Dear Ones,

God’s grace and peace be with you.

We had an unsettling event last Sunday at church. At some point over the weekend, someone put Tiki torches in our two planters alongside the sanctuary entrance and left a page out of a book with some unsettling quotes on our church steps, which we found Sunday morning. We’ve reported the incident to the police. We’re thankful for a security camera at Waters which points at our steps, and we’ll be implementing new security practices starting Sunday.

Scripture tells us that God is love. This is the core of what the Church has been and will continue to be. When the world seems unhinged, I remember that the Holy Spirit is untamed. These years that we are living in right now are extraordinary. Things are shifting beneath our very feet. What a time to be alive. It is breathtaking, frightening, and inspiring all wrapped together. Right now, we have the opportunity before us to be a part of shaping the world into what we long for for ourselves and for our children. God uses the church to connect us, teach us and strengthen the fabric of our society.

Together we make the neighborhood what it is. This is a special invitation to you to claim our front steps and lawn by sitting on them, pausing to read the news on them, playing with your kids on them, hanging out on them after school, resting and watching the evening fall on them. Please invite your neighbors to do the same. They are our steps and this is our neighborhood. As we sing during our church service from time to time, "all belong here," and this is the time to lean into that sentiment.

In courage and hope,
Pastor Lindsay Mack and Council President Rob Klein