Pastor's Life - Midwinter

In the Bleak Midwinter: January in church life by Rev. Philip Beck It’s approaching January and in western Pennsylvania, from where I write, the bleakness of winter is present. Whether or not this time of year is indeed "bleak" depends on perspective, of course. Some people love this time of year. I have a friend, he looks a bit like Yukon Cornelius from Rudolph, and he and his family love winter. They embrace all the opportunities winter has to offer — hiking, skiing, snowball fights, even a midwinter jump into a pond where they have to break the ice before they plunge. I would love to have their enthusiasm, but I don’t. Gray days, slush, and piles of dirty snow in parking lots with an inventive youth, most likely, parking a shopping cart at the very top of the pile, does not fully warm my heart. Like the song, I find this time of year a bit bleak, foreboding, and even barren.

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Rev. Philip Beck is the pastor at First United Presbyterian Church of Tarentum, north of Pittsburgh, having served there since May of 2001. Phil and his wife Christa have three adult children. In their spare time, Phil and Christa travel to visit their children and to experience the world. Phil likes to cook, plant flowers and vegetables at home and in the community garden, take walks, and nap occasionally. You will also find him the first two weeks of the season at the Chautauqua Institution every year.

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