Dear Friends:
I write to you on the eve of Hurricane Henri's arrival in our area. I know many of you are concerned about the damage this storm may bring to you, your loved ones and those unprotected from this weather. Our towns and utilities appear to be well-prepared for the storm. If you are in need of help please reach out to the church (HERE) or to me personally by hitting "reply" to this message. My prayers are with us all, including those many workers who are keeping us safe and connected.
I have had a great summer; I hope you have too. I have been spending much of it completing my training as a Spiritual Director. I have learned a great deal and will be bringing that learning forward to all of you in the coming year. And I am eager to come together again; there is a lot in store for us that we can all look forward to:
Our new Adult Faith Formation team is planning a full year of classes and spiritual enriching programs. Our Children's Faith Formation Lead, Dr. Heather Hamilton, comes to us from her previous role as a congregational professional, and brings her considerable experience as an educator to our children and families. Heather has important connections to the many communities of Fairfield county. Already she has mapped out the fall's curriculum (for preK-first grade, 2nd-5th grades, 6th and 7th grades), and has recruited fabulous teacher volunteers:14 eager adults are ready to enhance our children's lives. Nate Pawelek, our Youth Faith Formation Lead, has volunteers ready to lead the Our Whole Lives sexuality curriculum for 8th and 9th graders, and has been putting together a renewed and exciting Youth Group for this next year.
Rev. Ed Thompson and I have been planning a vibrant and fully hybrid worship and music program for this year. You will also hear more from our Intern Minister, Kim Warman, as she enters her second year with us. We will continue with our thematic worship services.
Social Justice continues to be our strength. In the coming year, we will be organizing a strong lay-led Social Justice Council to coordinate our activities. David Vita has been hard at work laying the foundations for this critical piece of our faith in practice.
Our Pastoral Care Chaplains will soon begin making phone calls to everyone again to check in and see how you are. We are planning on several new support groups this coming year under the leadership of Rev. Jim Francek and his team.
This year especially we are making a focused effort to reach out to our larger communities in new and exciting ways. Beth Cliff, volunteering as our Congregational Engagement Lead, and her teams have done a fantastic job of preparing a welcoming community for new friends alongside our regular congregants: greeting newcomers, sharing our story in the media and with other communities around us, and organizing multi-generational fun events for the year to come. All this effort is vital to our presence and transformation in this coming year.
As of this writing we are hoping to be meeting in person. Trust that your leadership is closely monitoring and discussing what is in the best interest of everyone in our congregation. We are prepared to deal with these challenges with new technology and a focus on meeting in a variety of ways. We hold the best interests of our congregation above all else. We intend to meet in person as much as possible. September will be a month of beginnings, starting with our in person Water Communion on September 5th.
I have every faith we will feel the warm embrace of our community again. I am centered and prepared to help us grow in ministry like never before.
Yours always,
Rev. John
