion will be held in the Sanctuary that evening at 7:00 pm.

As I continue to reflect on the Annual Meeting last Sunday, I’m taken by the joy and fellowship that occurred around tables. And thanks to Chris Alexander and her team for preparing such a great meal. The meeting was informative and hopeful for Grace’s future. Good stuff happening here.

As I mentioned in last week’s “A Word from Our Interim Pastor”, it’s hard to believe that I have started my second year with you as our Interim Pastor. In fact, I’m in my fourteenth month, but who’s counting. God is in our midst and has been so since our chartering in 1909. Let me cite some of our accomplishments in 2024:

• We completed the Five Steps in our Interim Pastor Journey;
• Our worship services brought us into a deeper experience with God;
• Education opportunities strengthened our walk with Jesus;
• Small group experiences for us to give and receive support, encouragement, knowledge about Christianity and one another, prayer, and fellowship in community;
• Service projects;
• Mission trips;
• The Cuba partnership;
• The Session approved the 2025 Strategic Plan;
• The election of the Pastor Nominating Committee, and
• Grace is a founding church of Justice Together.

Your Session on Monday night, February 17, began discussing how Grace can be courageous in addressing the immigration and refugee crisis in America, Kansas, and Sedgwick County. The Session is considering several ways which will include education opportunities with experts and writing Senators Marshall and Moran as well as Congressman Estes.

In conclusion, I cannot state strongly enough how excited Janet and I are to be a part of the Grace Presbyterian Church family in such a time as this. Yes, Grace is an amazing congregation to serve.

On our Interim Pastor journey with you, I remain faithfully yours,

Steve

The Rev. Dr. Steven M. Marsh

Interim Pastor

My theme verse for all forty-three years of my ministry as a Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA) is Philippians 1:3-6:

“I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your  sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.”

It’s hard to believe that I have started my second year with you as our Interim Pastor. In fact, I’m in my fourteenth month, but who’s counting. God is in our midst and has been so since our chartering in 1909. Let me cite some of our accomplishments in 2024:

• We completed the Five Steps in our Interim Pastor Journey;
• Our worship services brought us into a deeper experience with God;
• Education opportunities strengthened our walk with Jesus;
• Small group experiences for us to give and receive support, encouragement, knowledge about Christianity and one another, prayer, and fellowship in community;
• Service projects;
• Mission trips;
• The Session approved the 2025 Strategic Plan;
• The election of the Pastor Nominating Committee; and
• Grace is a founding church of Justice Together

Your Session on Monday night, February 17, began discussing how Grace can be courageous in addressing the immigration and refugee crisis in America, Kansas, and Sedgwick County. The Session is considering several ways, which will include education opportunities with experts and writing Senators Marshall and Moran as well as Congressman Estes.

In conclusion, I cannot state strongly enough how excited Janet and I are to be a part of the Grace Presbyterian Church family in such a time as this. Yes, Grace is an amazing congregation to serve.

On our Interim Pastor journey with you, I remain faithfully yours,

Steve

The Rev. Dr. Steven M. Marsh

Interim Pastor

Like many Christian pastors, ministers, bloggers, authors, podcasters, and congregants, I believe that the Church must be more courageous. Human rights and dignity are at stake. And the Church is not the building. The Church is the millions of Christians that make up the body of Christ. Yes, Christians are Republican, Democrat, and Independent in party affiliation. But the mark of a Christian is not a particular party platform. The mark of a Christian is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit, and most certainly love.

What might a courageous Christian look like?

• A person who values their personal faith convictions more than their allegiance to a political party.
• Men and women who will say that bigotry wrapped in religion is still bigotry.
• Christians, saying that Christianity was never supposed to be about power or America being first.
• A person who asserts that diversity, equity, and inclusion is at the heart of everything Jesus was doing when he was here and continues to do through his followers today.
• Men and women who will say, “No more,” to a Jesus-less Christianity.

I believe, along with other pastors, ministers, bloggers, authors, podcasters, and congregants that the American Church is at a turning point. That turning point is to shed irrelevance, uselessness, prejudice, selfishness, and moral bankruptcy and begin the rebirth of being the living, loving, and forgiving presence of Jesus.

Can we, the Christians of Grace Presbyterian Church, defend the millions of vulnerable people who are being sacrificed on the altar of hateful people’s phobias, privileged people’s convenience, or fearful people’s cowardice?

My thanks to John Pavlovitz, who in his February 12, 2025, blog informed my thinking, reflection, and convictions in this column.

On the journey of Christian discipleship and spiritual formation with you, I remain faithfully yours,

Steve

The Rev. Dr. Steven M. Marsh, Interim Pastor

Truth to Power-Part II

Timothy Snyder, the Richard C. Levin Professor of History and Global Affairs at Yale University, in a recent article titled, The Logic of Destruction writes, “What is a country? The way its people govern themselves. America exists because its people elect those who make and execute laws. The assumption of a democracy is that individuals have dignity and rights that they realize and protect by acting together.”

Our elected officials in Congress are not governing. Instead, they are allowing President Trump and individuals like Elon Musk, Stephen Miller, and the writers of Project 2025, not elected by the people, to run our country through hundreds of Executive Orders. Executive Orders have always been used by our Presidents. But what are our elected officials doing to provide checks and balances to the Executive Branch in such a time as this? Our government is in chaos.

Janet and I will contact Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall and House of Representatives member Ron Estes (4^th District). We will share our concern that the Executive Branch appears to be dismantling Democracy by reshaping the Federal Government after the priorities of the oligarchy. Those priorities advocate discrimination against women and gender, racial and religious minorities, rejection of immigrants, the imposition of religious laws to restore a white Christian patriarchy, and purging the Palestinians from Gaza in order for the USA to occupy and make it, according to President Trump, the Riviera of the Middle East.

Jesus taught and lived in a way that dispensed dignity and hope. Jesus exemplified the truth in these statements in Matthew 5: “Blessed are the merciful” and “Blessed are the peacemakers,”

and these statements in Matthew 25: “All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left” and “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’”

On the journey of Christian discipleship and spiritual formation with you, I remain faithfully yours,

Steve

The Rev. Dr. Steven M. Marsh

Interim Pastor

Truth to Power

Can we examine and assess the President’s Administration, members of Congress, and members of the Judicial Branch by using the Sermon on the Mount and Matthew 25?

It is President Trump’s prerogative to do the things he promised to do. But the question is “how”? Are members of Congress leading out of loyalty to the President or integrity? And are Justices leading by the Rule of Law and the Constitution?

Jesus, the Son of God took a different approach than wielding power in implementing what the Father mandated him to do. Jesus didn’t seize equality with God, but relinquished that equality and became human and yet remained God. Humility, kindness, and justice epitomized Jesus’ leadership. He loved and did not condemn.

Jesus taught and lived in a way that dispensed dignity and hope. Jesus exemplified the truth in these statements in Matthew 5:

• “Blessed are the merciful.”
• “Blessed are the peacemakers.”

Jesus taught and lived in a way that dispensed dignity and hope. Jesus exemplified the truth in these statements in Matthew 25:

• “All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.”
• “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’”

On the journey of Christian discipleship and spiritual formation with you, I remain faithfully yours,

Steve

The Rev. Dr. Steven M. Marsh

Interim Pastor