Jeff Street Baptist Community at Liberty. It's a confusing mouthful for a group that might better be known as the Church, formerly of Jeff Street, formerly Baptists (and Catholics, Presbyterians and given-up-hope) which is now at Liberty, literally and figuratively. We are a mutt. The wretched refuse. The divine community. God's Kingdom come. Welcome.
[Disclaimer: The views within this blog are doubtless pretty cool. Nonetheless, views expressed are those of the individual and not Jeff Street.]
Wednesday, August 27, 2025
Life at Jeff St Blog Moving!
Greetings to anyone who follows this page. As part of our general website and social media updates, we're migrating this blog to a new address. This blog will remain here for the time being, but any new content (as well as all this old content) will be found at:
Jeff St has a new pastor! On June 15th, Amy Armstrong preached her first sermon as our pastor and Jeff St is on fire with excitement and energy! Amy and her dear, sweet family (wife, Joy and daughter, Alysa) are helping us usher in the next phase of Jeff St's history and the world is now a better place!
Amy and her family come from North Carolina and got connected to us through their connections with Andy and Susan at Peace Camp. There will be more to come, but we wanted to get the announcement out.
In keeping with our last announcement (I think...)
Uncle
Ralph (Waldo Emerson) reflected, "The creation of a thousand forests is
in one acorn." And we can see that in the fall and winter times... a
single oak can produce thousands of acorns. They're still out there on
the ground, even now.
And
here's the thing: The oak is not stingy about it. The oak does not try
to hoard all those acorns, growing thorns around them so no one can get
to them.
The oak is gracious and generous. And IF a squirrel (or hundreds of squirrels) "steals" an acorn for its own nourishment, the oak doesn't take offense. It is generous. It is gracious. It is giving.
Nature is like that. God is like that. The Beloved Community can embrace that, as well.
And
to be sure, it can be hard in these cold winter times, when the stingy
and graceless try to hoard and hoard, taking for themselves and
unwilling or fearful to think about sharing with others. They demand
"efficiency," not grace. They push away rather than gather in.
Nonetheless,
the way of sharing, abundance and grace is the right way to go. There
is a place for wise use of resources and "efficiency," but that really
should be as a subset of grace and abundant sharing.
As
various biblical writers and wise people have long noted, what happens
to the stingy and the hoarders when they push others away and try to
take it all for themselves, perhaps in the name of "efficiency" and with
false claims about "They're all a bunch of lazy thieves!" ...what
happens to these hoarders? They end up with a bunch of rotten, useless
acorns. This is because acorns were meant to be shared and spread with
careless abandon.
The
greedy farmer said, "This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns
and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain."
But
God replied, "You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from
you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?"
And
when the Manna ("what is it?") fell to the ground so that there was
enough for everyone... what happened to those who greedily tried to
store more than they needed away? It rotted.
And when the rich business people refused to pay their laborers for the work they had done? God lashed out at them...
Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you.Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes.Your
gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you
and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.Look!
The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are
crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the
ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.
May
we embrace grace and grow into abundance and grow into sharing. May the
season of the Greening of the Spirit begin soon and take deep roots.
As regulars will know, our dear pastor Cindy Weber retired in 2023. She has been our fearless leader for nearly 40 years and has been such an amazing pastor and friend. We look forward to her continued guidance and mentorship in the years to come!
But, with her retirement, we had the very difficult task of finding our next leader/pastor/shepherd. Someone who is nurturing and supportive, someone who is prophetic and a strong justice promoter and a dazzling and inspiring preacher and leader. And we're so elated to announce that we HAVE found that person - Amy Armstrong! The pastor search committee spent months getting to know Amy (and her marvelous family) and the church has had the chance to meet her and get to know her and 100%, we are amazed and certain that she is the right "fit" for this band of rebels and vagabonds.
Amy and her family - wife, Joy and daughter, Alysa - are coming to us
from North Carolina and they are all just a tremendous delight! Amy will
be starting in June and we can't wait to see where this goes from here.
There is electric energy happening at Jeff St, my friends. And in this
time of great concern for our nation and our world, this beloved
community of God is ready to boldly go forward from here.
I'm sure we and/or Amy will be sharing more when the time is right, but hallelujah, what a great start to our next stage of being the Beloved Community in Louisville. Thanks be to God!
A wonderful song by Gabe Dixon, performed here by Kate, Roger, Dan, Donna and David...
A lot of people just tryin' to breathe Others, hesitating, try to decide I don't wanna be caught asleep The world's wakin' if you open your eyes Everybody's got a hand on the wheel Everybody's got a hand in the sky The arc of the moral universe Needs us to point it just right
So bend the curve Bend it down to the ground Bend it down toward justice What we all deserve Bend the curve Bend it down to the ground Bend it down for freedom Let's get to work
Bend the curvе Bend the curve
This land is our land Why'rе we letting it burn to ashes? This sea is our life Don't let it go sleepin' with the fishes This world is talking to us Are we gonna have sense to listen? Might have start making a fuss Plant a seed and come to fruition
Bend the curve Bend it down to the ground Take it down to the Earth 'Cause she needs us now Bend the curve Bend it down for science You know, it's just common sense For what's going 'round
Bend the curve Bend the curve Bend the curve Bend the curve
All right
There's people workin' dawn to dusk But they can't trust that it's enough To have a decent life There's people in an ivory tower Clingin' to power, scared of the hour When we unify And sanctify Just one big ball Just one big life
Our beloved pastor of nearly 40 years - Cindy Weber - retired last year and it's been a busy several months. I just realized I hadn't posted anything about it here. But what can one say? She is some kind of wonderful and we love her so much.
Here's a song that was sung to both Cindy and Robert, her husband, at her retirement celebration. Bend the Curve, a wonderful song that speaks of King's Moral Arc of the Universe, and how we're about the business of bending that curve just a bit closer towards justice! Many thanks to Kate, Donna, David, Paul and Roger for this wonderful performance!
About Jeff Street
Jeff Street Baptist Community at Liberty
800 E. Liberty St
Louisville, KY Sunday Morning Service:
11am - 12:30-ish Wednesday Evening Meeting:
6pm Supper(everyone welcome);
6:45 - 7:30pm Study Time