JUNE 2026

Dear Kind and Gentle People,

OH MY SOUL!  June has arrived in all its glory here at “The Mill,” and creation seems determined to put on a grand show. There is much excitement as we scramble to upgrade the trusty 75 HP tractor to a mighty 100 HP machine capable of pulling our new larger mower. If all goes according to plan, first cutting should begin within the week. Yippee! The prize-winning yellow irises are positively dazzling, the old honeysuckle bush is sweeter than ever, and the hens and ducks are faithfully laying their daily gifts.

One of the greatest delights, however, is a bale of painted turtles who gather each day on a partially submerged log in the Mill Pond, soaking up the sunshine as if they have nowhere else to be and all day to get there. They seem to understand something many of us forget: sometimes God's work includes simply basking in the light.

I hope your Pentecost and Trinity Sunday celebrations were off-the-chart fabulous and that some of you joined me—at least in spirit—in howling at the rare Blue Moon. There is something wonderfully humbling about the moon. It produces no light of its own; it simply reflects the brilliance of the sun. Perhaps that is part of our calling as Christians.

Pentecost reminds us that the Holy Spirit refuses to let the world remain unchanged. The Spirit stirs, surprises, nudges, and occasionally gives us a holy shove toward love, justice, compassion, and renewal.

Trinity Sunday invites us into one of the deepest mysteries of our faith: God as an eternal relationship of love—Creator, Christ, and Holy Spirit living in perfect communion. Like the moon reflecting the sun, we are invited to reflect God's love into the world. We do not have to manufacture divine light; we simply allow it to shine through us.

June also brings Pride Month, and Newfield Community Church will celebrate with a service filled with light, joy, and welcome. At its deepest level, Pride is a celebration of authenticity, dignity, resilience, belovedness, and the refusal to live under the weight of shame. It is an opportunity to celebrate the beauty and diversity woven into God's creation. Most of all, it is an opportunity to celebrate the expansive love of Jesus Christ. God's love is not fragile. It is not scarce. It is not reserved for a select few. God's love is abundant, radical, persistent, and unfailing. It reaches farther than our fears, stretches beyond our boundaries, and welcomes us more fully than we can imagine.

As we move through these long June days, remember that the same God who shaped oceans and galaxies, who hung the moon in the night sky, and who breathes the Holy Spirit into every generation, continues to work within and among us. As the Blue Moon reflects the light of the sun, may we reflect the love of the Holy Trinity into this sometimes weary, sometimes wonderful, always beloved world.

Here is something to ponder:

• The Creator who formed the stars knows your name.
• The Christ who walked among the outcast walks beside you still.

• The Holy Spirit continues to breathe blessing into every fiber of your being.

And that means this:

You belong to Holy Love.

As always,

Gobs of Blessings and Heaps of Happiness,

Petah

Rev. Dr. Peter Stickney

A Bale of Eastern Painted Turtles--USED BY PERMISSION