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The thing I love about ministry is that it is
collaborative. The pastor of a church is not "The Minister," but "a minister" among many. That conviction is at the heart of our Congregational tradition. That reality is the source of the greatest joy and consolation the Church has to offer.
Ministry is all about relationships: our relationships with God
and with each other. The life of a community of faith is about
nurturing those relationships in worship, in work and in joyous
fellowship. Though church life is about an intentional Christian
life in a particular congregation, we must always strive to
serve God in reaching out beyond our own familiar congregation.
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In reaching out to the wider
church, to people of other faiths and no faith, we can enrich
our experience and our spiritual lives. At Second Church we take
this seriously without taking ourselves too seriously.
That is what I love about being the pastor of Second Church.
If I were to boil our shared ministry down to one element, it would be a biblical ethic of hospitality. In worship, we welcome the spirit of God into our midst. We welcome old friends and strangers alike. We welcome those who
come from other traditions of the wider church, those of different faiths, those who are searching or merely curious about what we do. God's
love calls us together and our purpose is to share that love.
I hope you will find a warm welcome should you choose to visit us. Please introduce yourself so that I may greet you
personally. I would also be happy to hear from you via email. Please
click here  .
May God's peace be with you,
The Reverend Richard E. Malmberg
Pastor
Bio:
Richard Malmberg was born in Wilmington, Delaware and grew up in Dallas, Texas. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies from Guilford College, in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1984, and earned a Master of Divinity from Andover Newton Theological School in 1988. Before
ordination, Malmberg spent five years working for a daily newspaper. In continuing education, Richard has pursued the study of Judaism, Hebrew, and Jewish/Christian dialogue.
Richard's journey to ministry has been a winding road, and he
continues to pursue a variety of interests. His preaching is
rooted in a passion for writing, and his own search for God
within the life of a faith community. He has published articles
and poetry in a variety of publications and pursued his interest
in music playing bass in two rock bands: The Vagrants and
Calvinist Anxiety. |
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Richard lives with his wife Jane and sons Max and Oscar. He enjoys biking, golf, films, reading, music, cooking and collecting toys. He is active in interfaith community organizations in the Greater Boston Area, and has served on a variety of committees within the Metropolitan Boston Association Committee and Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ.
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Message from the February SPIRE
Dear Friends,
As February rolls around, I once again make my get-out-the-vote pitch for our
Annual Congregational Meeting. I usually add a reminder that it is the
participation of the congregation in church governance that the term
Congregational comes from. Well, I would not want to disappoint. So there,
I’ve written it.
As we recall our particular tradition of Protestant Christianity, it is most
important to remember that we are a church. We are a sacred community called
together by God’s love, given to one another. We are called to be the Body of
Christ in the world. We meet the world as it is, even as we nurture the vision
of goodness for which God created it, and us. We are a visionary community
called to sacred living.
This year
we need to remain fixed on the opportunities before us to best serve God in this
place. We are at a crossroads in our staffing model. I hope members of all
ages (especially our eight newly confirmed members) will be on hand to join in
the deliberation and conversation. There may and likely will be differing ideas
of how to best go forward and how to best realize the vision and serve God, our
neighbors and one another.
As we enter
into this conversation, I paraphrase my father’s favorite teaching from Luther’s
Catechism: Always place on your neighbor’s actions and words the most
charitable interpretation. Even as we face these challenges, we may rely on the
guidance of God’s Holy Spirit. If we remain faithful, we can be assured that
good things are ahead.
Yours in Christ,
Richard Malmberg
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