Welcome to 2017!

I know we are already well into the first week of January, but, because I was away immediately after Christmas, I just had to take a moment to acknowledge the absolutely awesome Christmas season we had in the last weeks of December. We unveiled our new Sanctuary, and then immediately filled it with beautiful energy with our Young People's Service, and our Winter Solstice Service, and, of course, the magnificent Christmas Eve Service, during which we re-dedicated our Sanctuary. It was truly a fabulous way to close out the "eventful" 2016. Photographs of all these services can be found on our Facebook page. 

We kicked off the new year in a fun new way with our New Year Message Service. Co-celebrated by Revs. Patricia Makin and Theresa Prigmore, the service offered the opportunity for attendees to enter the new year with reflection, intention, and a bunch of hopeful messages from Spirit. The New Year Message Service was a great launch to a great year of fun and exciting activities at ISD, which will continue to bring us closer to Spirit. 

And speaking of those events and activities - 

This week, on January 4, we kick off a new, evolving event series, called ISD Wednesday Wonders. Our first monthly Wednesday Wonders event is our Evening Meditation, which will continue to take place on the FIRST Wednesday of each month.  Don't miss this opportunity to spend some time in the simplicity of stillness. 

Our second monthly Wednesday Wonders event is the fresh and new Message Lottery, where we'll give messages from Spirit to participants by drawing their names from a billet that has been placed in a bowl or basket. Message Lottery  kicks off on February 25, and will take place on the LAST Wednesday every month. 

We'll have our first Spanish Language Metaphysical Service in the newly-renovated Sanctuary this Sunday, January 8, at 1:30 p.m. Next month, the Spanish Language Metaphysical Service returns to its usual time slot, the first Sunday of every month at 1:30 p.m. 

Our first Psychic Fair of the year (and, of course, in our newly-renovated Sanctuary!) will take place on Saturday, January 14. 

Our Annual Convention will take place on Sunday, January 15, after the Sunday Service. All members are invited to learn about the "business" of ISD-DC, and how they might be able to help in the coming year. 

Also on January 15, bring the kids to church for the first ISD Children's Hour, which will be held on the third Sunday of each month. Staffed by our own Caroline Lowery in the Fellowship Hall, the Children's Hour offers a place where your young ones can play and learn lessons during playtime about our spiritual practice, while you enjoy the Sunday Service in the Sanctuary. 

Our first Wellness Expo for the new year takes place on Sunday, January 22, after the service, from 1-4 p.m. Come and get that wellness "tune-up" to prepare yourself for the year ahead. 

On the last two Tuesdays in January, Life Coach and Spiritual Teacher Hilary Loewenstein returns to ISD to teach her two-part series "How to Beat The Winter Blues." You know we all tend to get hit by those "blahs" after the holidays have ended and we turn the corner into the winter months...Hilary will share some proven techniques to raise our vibration and banish those blues! 

Rev. Fran Wright also launches her invigorating new "Exploring Spirit" workshop series on Saturday, January 28, where participants will take an exciting journey to " Exploring Your Spirit's Passions" and learn how to apply those activities that bring you the most reward to your day to day living. Other "Exploring Spirit" workshops, among others, will cover a variety of topics, including "Exploring Your Spirit's Castle," and "Exploring Your Spirit's Many Life Experiences."

And this is just the beginning! Be sure to check out the ISD website for the most recent updates and additions to the calendar of events. 

Needing some inspiration or a recorded guided meditation to help you attune to Spirit? Check out ISD's Soundcloud page for a comprehensive list of past Sunday Service homilies, Sunday service meditations and evening meditations.

There's a lot going on, and it is only January! Let's make 2017 ISD-DC's most energized and enriching year ever.  

Rev. Rob Banaszak

Pastor, Institute for Spiritual Development, Washington, D.C.