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.

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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Challenge Accepted

So, I issued a challenge to Elisabeth in the middle of June to write her novel this summer. I promised her I would write, too, and that I would even call my writing a book project. Little did I know that Elisabeth knows a lot more about writing groups and writing books than I do! …

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I am the Messenger

I hope for a moment that they both understand what they’re doing and what they’re proving. I want to tell them, but I realize that all I do is deliver the message. I don’t decipher it or make sense of it for them. They need to do that themselves. I can only hope they’re capable …

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