Friends,
I hope September finds you well and that the return of bonfires, apple cider, and pumpkin spice brings you a sense of both novelty and nostalgia, as it does for me. With sweater weather approaching and morning coffee enjoyed in a flannel shirt on the back porch, it stirs something deep within.
This fall, our community needs us more than ever. They need the liberatory message that our tradition offers and the warmth we all feel when we walk into East Shore. They need us to listen, to offer our presence, to be good neighbors, to challenge systems of oppression, to stand with love, and to spread it throughout our interactions. Let our bond of union guide us.
They might need an invitation from us and some time to acclimate, but everyone is worthy of love and deserves the liberation and community we experience. But they need our friendliness. They need our attention. They need more “crossants” than “donuts” and to witness our conflicts resolve with “ouch, oops and I’m sorry”.
For some, it will be a soft place to land while healing from past traumas. For others, it will be a non-anxious and non-judgmental space where they can find belonging. And yet others will bring their ideals and ideas, challenging and teaching us about Beloved Community and the privileges and assumptions we may hold, often without realizing it.
I encourage all of us to welcome the stranger, invite friends from work, yoga, or bridge club, the hiking group or any one else and share this community with them. Invite them to our potlucks and services. Share about this non-creedal tradition that won’t dictate beliefs but will offer space for healing and discovery.
This September, we have our Homecoming service on September the 8th, where we will have our returning Water Ritual, and we will acknowledge the members we have gained in the past calendar year.
We will also begin hybridizing our in person services via Zoom–more info to come soon on this.
Join us on Sundays, and journey with us– with each other, toward truth and meaning. Let’s inch our communities closer to one another and strive to live our values generously and interdependently, with love at the center.
Grace and peace to all,
Rev. Will