This is my final newsletter column before a summer break. I cannot believe we are at the end of the program year–what a year it has been! Looking back, we have much to celebrate. Here are some of the year’s highlights:

Worship offered new rituals, communions and multi-generational experiences, inviting all of us to step into where the magic happens. We enjoyed a stunning reimagined water communion, an apple communion, and a rainbow flower communion. We began each month with a Justice Sunday when worship and RE reflect the justice issue connected with our Plate Partner. We also experienced a multigenerational holiday pageant, poetry and piano, lectio divina, two extraordinary choir Sundays, an earth day service, a blessing of the bicycles, and began a monthly contemporary service and conversation circle, Soulful Sundown.

Our Social Justice Council reorganized with a new model supporting members to pursue issues that align with their own passions, address community needs, and that reflect our UU values and mission to form justice ministry teams; a refugee justice ministry team formed. The council hosted a successful Social Justice Summit featuring our Plate Partners as well as several events and programs that connected with our plate partners like the Just Mercy Book discussions and a staged reading of the Pandora’s Box Project. We witnessed, rallied, and showed up at the capitol to Stand on the Side of Love for Refugees, Planned Parenthood, Close the Gap, Minimum Wage, Add the Words, and much more. Social Justice continued to be a foundational part of our UU identity and congregational life.

We hired a new Social Justice/Volunteer Coordinator; our beloved bridge received much needed renovation; 18 Jr high youth completed our sexuality education class, Our Whole Lives (OWL); we launched a new monthly newsletter; we are working on a whole new website which we hope to launch on July 1; we enjoyed an amazing celebration weekend with a beautiful Installation service followed by Celebration Sunday; and . . . we welcomed more than 50 new members since September!

This list is merely a snapshot, there were so many more amazing programs, projects and activities that happened this year. And none of it would have been possible without the extraordinary dedication of our volunteers and leaders. So many of you pour out your heart, soul, and deep love to make this Fellowship a warm and welcoming place with engaging programs and events for all. Thank you for your great work and commitment. You are the heartbeat of BUUF and I am humbled to be part of this community and blessed to call it my home.

See you in August,

Rev. Sara