Many Hands Make Light Work
“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” Henry Ford As we wind up our fiscal year I’d like us to reflect on the many successes we’ve had in the past twelve months. We put together two highly successful auctions, Fall and Spring, and made record amounts of income promised to OCUUC and helped in the process to continue our getting to know each other in the ensuing dinners, plays, games, and other social delights…
Caring for OCUUC
Caring for OCUUC Financially “The measure of a life, after all, is not its duration but its donation.” —Corrie Ten Boom “I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare.” —C.S. Lewis “Ambitious people climb, but faithful people build.” —Julia Ward Howe 2017/2018 CANVASS As I write this we are not certain of receiving pledges to total the goal amount set…
May Shenanigans
So in one month, I’ll be going on sabbatical. I’m looking forward, as I’m sure you can imagine, to days of sleeping in and rejuvenating. But I’m also looking forward to exploring ideas, arts and knowledge that I never have time for during my current busy days. In June I’ll be heading to my normal month of relaxation up in Seattle to see my family. I’ll also be taking an art class near Seattle. In July I’m going to start…
Do April Showers Bring May Flowers?
“Nobody sees a flower really; it is so small. We haven’t time, and to see takes time – like to have a friend takes time. I decided that if I could paint that flower in a huge scale, you could not ignore its beauty.” Georgia O’Keeffe “The fact that I can plant a seed and it becomes a flower, share a bit of knowledge and it becomes another’s, smile at someone and receive a smile in return, are to me…
Salvation
Salvation is not a word I like, I have to admit. I generally don’t mind Christian theological concepts, but this one makes me twitch. It’s the worship theme this month and so I’m squirming a bit. Salvation, from a liberal theological standpoint, is often described as “wholeness.” But I think that’s a bit of a stretch. The original Greek word for salvation is Soteria. Soteria means protection from harm, often then translated into “salvation.” The world “Salvation” is the Latin…
Where Are We Going?
“Men have never done much when the heart has been cold; and what have they not done, what have they not subdued, when the heart has been quickened to generous emotions?” William Ellery Channing “We are often called to do the difficult, if not the seemingly impossible, and it is vital to our spiritual growth that we not ignore these challenges.” Janice Marie Johnson “To attain happiness in another world we need only to believe something, while to secure it…
Dreaming Big Dreams
What will you do with your one wild and precious life? ~ Mary Oliver Our congregation is in the middle of dreaming big dreams! What will we do with this one wild and precious church? What a fun question to ponder. There is such wonderful energy on Sunday mornings – our “pews” are packed with so many new people coming to join us. It’s very exciting and we have the wonderful problem of trying to figure out how to accommodate…
Conversations About Our Future
As many of you are aware, your President, Don Martin, and I have started a series of conversations to look at our future, in particular the future of our church campus. Not only are we busting at the seams on Sunday morning, but we also don’t want to rest on our laurels. We’ve accomplished a lot together the last few years! In January we just did some dreaming – what might we do to address the increase of attendance? How…
A Long Journey
“We build on foundations we did not lay We warm ourselves by fires we did not light We sit in the shade of trees we did not plant We drink from wells we did not dig We profit from persons we did not know This is as it should be. Together we are more than any one person could be. Together we can build across the generations. Together we can renew our hope and faith in the life that is…
Gratefulness and New Beginnings
“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson I assume that you are grateful, as am I, for all the goodness that the winter season brings to us from religious renewal rituals to material presents to a realization that the coldest of seasons is limited and we will…
Looking Forward
As many of you know, I’ll be going on a short sabbatical this coming summer, June through August. I thought I’d give you an update. First know that the Committee on Ministry is working with me to make sure the church functions smoothly while I’m gone. We’ve started planning the services for the summer and Rev. Lee Marie Sanchez will be coming to preach 3-4 times. We know she is a church favorite! There are other wonderful, creative services we…
Home for the Holidays
“He drew a circle that shut me out — Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout. But love and I had the wit to win: We drew a circle that took him in.” – Edwin Markham I trust that all have had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Now we prepare for the next holiday, whatever you call it – Christmas, Kwanzaa, Chanukah, Maulid al-Nabi, Bodhi Day, Winter Solstice, Melissa’s birthday. We must continue to be a haven, as we have been, for those…