Community and Friendship – St. Nick’s News Nov. 7, 2025

Full St. Nick’s News for November 7, 2025

Dear Friends,

I was reminded this week of the precious gift of community and friendship. I was speaking with a relatively new friend who shared some “horror stories” about past church experiences and why they now describe themselves as “spiritual but not religious.”

As you can imagine, I hear a lot of those stories—stories of pain and disappointment, but also stories of healing and hope. I never take them lightly. I’m grateful when people trust me enough to tell the truth about what they’ve lived through.

After that conversation, I found myself thanking God—not just for the honor of listening to someone’s story, but for all of you. For this community of faith that is learning, day by day, how to be the Church in ways that are real, loving, and kind. For those who gather in person, those who join us online, and those who simply meet us through this newsletter—I thank God for all y’all, and for the life we share together.

It’s not a perfect life, of course. It’s beautiful, mostly joyous, sometimes serious, sometimes sad—but always vibrant, grace-filled, and soaked in forgiveness. It’s a little messy, but it’s real. And that’s what makes it holy.

Community doesn’t just happen. It takes work and time. It takes courage to show up, to introduce ourselves, and to choose connection when it would be easier to stay comfortable.

This weekend, I see that choice everywhere at St. Nick’s:

• Saturday’s Grief Workshop (9–11am) offers sacred space for those facing life transitions, mourning loss, or simply grieving the world as it is.
• Tree Lighting preparations begin with Jeremy at 9am Saturday —our resident tree hugger and all around great friend —helping string lights and prepare the campus for the festivities ahead.
• Sunday’s Youth Cookie Event (11am–1pm) invites our middle and high schoolers to create, decorate, and share treats for World Kindness Day—spreading joy one cookie at a time.

And I can’t help but smile thinking back to Wednesday’s Dinner Church—where Nadine and Grace (our fearless Dinner Church leaders) led us in a hilarious and heartfelt community bingo night. We talked about what it means for the Church to be a team, laughed until our sides hurt, and learned a little more about one another. And yes, I’ll admit it… my table won! (Fair and square, I promise.)

But truly, we all won that night. We were reminded that life is not meant to be lived alone. We have each other—and a God in Jesus Christ who loves and adores us more than we can imagine.

May we see one another, and ourselves, with those same eyes of love.

God’s peace, love, and blessings,
Beth+