The Reverend Matthew R. Rasure, Ph.D., will preach at Newton Highlands Congregational Church, UCC (NHCC), on Sunday, January 18, 2026.
“In the sermon we will consider Psalm 40 and its vision of God standing very near to us and ready to help us,” he stated.
“We will also reflect on the challenging quote attributed (in different versions) to the Christian activist Shane Claiborne: ‘If we lose a generation of young people in the church, it won’t be because we didn’t entertain them. It will be because we didn’t dare them to do something meaningful with the Gospel in light of the world we live in.'”
The Reverend Rasure is director of development for Allston Brighton Food Pantry, a strategic mission of Brighton-Allston Congregational Church, and served as a liaison with NHCC for the Mission Committee’s Thanksgiving meal effort.
The Reverend Rasure is a community advocate, scholar, and fundraiser who is passionate about the intersection of faith and community empowerment. Prior to joining the Allston Brighton Food Pantry staff, he served as the senior minister of the First Baptist Church of Medford. He holds a PhD from Harvard University, and an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary, and he studied for two years at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
The Reverend Rasure is married to the Reverend Rachael Pettengill-Rasure, who is rector of the Episcopal Church of Our Saviour in Milton, and together they are the parents of “Jack” and Maggie.” Matt also serves as president of the Board for the Center for Career Development and Ministry, a vocational counselling and psychological evaluation service supporting clergy throughout their lives.