This month’s theme is “Renewal.” During the last six months we have been engaging inthe process of renewal, and will be continuing this trajectory over the church year. So far thishas been the strongest September start during my tenure: stewardship is already well underway for our pledge drive, RE is beginning strong with our temporary merger with Kent (more onthat later), our public witness for Black Lives remains strong and consistent, our work for votingrights is making a real difference, and much more. I am pleased to hear from various friends,visitors, and members how our community is an anchor and source of inspiration during this time.

We are continuing to make great partners during this time, beginning with our guest speakers from August: youth from Sojourn to the Past, Sensei Alex Kakuyo, and Derrick McDowell. These partners and many others have told me how much love they feel in this community, and how our mission is exactly aligned with the times we are living in. Though these partners belong to different religious traditions, they see and feel an alignment with our mission.

As mentioned, at the board’s request, we have merged our RE program with Kent UU’s virtual program tentatively until May 2021 beginning Sep. 13. They have approximately 80youth, and their full time DRE is Colleen Theole. They are following a curriculum that coincides with our monthly worship themes, and an anti-racism curriculum every other week. The youth15+ are organizing to encourage the congregation to support Black Lives Matter with a prominent sign on the face of their church, similar to ours. So far the only request they have from us is 2 volunteer teachers. Youth younger than 15 have their program at 11:30 am, and youth 15+ have their virtual classes at noon. Mystery’s last day as our Interim DRE will be September 18th, and she is available now until then to assist with the transition.

I’m excited by the proposal that was recently passed by the board to build a new computer system that better supports our current and future needs. Thank you, Andy Crabb, for offering your expertise and recommendations. Related to the running of sound in the sanctuary, Jennifer has offered to learn how to run sound. Since we live in the same household, this will greatly reduce any risk of Covid transmission to anyone in the community. As the year unfolds, it is important that we listen to health recommendations, and follow reasonable protocols. So far it seems that the risk of transmission from being outside, especially while masked is fairly low. It also seems the risk of transmission through touching surfaces is not very high. It seems the most dangerous circumstances for potential transmission are being indoors, even if there are masks worn. So I think we should be mindful about how we open up the building, making sure safety is our priority. This means we still need to be mindful of staying in touch with those who are unfamiliar with using technology, and assist in any way we can. My hope is that we can support our membership during this time, and continue to do our best to lower the chance of COVID transmission.

It is important as we go into September to keep in mind that many in our community are grieving losses or preparing for potential losses. Not all of these are due to COVID, though some are. I think the hardest aspect of this time is not being able to be there in person with those who are grieving, We (myself and the Care Team) are reaching out, but I’m paying special attention to this as the year unfolds.

I’m curious to hear from you as a board member if you have any upcoming hopes or ideas for the coming year. As I said, I think we are beginning September in a really good place,and I think we are setting ourselves up for a wonderful church year. I have confidence that we can face whatever occurs this coming year both personally and collectively, and that we have the affection and resources of time, talent, and finances to live out our mission, come what may.