Merianna Harrelson

I am the Pastor of Garden of Grace United Church of Christ in Columbia, SC and the Director of Consulting at Harrelson.Co. I am always looking for a good cup of coffee and a great book.

Summer Reading

  On Saturday morning, we went to our library branch for the puppet show and found that they were telling Elephant and Piggie stories.  As we listened, I basked in the way there were so many different types of people for us to share the reading quilts with including Arabic-speaking families as well as Hindi-speaking …

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I Write at Night

I write at night When the house Is still And the moon is out And dreams are real… I write at night When I Am still And my thoughts clear And visions appear… I write at night When I Breathe ruach And the divine whispers There’s more, my dear… I write at night When this …

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Running Wonderings

As we start out, I marvel at the neighborhood waking up. Cars starting. Seat belts fastening. Heels clicking. I wonder what they are going to do. They are going to work, certainly but what is work for each of them. A place to wear heels, bring coffee in tumblers, bags full of work stuff. Do …

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5 Things About Bi-Vocational Ministry You Might Not Know

1. Bi-vocational ministry is not a new concept. The discussions about the reference Paul makes in his writing to being a tentmaker circulating in seminary classrooms and churches are becoming more frequent. Perhaps, this is because churches and seminaries can see the writing on the wall that the churches we have established that look an …

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Academy of Young Preachers

So, thankful for the partnership of the Academy of Young Preachers and CBF National to provide this opportunity for young preachers.

A Divine Cleansing

I know we progressive Christians aren’t all about cleansing rituals, but the two waves of thunderstorms that rolled through Columbia yesterday made me wish for my days in Germany when you would be stuck in the rain without an umbrella waiting on the bus inevitably at the one bus stop that had a cracked roof …

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