Pastor Adina’s Letter for the Season of Pentecost 2025

Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our tender fragility, in our struggles as we wait. We do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit Herself intercedes with sighs too deep for words?

-Romans 8:26

Beloved Keystone Community:

I was deeply honored and humbled to hear that you have called me to be your Designated Pastor for the next two years. I especially cherish the fact that you had your congregational meeting on the day of Pentecost! Since Keystone is still in a state of transition, I believe this is the perfect way to continue our relationship. I have loved being here over the past year, and as the song says, “We’ve only just begun!” 

I am looking forward to spending more time with you, in worship and study, in action for justice, and as we discern more about Keystone’s future. We are small but mighty! This summer, I have invited the leadership team to join me in reading the new book, A Little One Shall Lead: Small Congregations Create New Ways of Being Church. In it, the authors relate “encouraging stories of congregations that – despite limited worship attendance and financial resources – have outsized community impact with their ministries.” Keystone could probably have written at least a chapter of this book, if not the whole thing! I am also excited about the new book club selection, The Tears of Things by Richard Rohr, which Matthew and I are reading aloud to each other.

On July 10th, I will have my ordination interview with the PNC Committee on Ministry. I am hoping that, because of the call you have offered me, I will be able to be approved for ordination in the United Church of Christ. My gratitude is overflowing. Please keep me in your prayers during this important time.

Later in the summer, I will be sending out a follow-up survey to reflect on our first Day of Discernment and to ask you for your detailed thoughts about Keystone going forward. You will have the option to answer anonymously, so you can say what’s really on your mind.

In the meantime, for the next ten days, I will be on a silent contemplative retreat. I brought the Keystone directory with me so I can hold each and every one of you in prayer. I am overjoyed to serve as your designated pastor for the next two years, and I know the Spirit will be with us all as we continue to deepen our relationship.

With Love and Joy

Pastor Adina

Pastoral Letter for Memorial Day week 2025

Dear Beloved Keystone Community,

With a heart full of gratitude, I write to thank each of you for joining together on May 18th for our Day of Discernment. Your presence, your voices, and your open hearts made the day a truly sacred gathering.

Keystone is a rare and radiant community—one built on deep love, unwavering justice, and the courage to embrace one another exactly as we are. As I listened to the stories and reflections shared, I was moved and inspired. You spoke from the heart, celebrating the ways Keystone has been a home of healing, friendship, and collective action. 

I am especially grateful for the way you have welcomed me as your pastor in the wake of the departure of beloved Rich Gamble. It is an honor to walk alongside you as we continue to discern our path forward— to cry out for justice, live into the Realm of God, discover new ways to engage and grow, and ensure that Keystone remains a sanctuary for all who seek belonging. While we recognize the challenges ahead, we step forward with faith, knowing that the love and commitment within this community will sustain us.

On June 8th, you will have the opportunity to make a decision together about my relationship with you as pastor moving forward. My term as transitional pastor was set for one year, ending on June 30th, and now, as a community, you will decide whether to continue with me in this role, begin a search and call process, or explore other possibilities. The leadership team will be presenting all the choices to you, ensuring that this decision is made with clarity, care, and collective discernment.

As we look to the future, we can trust the wisdom and creativity of this congregation. Together, we will work to expand outreach and membership, engage with social justice groups and strengthen relationships with our  partners. Participation in the Faith Land Initiative discernment cohort will help us continue to make Keystone a vibrant hub—hosting community events, inviting new voices, and exploring ways to make our space a center of connection and activism. We will continue to elevate our public presence, deepen collaborations with justice organizations, and discern how best to sustain our mission in meaningful and lasting ways. These are not just ideas—they are invitations to dream and act together, shaping the next chapter of Keystone’s journey.

Please reach out to me if you are interested in learning more about the Faith Land Discernment Initiative. May we continue to nurture one another, strengthen our bonds, and embrace the opportunities ahead with open hearts and open arms.

With deep gratitude and love,
Adina

Easter Pastoral Letter 2025

 Dear Keystone Family,

This past weekend, your moderator Barb and I had the privilege of traveling to Yakima for the annual Pacific Northwest Conference of the United Church of Christ. What an inspiring time it was! We connected with members from across the conference, celebrated the welcome of new churches, explored uplifting and challenging ideas, and listened to some truly transformative preaching.

