September 2022

May your kingdom come. May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

– Matthew 6:10

It is hard to believe it is already September! Soon, the leaves will start turning, pumpkin spice will flavor our coffees, and scarves & sweaters will keep us warm. I love the feeling of fall; it feels fresh and new - probably because for so many years it was the start of a new school year, which was always a new beginning. The same is true for our churches as well!

The pews will start to fill back up, the young folks will scamper off to Sunday school part-way through the service, and much of our programming will return. At Union Grove, we’ll be gearing up for community meals and fellowship gatherings, and at Raymond we have our rummage, Fall Festival, and Amazing Grays. The churches feel a-buzz with new energy!

I pray that as we step into this new season, you pay attention to what you say “yes” to, and consider what to say “no” to as well. Far too many of you (and me, too!) say yes to way too many things and I want to give you permission to say “no” as well. As I reminded one of our members recently, you don’t have to have something on your calendar to be unavailable. Rest is a perfectly good reason to say no. 

Fall teaches us that saying no and letting go is a necessary part of life. The leaves have to turn colors and fall off the trees in order for new buds to eventually show up in spring. The grass has to go dormant. The soil needs to rest.

And so do we. 

With all of the excitement of everything happening this fall, I pray that you rest. Say no to something. Don’t answer that email right away. Put your feet up. Rest.

As Anne Lammott once wrote, “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”

With love and gratitude,

Pastor Kelsey