Read the full issue of this week’s newsletter here: The Weekly Liberal August 13

It is so good to be back with you all! I’m grateful to have been able to take a break from most of my regular work responsibilities in July, and I’m grateful to be returning, too. I missed you all and the many ways that this community grounds me and helps me live into my values. I’m back rested and renewed and ready to go. Thank you for this time away. 

While I was away, I stayed tuned in to all that is happening with our building renovation project, attending weekly coordination meetings, coming in for site visits, and helping with innumerable decisions small and large ranging from what kind of soap dispensers we want in the new bathrooms to what kind of beauty we can bring into our new entrance. I’m delighted to say that the project is proceeding in a timely way, on budget. Any of you who have participated in a renovation project know that this is no small thing. 

Entering the building these days, I am overwhelmed by joy in the midst of the chaos of banging hammers and dust everywhere. We have made so many big and small decisions together over the last several years – sharing our financial gifts, our time and talent and expertise, our hopes and dreams for how our building can serve the larger community and our own church needs. We’ve centered our commitments to racial justice, environmental repair, multi-generational community and inclusion in our decisions. And now, when you move through the physical space of our building, all of those decisions come alive. 

The space that is unfolding is intuitive, spacious, and well-thought out. The job site is full of women and Black, Indigenous, and people of color in the trades. Behind the walls, new heating and cooling, plumbing and electrical changes are reducing our environmental impact. New audio/visual equipment, restrooms, and a central accessible entrance communicate our wide welcome to all. The transformation of our physical space is not yet complete, but the transformation of how we do things – how we live out our values in decisions large and small as a community of faith – is well underway. I look forward to the day when we can share this space with our community and each other, and in the meantime, I love this experience of right now – when everything we’ve done is coming together to strengthen and build a new way of being. 

A more detailed update on the renovations, with photos, is available here.

In gratitude,
Rev. Jen Crow