Wellsprings Congregation

This week, Rev. Ken talks about how he's been using social media as a means of reaching out during the pandemic. He also talks about challenging emotions many of us are feeling right now. What do both Buddhist teachings and Pixar movies have to say about challenging emotions, and how can we apply those lessons to our lives? He ends with a story about a wrongfully imprisoned man, and a prayer rug which helps him in more ways than one.

Lay-preacher Chris Groppe shares his first ever message with us. He shares what we can learn about love from Mr. Rogers, a person taught us what it really means to love all people. He also talks about what a challenging concept that can sometimes be, and shares a meditation which might help us better understand lovingkindness.

This week, Rev. Lee continues our Love the Hell Out of This World message series. She opens with a story of a Universalist church making the decision to remain closed during the 1918 flu pandemic. She also shares a story from a inside a hospital in the Bronx, where front-line workers are making a conscious effort to honor the humanity in their patients in the midst of so much fear and uncertainty. There's power in saving what we love, and now more than ever, "what we love" means all of us.

Rev. Ken kicks off our message series, “Love the Hell Out of this World,” by exploring the concept of Universalism through the lens of – wait for it – Weird Al Yankovic. What can we learn from a painfully shy, almost cloistered youth who made so much safe space for others who have always felt like outsiders?

This week, Rodney Whittenberg takes us on a musical journey through his life. He plays selected songs, and tells us about the friends he most associates with each piece. How can we use music now to be a healing force in these unprecedented times? How can we use music to stay connected when we must stay physically apart?

This week, Rev. Lee brings us a different kind of message. We all have to accept the idea that we don't know how long we'll in this strange new situation. She shares a story of a friend going through labor, and how sometimes, when we're faced with something that feels impossible, the only thing we can do is focus on breathing and living through the next few minutes, over and over again.

In our Easter Sunday message, Rev. Ken talks about the empty spaces around us, and how they connect to the imagery of the empty tomb. He reminds us that Easter is about people who, in the face of death, continued to live. He also shares a lovely memory about holding his mother's hand when he was little.

Rev. Lee brings us the story of Exodus, and what we can find in the story of the burning bush right here and now, as we all wait out a necessary quarantine. She recounts a walk through South Philadelphia so quiet, she could hear the stoplight timers whirring - a sound she's never heard before. Above all, she reminds us that there is no place so dark and frightening that holiness cannot touch it. Stay safe and stay well!

Rev. Ken speaks to us from his home to share a message about how small acts that we perform now can be not only meaningful, but even heroic. He talks about how important it is for us to create meaningful connection, even as we stay physically apart. He also tells us what the 1990s movie "Armageddon" and the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel have in common, and what they can teach us in the context of a quarantine.

Rev Lee speaks about how drastically things changed in the span of 10 days, and why it's okay to feel like you don't have anything under control. She shares a story from the 1918 flu epidemic, and shows why stories like this can help us see that others have been through this before. She shares the concept of "Digital Campfires" and reassures us that we're still connected, even if we're physically far apart.

Our first ever remote worship service! As we practice keeping physical distance as an act of care, we come together in different ways. Rev. Lee talks about how all of us need all of us, and how nobody can do everything themselves - even in times when we need to stay apart. Perhaps what we're doing right now as a country is a kind of large-scale spiritual practice. She shares a beautiful story about the power of a whisper, and how something as simple as that can remind you that you're okay.

Rev. Lee continues our Being a Friend message series with her message "Fully Known." If you had to boil your life down to a phrase like "I'm the [person] who [blanks]," how would you fill in that sentence? Rev. Lee talks about the difficulty of making new friends as an adult, but also offers some ideas about how to remove imaginary barriers we might be setting up for ourselves. Maybe we just need permission to host a "crappy dinner party" once in a while with no stress and no expectations except making space for one another.

Rev. Ken Beldon opens our new message series for early spring called "Being a Friend." He talks about the way the towering hills you tackled as a child suddenly seem small as an adult, how important it is to see your own story reflected in others, and reminisces a bit about the wonderful weirdness of Sid & Marty Krofft shows. You'll also hear a bit about the term "lovingkindness," and a book by Bob Greene titled "And you Know, You Should be Glad."

Rev. Ken Beldon concludes our Daily Bread message series by talking about the most important book he's never read (Watchmen, Alan Moore), and how it's continuing story brought the destruction of Black Wall Street into the news once again. He also discusses inter-generational trauma by referencing the book My Grandmother's Hands by Resmaa Menakem, and a quote from Dr. Gabor Maté. He finishes up by sharing a dream he once had about a favorite Valentine's Day candy.

Worship Leader Josie Waldman shares her message "Embrace Vulnerability" by sharing her personal story of changing careers. She also shares some inspirational quotes from Brene Brown, and tells us what we can learn from Demi Lovato's struggles with mental illness and substance abuse.

Rev. Lee Paczulla shares with us the "Kindness Prayer," and unpacks the often misunderstood bible verse about turning the other cheek. She gives examples of the way we might talk to friends versus the way we might talk to ourselves, and relays a valuable message from the one and only Lizzo.

Rev. Ken Beldon continues our Daily Bread message series with stories about life's unexpected interruptions. He references a Mountain Goats song about an injured football player, he shares a story about a running injury he sustained, and he also plays an Iranian short film for our congregation.

In this message, Rev Lee Paczulla continues our Daily Bread series with stories about reading a book to a baby, the NYT Bestseller "Educated," and her own difficulties in beginning the spiritual practices of meditation and mindfulness.

Rev. Ken Beldon continues our Daily Bread series with his message titled "Watching the Wheels." In this message, Rev. Ken speaks a bit about his history with the WellSprings congregation, the first album he ever owned, and the phrase "there is another way to do life."

Rev. Lee Paczulla introduces our new winter message series "Daily Bread" with her sermon titled "In the Beginning." No matter where or who we are, all of us live each day one at a time. So often, we have a yearning for more meaning and connection, in the small moments of our lives. Where, and how, can we find the holy when the big, shiny, bright lights aren’t quite reaching us – or seem far too dim? When all that we’ve been taught about “religion” and “spirituality” falls short, how can we make room for the daily experiences of this life to simply be enough?