From Rev. Susan Frances – Assistant Minister for Congregational Life

Dear Friends,

I have been enjoying all the moments of beauty and joy our community has created this fall. From our rainbow filled congregational picnic to our new Journey of Belonging membership classes to our overflowing animal blessing, it has been good to be together in-person on a regular basis while still maintaining connections via Zoom. I am so grateful to be part of a faith community that makes time and creates space to celebrate the wonders in life and embrace life’s moments of delight.

I am also grateful for a community that holds space for our grief. Within the last four weeks, both my brother’s family and my sister’s family have endured the death of their 14 year old dogs, who joined our family as puppies. I’ve grown into an allergy to dog dander, so Bosko and Truffles were the closest I’ve had to a furry pet in over 17 years. They will be missed. I know the past two and a half years have been full of grief for many of us. Since the pandemic lockdown occurred in March of 2020, I have had 2 uncles, an aunt, and a great-aunt die. Navigating grief in this time of limited in-person contact has been challenging. Ellen Rieger, LCPC, will be offering a grief group beginning November 10, 2022.  If joining this group would be helpful to you, whether you have lost someone recently or in the past, please contact Ellen directly or reach out to me or Rev. Eileen and we’ll help get you connected with Ellen.

If you are finding the upcoming holidays daunting or life right this minute is overwhelming, please do not hesitate to contact the Pastoral Care Team. They are able to offer a listening ear or help you get connected with one of the ministers or other resources. You are not alone.

During the next few months, there will be many ways for us to connect with each other, virtually and in-person. The first way being our annual fall fundraiser, the Serendipity Auction. We are still looking for donations and volunteers. Please check this newsletter for details. You are invited to join-in online during auction week and participate in-person or online during our Celebration Party on Saturday, November 12.

On the heels of our Serendipity Auction is the start of our annual Mitten Tree. This year we will be partnering with four organizations to provide holiday gifts to their clients. Keep your eye on the newsletter for details about how to donate gifts or join in the gift wrapping parties.

One great way to connect with others is to join one of our Hospitality Teams. The commitment is four Sunday mornings over the course of a year (and since we are well into October, if you join now, it will only be three Sundays over the rest of this congregational year). We are always looking for more volunteers for our Greeters Hospitality Team, Kitchen Hospitality Team, and Online Host Hospitality Team. Contact me at sfrances@ucevanston.org if you are interested or want to learn more.

If you want to get deeper involved, the new Leadership Development Team is in the process of forming right now and the Nominating & Recruiting Committee will start contacting congregants soon. I invite you to say yes if you are contacted by members of either, knowing that our teams and committees are grounded in covenant, which allows you to bring your entire self to whatever the work is. In addition to attending to the needs of the congregation, you are also attending to the joy of relationship building and often spiritual growth (yes, even through committee work!).

The leaves on the tree outside my office windows are a wonderful red color. If you haven’t taken a moment to walk through UCE’s South Lawn, with its hop scotch tiles, children’s labyrinth, and rain garden, then I invite you step outside on a Sunday morning or walk around the building on another day and enjoy what the nature in our own backyard has to offer you. Fall is my favorite season. I find it is a beautiful time of year to bundle up and be restored by a walk that engages my senses – feeling the wind on my skin, viewing the vibrant colors and listening to the rustle of the leaves, and noticing that smell of healthy decay.

Whatever rejuvenates you, make time soon to engage in that activity. From sitting down with a good book and a hot cup of tea to jogging at the gym or through the neighborhood, we each have something that restores our life sustaining energy to thrive. What is yours? I invite you to make time to do that and in the process to be open to life’s moments of delight.

Yours in faith,

Rev. Susan