Author Archives: smaxreisert

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.

Death and Life

Posted on March 30, 2013 by smaxreisert

A few years ago, I chose a Lenten theme that focused on the “death of the church as we’ve known it.” For all of the Sundays of Lent, I walked the congregation through the various stages of grief. I talked … Continue reading →

Posted in Holy-Days | Leave a comment

Embracing Our Identity and Status

Posted on March 23, 2013 by smaxreisert

Last year, my husband, son and I attended the bar mitzvah of one of my son’s closest friends, Gabe. Gabe had clearly worked hard to reach this point in his life and to accept the new responsibilities that were conferred … Continue reading →

Posted in Maine Cautionary Tales | Leave a comment

Church, Spirituality,and the Convenience Factor

Posted on March 16, 2013 by smaxreisert

A few weeks ago, I encountered a conversation between two women at the gym. It was Ash Wednesday and both women were talking about how to get to church that day. They didn’t seem to want to go, but it … Continue reading →

Posted in My Life as Pastor | Leave a comment

Thoughts on a Birthday

Posted on March 8, 2013 by smaxreisert

I recently observed a birthday and I’m trying to confront that I am now officially in my late forties—or, as my husband would insist, in my very late forties. In terms of my age and my relationship with ministry, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Misc | Tagged church, religion | Leave a comment

The Pope and Memories of the Vatican

Posted on March 2, 2013 by smaxreisert

For the purposes of this blog, I was thinking that I should just ignore the resignation of the Pope. The Pope isn’t an authority figure for me, although he is for some in my family, and I can’t say I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in Other Denominations/Christians | Leave a comment

How Is The Church Like a Man With a Singing Frog?

Posted on February 21, 2013 by smaxreisert

Remember Michigan J. Frog? He was the animated singing frog from a Looney Tunes cartoon. In the cartoon, Michigan J. Frog is discovered by a hapless man during the destruction of a building. In the cornerstone of the almost destroyed … Continue reading →

Posted in Popular Culture, Movies, TV | 1 Comment

Reclaiming Old Language

Posted on February 16, 2013 by smaxreisert

During a recent clergy meeting, I asked a question about how other clergy handle questions from parishioners that convey either a lack of understanding of a sermon, or even worse than that, when a parishioner takes the complete opposite of … Continue reading →

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(Almost) Everything I Need to Know About the Body of Christ I Learned at a YMCA Swim Meet, Part 2

Posted on February 9, 2013 by smaxreisert

Lessons 3 and 4 Lesson 3: Focus on individual achievement in an encouraging group format. The Y does a great at helping kids focus on personal achievement. Those swimmers may very well have not a clue about who won or … Continue reading →

Posted in Sports | 1 Comment

(Almost) Everything I Need to Know About the Body of Christ I Learned at a YMCA Swim Meet

Posted on February 2, 2013 by smaxreisert

Lessons 1 and 2 (3 and 4 next week) Well, maybe not even “almost” everything, but important lessons about the Body of Christ, as envisioned by Paul in 1 Corinthians 12, can be learned at a YMCA swim meet. I’ve … Continue reading →

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Cautionary Tale #2: The Gardiner Congregational Church, UCC

Posted on January 26, 2013 by smaxreisert

The story of the Gardiner Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Gardiner, Maine, offers an important view into some of the very challenging issues facing many mainline churches, especially those churches located in places like central Maine. The Gardiner Congregational … Continue reading →