Minister’s Musings

Our theme for October is “the path of courage,” and this is a great time of year for me to reflect on this, as I enjoy the changes autumn brings while I also dread the short and dark days ahead.  Most years, I find myself gathering my self care practices the way a squirrel gathers acorns, creating a stash that will help me get through the winter with my mental and spiritual health intact.  I’ve been increasingly intentional about this since the fall of 2016, when I had to learn to deal with the loss of both my marriage and my faith in democracy at the same time.  On top of being the anniversary of those losses, it’s election season again, and I’ve been receiving a barrage of communications about what’s at stake this year.  I’m gathering those practices so I can ride this wave rather than letting it swamp me- so I can use the energy of my anxiety to work toward summoning and sharing the courage I (we) need to keep moving forward.  I believe this is one of the reasons we gather in community, and I’m grateful to be part of this particular community that builds love, courage, and strength within, between, and around us.

In faith and love,

Karen

This week’s question: Do you foresee a time in the future when we will be able to have an outdoor service (without tech)?

I would happily have an outdoor service, but not without tech.  The tech is what allows virtual participation in worship, and virtual participation makes up at least half of our average attendance.  I believe it would be a disservice to our community to intentionally plan a service those Reebers can’t access.  That said, I could see creating an outdoor service whose virtual component is an equivalent service at another time, although that would require that all worship leaders do the same thing twice that week.