Friday kicked off with a variety of workshops led by passionate and knowledgeable presenters. I attended a powerful session on religious trauma led by Rev. Dr. Christie Love, Senior Pastor at Englewood Christian Church in Yakima. As a trauma theologian, she shed light on the kinds of experiences that lead to religious trauma and the groups most affected by it, such as LGBTQ+ individuals and those who’ve been homeschooled in strict religious environments. She also shared profound insights into how we, as a church, can offer pastoral care to those seeking healing.

Next, I joined a workshop on anti-racist practices in churches. I was deeply moved and inspired by the work of Sunnyslope Church in Wenatchee, who recently hosted a community workshop with Sarah Augustine, author of a thought-provoking book on the Doctrine of Discovery. Meanwhile, Barb dove into sessions on faith advocacy and support for church moderators, gathering valuable tools for leadership.

The weekend was full of meaningful moments, including a keynote address by Reverend Freeman Palmer, the Conference Minister for the Central Atlantic Conference. Reverend Palmer’s message was both thrilling and thought-provoking as he preached from Luke’s Gospel, in which Jesus encourages his host to invite the marginalized to the feast. Reverend Palmer posed the question: Who in our day is left out of the invitation? He challenged us to consider our trans siblings, immigrant neighbors, and those who’ve traditionally been excluded. Even more, we were urged to ask, “Who is setting the table, and what barriers are keeping people away?” It was a call to self-reflection, justice, and radical inclusion.

On Sunday, the weekend’s message culminated in a sermon by Reverend Bianca Davis, a powerful and prophetic Black woman preacher whose voice was vibrant with liberation, empowerment, and the call to uplift God’s people. She shared a compelling vision for the church, reminding us that as old structures fade, we are given the opportunity to create something entirely new—rooted in love, justice, and compassion. I left her sermon thinking how incredible it would be to have her bring her message to Keystone one day!

Barb and I returned to Seattle filled with hope and renewed energy, ready to share the spiritual momentum we experienced. As we journey forward together, I’m excited for what lies ahead. Remember, on May 18, we will gather as a congregation to discern the future of Keystone. This will be a chance to share stories, enjoy a meal, celebrate our accomplishments, and dream together about what God is calling us to become.

I am so grateful to be on this journey with you all. Let’s continue to grow, evolve, and set the table for a vibrant and inclusive future!

With joy and hope,
Pastor Adina

Holy Week

By a perversion of justice he was taken away.
    Who could have imagined his future?  -Isaiah 53:8

Welcome to Holy Week 2025. The concept of Holy Week was invented during the middle ages, when pilgrims began to travel to holy sites and for entertainment—yes, entertainment!—acting troupes would put on what were called Mystery Plays. These were exciting reenactment of the events leading up to Easter, including Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem, the devil’s possession of Judas which led to his betrayal of Jesus, Jesus’s arrest and trial before both Herod and Pontius Pilate, his torture and crucifixion, his descent into Hell (a very important element of the story, and one we modern Christians tend to gloss over) and finally his resurrection. We see remnants of these mystery plays in our own Palm Sunday processions at church, in movies like Jesus Christ Superstar or Mel Gibson‘s Passion of the Christ, and in our own reenactment on Maundy Thursday of Jesus’s washing of his disciples’ feet as he celebrated the Passover meal.

When I was growing up, my parents celebrated Passover every year. My earliest childhood drawings are of the seder plate. I loved the sacred foods: the Matzoh, lifted high in blessing, the cup of wine, the salt water to represent the tears of the Israelite women, the bitter herbs for the bitterness of slavery. I loved to open the door for Elijah, who could return at any time. We had to close our eyes and then when we opened them again, the cup of wine was empty—had Elijah come?

It’s impossible to understand the meaning of Holy Week, except through sacred story. Who can believe that God, the ultimate Reality, Creator and Sustainer of the universe, could not only dwell with us in human form, but could die the most humiliating and shameful death known at that time? I don’t think our minds can wrap themselves around it without the accompaniment of these sacred stories, these legends going back to Adam and Eve in the garden, God’s promise to Abraham, or the Exodus from Egypt.

