- President Iyesatu Kamara-Bush
- Rev. Molly Housh Gordon
- Jamila Batchelder, Director of Religious Education
President’s Perspective – President Iyesatu Kamara-Bush
As our congregation continues through its post-pandemic evolution, opportunities for members and friends to get involved in the life of the church abound. The board is still in the process of recruiting members for our Mission and Vision Task Force. This group will work with the board to guide the process of crafting an updated Mission and Vision statement. The board is also seeking to recruit a Safer Congregations team to help us craft and implement a congregational safety plan. Anyone interested in either of these teams can send me an email.
It has been a pleasure and delight to watch our community grow and see so many new faces getting involved in the work of our church. On behalf of the entire board, I want to express our sincerest gratitude to all of the volunteers dedicating their time and their talents to nurturing our beloved community.
In Love and Fellowship,
Iyesatu Kamara-Bush
2023-24 President
Rev. Molly Housh Gordon
How do we move through precarious times? Adaptively
In the world of science, adaptation is the process by which a species becomes better fitted to its changing environment. Adaptation is not change itself, but how living creatures adjust to change. It is how we map ourselves onto an ever-changing landscape.
Whether you are looking at evolution, the laws of thermodynamics, Buddhist Philosophy, or process theology, it seems that many fields agree: Change is the nature of our universe. This is not only a beautiful fact or only a terrible one. It simply is.
What we do in the face of that change is another matter — that’s where the factual meets the ethical, the emotional, and the spiritual. How do we live well in a world that’s always changing? How do we live justly in systems that are changing more precipitously and perhaps more quickly than ever before? That’s an adaptation question. Let’s explore it together!
See you in Church!
Rev. Molly
Jamila Batchelder, Director of Religious Education
April will begin with our youth hosting the first regional youth conference in five years, the first since the pandemic canceled big events.
One of the fascinating parts of the planning of the event is that since no youth in high school has ever been to a con, there is no sense of “this is the right way to do it because this is how it has always been done.” It has been so interesting watching the youth hear about past cons, and decide what still works, and what it is time (or long past time to change).
This is one of the great gifts that our children give to us, the ability to look with fresh eyes. Sometimes when we are set in our ways, we have a hard time being open to their insights. As we think this month about adaptability, let us practice listening and being open to new ideas and new ways of doing things that our children perceive for us.
Jamila Batchelder
Director of Religious Education