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Message for Summer

As we enter summer, I’m mindful of our June worship theme – Living Love through the Practice of Freedom – and wondering how it best fits with the season ahead. The practice of freedom lately has seemed to require quite a bit of work – writing letters, making phone calls, participating in protests and vigils. I don’t want to suggest that any of us should stop all our efforts to preserve civil liberties – our own and others’. But I recognize that when we work all the time at something, it can be exhausting – physically and emotionally. So as I look to the months stretching ahead of us, my mind turns to the possibility of practicing being carefree. Do you remember what it was like in childhood? After the last day of school, we anticipated a time free from the daily grind and routine, the assignments and tests. Instead, summer vacation stretched out with the promise of time and space to have fun and to simply be.

Most of us cannot return to the days of totally carefree summers. In fact, childhood summers may not have been totally carefree. In our house, we had daily and weekly chores like mowing the lawn or washing the dishes. But still . . . with longer days and fewer responsibilities, we could find time for fun and adventure. That’s the invitation I’d like to extend to us all – to find the time and space for fun and adventure, but also for simply being. Sit on the porch to watch the birds, lie in the grass and watch the clouds, float in a pool or a lake and let the water take away all your burdens. Be carefree.

The pace of life in the summer slows down for most of us, including here at UUC. Much of the work for the congregational year will be completed after the Annual Meeting, where we extend our gratitude to outgoing board members and welcome new ones who will take up the work in earnest in the fall. We will have passed the annual budget, thanks to the hard work of our board, finance and stewardship committees, and the generosity of our congregation. Some hard-working committees will take a break over the summer. Our Sunday services will be shorter and the children’s RE classes will be more relaxed. Staff will take well-deserved vacation time. We’ll have guest musicians playing while Jared enjoys two months of summer with his family, and guest speakers and worship associates will fill the pulpit while I’m on vacation and study leave.

But many of our activities continue, and if you have the time and space in your life, you might consider trying something new. The RE program can still use some volunteers to spend with our littlest community members on Sunday morning. Why not give it a try? The ongoing social gatherings and adult faith development opportunities (see the calendar for times and places) continue throughout the summer. Why not join a new-to-you group? We’ll have some special multigenerational gatherings after services (see the LFD page). And summer is an especially good time to get engaged with the grounds ministry – watering or mowing or weeding.

Whatever you choose to do this summer, I wish for you the gift of being carefree, for as much time as possible. The work will always be there, but we can enter into it more fully and effectively if we lay down our burdens and give ourselves time for rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation.

With all my care,

Rev. Pam

Remember to collect some water this summer to bring to our ingathering worship on August 24^th!