This week we are beginning work on the calendar for next church year—from fall of 2022 to summer of 2023. You may or may not know that the planning for the church year happens this far in advance. It begins with drafts about who will be preaching when, about where other major events in the life of the church will fall, about events outside the church that impact the church, like Timbers games and major downtown parades. A lot of planning goes into the life of our large church and that planning will continue through the winter and spring.
Working on the calendar is something that usually begins in January. And as the work begins this year I have to say it feels a little out of the ordinary. One of the things that I have found in this pandemic time is that it has messed with my own sense of time. At times things seem to be moving at a very fast pace and then not long after seem to be moving at a glacial pace. And I seem to go from one pace to the other. And I think this is true for a lot of us right now. Right now, with this latest Omicron variant, we have schools and other activities starting and then stopping. Work from home was moving back to the office but now it isn’t. It is hard to get into some of the rhythms we are used to being in. In conversations with some of you I know planning for things like travel and family gatherings can become pretty complicated.
It may be that a lot of this is only fed by the larger sense of disruption so many of us are experiencing these days. I can note in myself the desire for predictability and less unpredictability. It feels harder to keep my sense of grounding. And I also know that it is likely to be awhile before that sense of grounding returns—if it ever does. Increasingly I wonder if we are moving into a sense of time that will be inherently less predictable.
There was a wonderful essay on time and its meaning in the New York Times at the end of December by Elizabeth Dias that I would commend to you. It was helpful to think about time in a larger context.
Through all these days of disruptions may be find moments of grounding and moments of peace.
In faith,
Tom
And a Note from Rev. Bill:
As you know, I have been serving one week a month as Minister-In-Residence at All Souls Unitarian Church in DC, as I complete this final year at First Unitarian. All Souls is in the second year of a three year Interim Ministry. When Rev. Kathleen Rolenz, their Interim Minister, decided that she was not the right person to complete the Interim, I was asked if I could consider stepping into that role. After prayerful consideration, I agreed. I informed our Board about this earlier this month. All Souls announced this decision last Sunday. I wanted to let First Unitarian know directly as well. This new role will not begin until the summer. This role for me next year was not part of my plan, but It is my hope that this can be another contribution my ministry makes to the life of the Association.