When we try to articulate the meaning of the cross without these sacred stories, we end up with a strange transactional formula that not only doesn’t make sense but leads to a dangerous and violent theology—most famously developed by Anselm in the Middle Ages (when these Mystery Plays were popular)—that God demanded “satisfaction” of His honor: He needed to punish human beings for their sins, and it was only when Jesus stepped forward to “pay the price” for our transgressions that God agreed to let it go. This strange and distorted view of God is still prevalent today, particularly in churches that have allied themselves with empire and domination. 

We need the whole story, the story of the deliverance of God’s people from the oppressive system of domination represented by Pharaoh in Egypt, which is why Jesus came to Jerusalem during the festival of Passover, which this year coincides with our Holy Week. There is no way to separate the Passover festival—with its memories of liberation from slavery, from idolatry, from a betrayal of humanity’s true nature and vocation as the bearers of the image and likeness of God. There is no way to separate that story from the story of Jesus who leads us out of domination into liberation.

This Holy Week, as we meditate on the last days of Jesus during the season of Passover, as we ask ourselves what the story of the crucifixion means to us, may we remember and honor the Jewish people, our ancestors and siblings in faith. 

Shalom

Rev. Adina

Lenten Pastoral Letter

Lent 2025

Look, how good and how pleasant
is the dwelling of siblings together.
Like fragrant oil on the head
coming down over the beard,
Aaron’s beard that comes down
over the opening of his robe.
Like Hermon’s dew that comes down
on the parched mountains.
For there the Holy One ordained the blessing –
Life forevermore!

—Psalm 133

My dear siblings in Christ:

I don’t think I have to tell you that the motto of the United Church of Christ is “that they all may be one.” What you may not know, however, is that Lent is traditionally a time when communities seek deeper unity with one another. The Sunday before Lent, which we celebrate as Transfiguration Sunday, marks the beginning of the one hundred days before Pentecost, a mystical time where we ask God to help us grow together as a community and then celebrate and use our various gifts in service to the Realm of God.

I thought I’d take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about one of our two partner communities, Living Water, whose members often come to worship with us. As you probably know, I first started coming to Keystone when, as the leader of the Living Water community, I called up Rich Gamble and asked if we could worship there. The leadership of Living Water – including Dixie and Jo Anne – met with the leadership of Keystone – including Barb and Rita, and they discovered they were like peas in a pod! Since that time, Living Water has celebrated Mass in Battson Hall on the second and fourth Sundays of the month.

Of course, the Masses that Living Water hosts are somewhat different from more traditional Masses celebrated by the institutional hierarchy. Living Water members decline to use the sanctuary, because they prefer to sit in a circle, emphasizing the equality of all believers. They also decline to listen to a sermon! Instead, after Scripture is read, people engage in a “shared homily,” in which different people share short, spontaneous reflections about how the readings touched them. On the second Sunday of the month, Living Water holds a “People’s Mass,” in which there is no priest presiding. Instead, the liturgy - which, by the way, means “work of the people” – is led by two “ordinary” members, following a model from the Iona Community in Scotland. All are welcome at these liturgies, and Keystone members are especially invited to visit Living Water sometime!

Both Keystone and Living Water enjoy remarkable music, especially given their relatively small sizes. As an experiment, I asked Rose Morrison, the cantor of Living Water, and our own Elliot Kraber if they would try teaming up one Sunday to provide music to both congregations at once during a service on the fifth Sunday of the month. Those of you who were able to attend the celebration of the Season of Creation on September 29th and hear the “combined cantor quartet” of Rose, Elliot, Chris Ronk, and Sherry Tuinstra, know how special it was. And the four singers had such a wonderful time they asked if they could do it again! That is how the special “fifth Sunday” combined services began – we had a second one on December 29th and we are planning yet another special musical fifth Sunday for March 30th. 

Living Water and Keystone are not planning to “merge.” Each congregation enjoys its own unique identity and flavor of liturgy. However, we have celebrated potlucks together, sang together, and engaged in days of justice-centered social action together. The members of Living Water host our Ash Wednesday service this year, with members of Keystone, Prospect UCC, St. Paul UCC, and the Seattle Taiwanese Christian Church attending. As small congregations, it is easier for us to enjoy the wonderful fellowship that is, according to the Psalmist, the dwelling of the Holy One.

With Lenten Blessings

Pastor Adina