A Brief Word from Pastor Ken...

The Trustees have been laboring intensively to assemble a budget for 2010. The response of the congregation to the Celebrating Ministries/Bringing in the Sheaves campaign has been wonderful! A high percentage of those turning in pledges increased their giving; a very small number decreased their giving. The budget-making work of the Trustees has moved from low-level anxiety to near celebration! We still face a challenge, but there is evidence that the resources to meet the challenge are in reach.

The Stove Project is near completion. The Trustees are looking forward to having a “ribbon cutting” meal associated with the Annual Corporate meeting on January 24. More information will be forthcoming! In the spirit of our fall theme, we can celebrate another ministry – the Stove Ministry!

Renewed energy in the congregation creates a good launch for the New Year and our spiritual endeavors in it. At the close of the Corporate Meeting on January 24 I will depart for a six-week sabbatical leave, the second half of the leave that was granted in 2007. My pilgrimage into a very personal study of bereavement will begin as I join my brother, Mel, for a week long stay at the New Camaldoli Hermitage in Big Sur, CA, a monastery of the Benedictine Order. From there I will be traveling to the places where Brenda I lived and conducted ministry over our 36 years together.

I will return to the office on March 8. In the time that I am away, Barbara Wolin, Ken McCarthy, and Ken Dodgson will provide for pastoral care and worship leadership. Peter Boulay is supplying assistance as well.

Thank you for your faithfulness, for your patience, and for your courage. God, indeed, is good! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Pastor Ken