What does it look like to welcome someone with your whole heart? In his first message as River Road's new pastor, Rev. Bert Cloud brings a warm, honest introduction of himself alongside a timely reflection on Matthew 10, delivered on the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Rather than avoiding the tension of the moment, he leans into it, drawing on Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1965 words about the gap between America's ideals and its practice, and inviting the congregation into the harder, holier work underneath our politics: welcoming each other, and welcoming the stranger, as an act of welcoming Christ himself.

With humor, humility, and a clear love for the people he now serves, Pastor Bert introduces the posture he hopes to bring to River Road: open-hearted hospitality, sacrificial service, and a steady reminder that every person carries the image of God.