Have Faith: Lent comes early
Christmas is the fun Christian liturgical season, with its Advent calendars (sometimes filled with little pieces of candy) and decorated trees. Lent, on the other hand, is a more solemn time when we recognize...
‘Soul awareness’
To talk to Constance Messmer is to be excited by the work that she does as a transformational speaker, focusing on psycho-spiritual development and empowerment. While she has chosen the topics for her upcoming...
Have Faith: New year, new ideas
A new year means we can take some time to reset our priorities and goals, large or small. I learned long ago to stick with small changes, because I’m much more likely to follow...
Have Faith: Hope in these times
Something hopeful happened via Pope Francis on Monday. He issued an official document saying that priests can bless same-sex marriages. Who would ever have thought that was possible? He basically says that people who...
Religious services for the holidays
Aquinnah
Community Baptist Church of Gay Head
Visit communitybaptistgayhead.org or call 508-693-1539.
Christmas Eve
Worship, hymn singing, scripture lessons, and prayer, 6:30 pm.
Chilmark
Chilmark Community Church
Visit chilmarkchurch.org or call 508-645-3100.
Christmas Eve
Service, plus lessons, carols, candle lighting, and special musical...
Have Faith: The Wishing Tree
Polly Simpkins is one of those people who lifts your spirits just by having a conversation with you. And that’s extraordinary. I happened to notice her family has their annual Wishing Tree up in...
Have Faith: Grieving takes all forms
Grief is funny sometimes. Years after my mother died, I broke down in tears at the grocery store when I got to the salad dressing aisle and saw the Wishbone Italian dressing on the...
Have Faith: A spiritualist’s journey
I don’t often get an opportunity to talk to people who have a different perspective when it comes to their faith journey, so when Pam Hoopes emailed me a couple of weeks ago, I...
Have Faith: A new minister for the Island
The Island welcomes the newest minister for the United Methodist Church community, the Rev. Joanne Hus. I was able to chat with her on Tuesday about how it feels to be here, and how...
Have Faith: Teaching the children (and adults)
The calendar at the Religious School at the Hebrew Center is booked solid with traditional celebrations for the next few weeks. The congregation celebrates Rosh Hashanah on Saturday, Sept. 16, followed by Yom Kippur...
Have Faith: Reflection on the past
One of the visits I like to make when I go back to see friends in Syracuse is to my old church, All Saints, in the Syracuse University neighborhood. They welcome me back with...
Have Faith: Love with justice
If you’re looking for an uplifting and motivational read (and author), I’m recommending the Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III’s “Dancing in the Darkness: Spiritual Lessons for Thriving in Turbulent Times.” I first heard Moss...
Have Faith: Summer services
If you’re a church geek like myself, you love summer on Martha’s Vineyard. More places of worship are open, and they all seem to be thriving — even those that have their share of...
Have Faith: Chabad on the Vineyard
I met Rabbi Tzvi Alperowitz the way I meet a lot of people, through emailing back and forth over the past year. We finally met in person last Sunday when I visited Chabad on...
Have Faith: Thinking about Juneteenth
Last month, my 33-year-old daughter decided she would dig deeper into our ancestry by doing a whole lot of online research. She definitely went down a rabbit hole. I was delighted when she reported...
Have Faith: Forgiveness
Editor’s note: From time to time, the “Have Faith” column is written by guest writers connected to the Island’s faith communities.
Forgiveness is one of the key tools of Christian faith. And knowing Jesus forgave...
Faith and Climate: Faith-based climate action
The Martha’s Vineyard Interfaith Climate Action Team is formed of volunteers from several different faith communities. If yours is not represented, please join us — our contact information is mvicat2040@gmail.com.
We’ve been meeting regularly to...
Have Faith: Prayer
Do you ever say a quick prayer before you do something, like have an important conversation you’ve been dreading, or making a decision that’s been weighing on you, or maybe before writing a column...
Back to the earth
When we visited our friend Bobby a few days before her death, she strongly expressed a final wish — she wanted a green burial. Bobby was a science teacher all her working life, and...
Easter and Passover services
Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center
The Hebrew Center, at 130 Center St., Vineyard Haven, hosts its annual Community Passover Seder on Thursday, April 6, at 5:30 pm, remotely and in person. Rabbi Caryn Broitman leads the...