NEWS A warm risk: Opening wide the church doors February 22, 2023 By the Rev. Darlene L. Kelley Most folks thought Mr. Clyde was crazy in a bad way. They were afraid of him, but the brave volunteers in the food pantry gave him a warm bowl of chili and as many hot dogs as…Read more Blessed to have this article published in the Advocate!
The Night I Learned Black Lives Matter
Was blessed to have this published in the November edition of The South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, edited by Jessica Brodie. Thank you for reading! This is that story where you have to change the names to protect the guilty, but I won’t change the location. Baltimore is my hometown, and there’s no other. Plus,…Read more The Night I Learned Black Lives Matter
Blessed to have this piece recently published in The South Carolina Advocate, edited by Jessica Brodie. Newberry church hosts community meals, new food pantry to reach out to neighbors
Blessed to have this piece published in The South Carolina Advocate, edited by Jessica Brodie. A COMMUNITY MEAL ON O'NEAL STREET By the Rev. Darlene L. Kelley The Todd family lived down the road at the end of the marsh and the beginning of Fisherman’s Bay. Donna—skinny, shy and 12 years old, just like me…Read more Blessed to have this piece recently published in The South Carolina Advocate, edited by Jessica Brodie. Newberry church hosts community meals, new food pantry to reach out to neighbors
The Lawyer Is In the House!
Gentle Readers, I was blessed to run a soup kitchen for fourteen years in Upstate New York where I was pastor at The Clinton Avenue United Methodist Church. During most of my tenure, I was aided greatly by many members of the community, including Steven Gottlieb, Esquire. Steven was a tireless volunteer. He ran a…Read more The Lawyer Is In the House!
Ashes on the Highway
Blessed to have this piece published in the May edition of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, edited by Jessica Brodie. I confess I start a bit late and miss a few of the early morning faithful on their way to school and work, but the long, unwieldy piece of donated plywood needs a coat…Read more Ashes on the Highway
Chicken, Lima Beans and Love
Cherished Readers, I was blessed to have this article published in April's edition of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, a great denominational paper edited by Jessica Brodie. I am grateful and delighted to share it. Thank you for reading! Darlene Chicken, Lima Beans and Love: The Langley UMC Feeds Veterans The buses pull…Read more Chicken, Lima Beans and Love
A Call Story
Recently published in the South Carolina Advocate, this story was edited from a longer, earlier work in progress on this very blog. Thank you for being here and for reading this. Rev. Darlene Kelley The Langley UMC September 8, 2018 A Call Story A compact park occupies the corner…Read more A Call Story
Love Heals: Chapter Two
I once threw up on my front door--proud that I’d shut that door with my date on the other side--before commencing. The cherries from the Manhattans I’d been sucking down all night created a stain, and you could still see a faint red mark in a certain light even after a coat of paint. It’s…Read more Love Heals: Chapter Two
Part One: Love Heals
Love heals. It’s easy, and it’s difficult. And it’s a process. That’s one of the difficult demands—patience. People want to be “cured”. They desire the instant gratification of the miraculous, but real healing is a process that may take time and produce unexpected results. Some folks are stuck. They’re like hamsters on a wheel. Year…Read more Part One: Love Heals
Good Morning, Beloved
Radio Kingston https://radiokingston.org/en/archive/good-morning-beloved/episodes/series-finale-race-religion An honest attempt to talk about race with two pastors: one white woman & one black man... Listen to this and other archived Good Morning, Beloved shows on Radio Kington, the best community radio in all the land. What a pleasure it has been to do the series, Good Morning, Beloved…Read more Good Morning, Beloved
Methodist to Her Madness 