Author Archives: smaxreisert

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About smaxreisert

I'm a United Church of Christ pastor serving the small, faithful Old South Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, in Hallowell, Maine. I was ordained in Massachusetts in 1995, moved to Maine in 1997 and have served the Hallowell church since 2005.

What Makes a Church?

Posted on January 25, 2014 by smaxreisert

Probably because Old South’s Annual Meeting is this coming Sunday, I’ve been thinking a lot about what makes a church. At Sunday’s meeting, if I were to survey those in attendance, I would probably hear a lot of answers that … Continue reading →

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Church and Patriots

Posted on January 18, 2014 by smaxreisert

Like other churches in Maine, and perhaps in other places too, Old South is considering a change in its governance structure. We have too many committee slots for too few people, with some people taking on multiple roles on various … Continue reading →

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Righteous Anger

Posted on January 11, 2014 by smaxreisert

A few weeks ago I went to see the film Philomena, and I can’t stop thinking about it. I finally figured out why. Philomena is based on the true story of an Irish woman who, as an unwed pregnant teenager, … Continue reading →

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What Have I Gotten Myself Into?

Posted on January 4, 2014 by smaxreisert

In late October of 2008, during a trip to Europe, my family and I spent a week in Rome. During our stay in “the Eternal City,” we visited a special art exhibit of the artist Giovanni Bellini. Bellini was an … Continue reading →

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The Year (Almost) Without an Advent

Posted on December 28, 2013 by smaxreisert

Like many churches in Central Maine, Old South had to cancel worship for the two Sundays before Christmas—Advent territory. For the first of those cancellations, a raging snowstorm rolled in at exactly the most inconvenient time, making travel to and … Continue reading →

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Lessons in the Holiday Season

Posted on December 14, 2013 by smaxreisert

One of the best literary Christmas pageant scenes is in John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany. What makes it so great, of course, is that it is so funny. And, what makes it so funny is that everything goes … Continue reading →

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Lessons I Should Have Learned in Divinity School #2: More Physics

Posted on December 7, 2013 by smaxreisert

Newton’s law of motion: an object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion. My last blog entry focused on momentum, and how that concept finds its place in a discussion … Continue reading →

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Courses that Should Be Offered at Seminary/Divinity School #1: Physics

Posted on November 23, 2013 by smaxreisert

Over the course of my almost twenty-five years in parish ministry, I’ve accumulated a long mental list of the gaps that exist in my divinity school education—not simply courses that I failed to take, but courses that should have been … Continue reading →

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Churches and Millennials

Posted on November 16, 2013 by smaxreisert

The Washington Post’s “On Faith” section recently ran a piece entitled, “5 Churchy Phrases that are Scaring off Millennials,” by Addie Zierman. The phrases Ms. Zierman identifies are these: 1. “The Bible clearly says . . . “ 2. God … Continue reading →

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Don’t Just Blame the Victim

Posted on November 9, 2013 by smaxreisert

Recently, a friend passed along an article that was discussed at a small clergy gathering. The article was titled, “Autopsy of a Deceased Church: 11 Things I Learned.” It contained reflections from a church consultant’s relationship with one particular church … Continue reading →

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