Pastor's Greeting
Grace to you and greetings, in the name of God
our Creator and Christ Jesus our brother, master, and savior!
"Whoever you are, wherever you are on life's journey, you are
welcome here." Those words begin our worship services, and they say something important
about who we are: we are Christians who believe in God's expansiveness and God's embrace of all humanity,
which is cause for joyful praise. In our life as a church, we try
to live into that vision.
Our own vision for this congregation can be
summed up this way:
We are a community of Christians:
learning God's
ways;
sharing God's love;
extending God's peace and
healing grace to all.
So if you are looking for people who are trying
to be a community that follows Jesus, you are welcome.
If you are looking for a community that seeks
to learn God's ways of harmony, hope, justice, and joy, you are
welcome.
If you are looking for a place where we may honestly
recognize the ways we stray from God's will, and in the next
breath receive God's forgiveness, you are welcome.
If you are looking for a community that
values life-long education as an essential part of our
faith, you are welcome.
If you are looking for a church where people
practice caring for one another, and reaching out in solidarity with our
wider community and our world, you are welcome.
If you are looking for a congregation that
believes God's deep desire is peace for all people, of every
culture and every faith, you are welcome. If you seek people who
believe in the life-changing power of grace, you are welcome.
If you are not entirely sure what you're
looking for, you are welcome.
"Whoever you are, wherever you are on
life's journey, you are welcome here!"
God's richest blessings to you,
John Nelson
(P.S.: See John's blog, "Pastoral Ponderings from Pennsylvania Avenue.")
Our Pastor and Teacher
In 2007 the Niantic Community Church called the Rev. Dr. John A. Nelson as its Pastor and Teacher.
Pastor Nelson was ordained in the United Church of Christ in 1997. Before coming to Niantic, he
served congregations in Gloversville, NY, and Dover, MA. He is active in local and national groups
working for economic justice and promoting peaceful solutions to poverty and abuse, as well as
interfaith ministries. A native of Syracuse, NY, he graduated Middlebury College and Union Theological
Seminary in the City of New York. In May, 2011 he earned the Doctor of Ministry in Preaching from
Chicago Theological Seminary.
While in seminary, Pastor Nelson worked as a carpenter, a typesetter, and a
chaplain in a program serving persons with HIV disease. Following studies at Union, he moved to
Guatemala to join the International Team of Witness for Peace, a movement committed to nonviolence
and to changing US policies that continue to impoverish whole societies. He describes himself as
"a progressive Christian, saturated in Scripture and passionately committed to ministries of justice
and joy."
