Dear Friends,
“To everything there is a season…” We’re easing into summer, the Sabbath season.
Ed put together a wonderful wrap-up service, with emphasis on the themes of forgiveness and freedom for Father’s Day. We were treated to songs by the Special Projects Choir and Youth Choir selections from Rent and Pippin. He also selected the ‘Reflections and Recognitions’ of our year-in-review, reminding us of some of the things we did together this year, including weddings and memorial services for members and friends, and a long list of events – some annual events and some for the first-time.
Eric Gribbin provided percussion for the final musical selection, and he and his wife Maureen provided Alanna Eve Gribbin for our Service of Dedication of Parents and Children.
We said good-bye to Janet Luongo, who has served as our assistant DRE for three years – we’ll especially miss her special art skills, which she offered. Janet is leaving the job but not the church. We also said farewell to Manish, since it was his final Sunday service. He’ll be here until mid-August in an on-call capacity, before he begins his ministry in St. Petersburg, Florida.
It was a nice way to transition to the summer schedule that features lay-lead services. I hope you’ll keep Sunday morning at 10 a.m. on your sunny summer schedule.
Jan and Faith will have the summer minister-on-call schedule for church-family emergencies. Ed, Manish, Debra, Margie (as of August 15) and I will coordinate the calendar.
I have an exciting plan, beginning with General Assembly in St. Louis. On June 29 I’ll hop on a plane bound for Greece, where I’ll officiate at Steve Wiggins and Melissa Kerrs’s wedding on the island of Syphnos. In addition to the wedding, Steve has generously arranged for Lory and me to have a week as vacationing tourists. Talk about fringe benefits!
At the end of July I’ll be preaching at he Unitarian Fellowship service in Chautauqua, where we’ll spend the week, hearing lectures, including Al Gore and other environmentalists’ summary of global warming problems. The Chautauqua week has become a summer tradition for us, though Carlyn won’t be with us this year. She will be at Interlachen Summer Music camp, which Lory attended in the theater program for several summers in Middle and High School.
We’re planning to drive from Chautauqua to Michigan, where we’ll pick up Carlyn as she concludes her six-week Interlachen session.
It’s a full, exciting summer schedule, and will include some time at the cabin in Maine. There’s a stack of books waiting for my sermon-searching eyes.
This year has been marked by transitions. I’m looking forward to a new beginning with Margie Allen, who will be on board in mid August. I hope you have a good, safe, health-filled summer.
Warmly,
Frank
