November 17, 2021
Nov. 17, 2021
Come, yet again, come. --Rumi
Consider joining us for worship in the sanctuary! --Rev. Denise
Beloveds,
Wow, this month has been even more liminal (on the line between one place/time/reality and another) than November usually is!
We are in between summer and winter, between the fall startup of church and school years and the start of the winter holiday season. Some days are cool or even cold; others are still warmish. The larger trees on our hillside have dropped their leaves, so through my office window I can watch the raptors that have probably been circling and gliding over the hilltop all along.
As a congregation, we’ve experienced vandalism and destruction right alongside growth, construction, planning, and creative problem-solving. Three new members have signed our membership book recently! Our new gazebo awaits only the final installation of roof panels, and we are working out the technology for hybrid worship services and making decisions about safely making the most of our space during colder weather. We have begun a gradual process of opening our sanctuary to a live congregation in addition to online participants. (See more about all this below.)
Personally, I find myself toggling between excited engagement and the need to withdraw and rest. Long months of pandemic lockdown and worry have wilted some of the social circuitry in our brains--experts assure us those skills will grow back, but going slow and/or taking breaks will make our emerging forms of togetherness more sustainable. I am glad to have added in-person company for weekly worship and have enjoyed leisurely conversations with some of you during recent “picnics” with the minister. (If you missed those and would like a chance to talk with me and get acquainted, please email me--I’d love to make plans to meet or talk by Zoom or phone!)
However this in-between season finds you or moves you, I hope you will make some time to pause and notice the worlds around and within you. Breathe deeply, be at home, and know that you are not alone.
Yours in connection and hope,
Rev. Denise
Rev. Denise Gyauch
Minister, Greater Nashville UU Congregation