About Rev. Ruth D. Fitzgerald

Rev. Ruth Fitzgerald served in parish ministry for nine years before being called into conference ministry as Area Minister for the Grand West Association in Michigan. She has served on the community board for Pilgrim Manor, a United Church Homes community in Grand Rapids. Ruth has two grown children and three precious grandchildren. Hiking, knitting, and reading fill her “spare” time.

Recent Blog Posts

Unexpected Clarity…Maybe!

By Rev. Ruth D. Fitzgerald  •  May 04, 2023

My mother was a professor of clothing and textiles at Wayne State University. She earned a bachelor’s degree at that school and then went on to earn a master’s degree at..

Walk On

By Rev. Ruth D. Fitzgerald  •  March 16, 2023

Over the past year or so I’ve been in a time of discernment. It has been my experience that these times of anticipating transition or finding a new path in life are not..

Light Breaking Through the Dreariness

By Rev. Ruth D. Fitzgerald  •  January 26, 2023

Want to use these Abundant Aging blogs as a resource for individual reflection or small group discussion? Beginning with today’s blog, you will find questions at the..

Hold Back

By Rev. Ruth D. Fitzgerald  •  December 01, 2022

Eighteen years ago, my 49-year-old husband died, very suddenly, while he was traveling. December 9, 2004 is a date that can conjure up so many memories and emotions,..

Civility and Citizenship

By Rev. Ruth D. Fitzgerald  •  November 03, 2022

Beth Long-Higgins began this series by contrasting the ways members of her family expressed their citizenship and reminded us that, even in their differences, they held..

Grace Through Technology

By Rev. Ruth D. Fitzgerald  •  October 13, 2022

The dictionary defines “technology” like this:

Words of Hope

By Rev. Ruth D. Fitzgerald  •  August 25, 2022

Frederick Buechner died this week. If I correspond with you in matters not related to my job, you’ll see that part of my “personal” signature is a quote from him...

A Hidden Passion Sparked

By Rev. Ruth D. Fitzgerald  •  June 16, 2022

In 2008 I traveled to the border lands between Arizona and Mexico. This was a trip required for my graduation from seminary; an “intercultural immersion” experience...

Step by Step

By Rev. Ruth D. Fitzgerald  •  May 12, 2022

One step at a time.