Think again

Authors


We see things around us through the lens of faith, making connections from ancient wisdom to daily life.

 
Rev. William Critzman Rev. William Critzman

Music Department Transition

Dear Friends,

As many of you heard in worship last Sunday, Henry Lee has accepted a new position with a church in Newnan, GA. Henry will continue as Director of Music Ministry here at West End through Sunday, May 5th. Please mark your calendars and plan to join us then for a day of thanksgiving and saying so long.
 
Henry’s conducting teacher, with whom his wife Yen Yu also studies, is the music pastor of the Newnan church and has offered Henry a position as organist and music assistant. Unfortunately, like so many young families, Henry and Yen Yu feel that New York has become cost- and space-prohibitive and believe this move is right for their family.  Such an economic situation, together with the chance to continue studying with a beloved mentor, created an opportunity that Henry couldn’t refuse.
 
Henry has asked me to share his gratitude with all of you for the opportunities of the past two and half years. We have much to be grateful for in how Henry has guided and shaped our music program, particularly as we have emerged from the pandemic and learned new ways to make music together. Though I am of course saddened that our time working together is coming to an end, I know you will join me in wishing Henry and Yen Yu every success and much happiness for their next chapter.
 
As for our own next chapter, Consistory and I met last Monday night to begin discussing West End’s path forward.  I will keep you informed as these discussions evolve and as together we discern God’s plan for West End, our community, and our ministry of music and arts.
 
Be well, beloveds. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions, and please join me in saying thank you to Henry for all the many gifts he has shared with us.

Will

Henry Lee at our Christmas Concert in 2023, © Human Flower Productions

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Rev. William Critzman Rev. William Critzman

LDS & LGBTQ+ Affirming Church to Share a Sacred Space!

“On this episode of Mormon Book Reviews, Steven and Rebecca are joined by Reverend Will Critzman, pastor of New York's historic West End Church. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has recently signed a three-year lease for 35,000 square feet of shared and dedicated space at the 132 year-old, landmarked building. The LDS Church is going to start remodeling the New York Tabernacle in March so it needed space to accommodate the Wards that meet there.

West End Church is the oldest Protestant church in America. It was founded by the Dutch settlers of New Amsterdam. Historically it has been affiliated with the Reformed Church in America, but recently they have also joined up with the United Church of Christ (UCC). The UCC is also a very important church because it has both Pilgrim and Puritan roots. You could say that this is where the Restoration and the Reformation now share a common Sacred Space! Will likes to say that the Churches are going to be ‘Roommates.’

Reverend Critzman, an openly gay married pastor, tells Steven and Rebecca more about the church and their focus on inclusivity, tolerance, racial and gender equality, LGBTQ-affirming space, and love, while talking about his excitement to be sharing a worship space with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This vibrant church community is looking forward to partnering with their new tenants as they both follow their faith journeys. While there are differences in belief, Reverend Critzman is excited to learn more about these local LDS Wards and believes they will find they have more in common than not. It may be a different experience for these Latter-day Saint congregations to worship in a church building that openly displays Pride flags and is openly LGBTQ-affirming, but there in no doubt everyone will learn a lot from each other.” — Mormon Book Reviews: Where an Evangelical Encounters the Restoration

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Rev. William Critzman Rev. William Critzman

West End is becoming a multi-faith, multi-use center on the Upper West Side!

Dear Friends,

With enormous thanks to each of you for your vision and approval of West End’s sustainability plan, I’m pleased to share this piece from the Villager with you today. The news is out! West End is becoming a multi-faith, multi-use center on the Upper West Side and we’re excited to be welcoming the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to our campus.

How far we have all come these years of getting real about who Collegiate is and how we operate. What blessings God is giving to all of us. How many reasons to give thanks.

Be well, beloveds. See you soon —

Will

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Rev. William Critzman Rev. William Critzman

New Season, New Beginnings

Dear Friends,
 
Summer came, summer went, and a new season is upon us. Are you feeling rested and ready for what wonders may be in store this fall? I am. Most immediately, I am so looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible in worship when I return this Sunday.  
 
As we prepare to embark on this new program year, I want to share a few updates. The first is a note of immense gratitude to Rev. Dr. Mark Mast for being with you this summer. By now, we’ve already celebrated his final Sunday at West End and sent him off with kind farewells. But, as it turns out, you may be seeing Mark again sooner than you think! As many of you know, Ft. Washington has—like all the Collegiate Churches—been working to secure their sustainability. They recently partnered with two neighborhood organizations, and have also been searching for a two-year, transitional spiritual leader to guide them from here to wherever it is they’re going. After a search and interview process, they have selected Mark for the role of Transitional Minister.  
 
What’s a “transitional minister,” you may ask? It’s a bit like an “interim minister,” but whereas an interim implies a pause between two things that are likely to be similar (i.e., between two installed Senior Ministers), a “transitional minister” is one who sets off on a journey with her or his congregation from a place of knowing where they are to a place where God alone knows they will go. Ft. Washington is a congregation in transition, and Mark will be their minister to guide them during this transition through to June 2025.
 
Mark has this to say about his experience with us, “To my West End Church Family: 'Family' was often used this summer from conversations at the block party, memories of life at West End Church and hopes and dreams for its future, lunch with the staff, and my time in the pulpit. A word that I felt applied to me from the moment you welcomed me into your beautiful church home. I want to thank all of you for eight weeks of my favorite 'minister' activities. I preached, I experienced genuine relationships, I encouraged, and you blessed me with glimpses of my sister Sandy like the memories were from yesterday. All of these blessings are a core part of who you are as a church family, and I was blessed to be a part of it even for only a couple of summer months. I end with a special thank you to Pastor Will for inviting me to join you in his much-needed space for study and rest and to the church staff, who were a blessing every time we were together. 'Grace to you and peace, my beloved children!'  And as Will stated here, I will not be far away:  I am very excited to join the Fort Washington Collegiate Church community and become a part of its rich history and exciting future serving the Washington Heights neighborhood.”
 

So, although we missed our chance to congratulate him in person this Sunday, you’re welcome to send a note to mmast@westendchurch.org, which will forward to his new Ft. Washington address soon enough.  After so much difficulty for our friends up north last year, I for one am very excited to welcome a new colleague and friend to the leadership of Ft. Washington.

 
Back to us, we’ve got so much in store! Come join us this Sunday and stay tuned for all sorts of programming announcements and updates to our real estate and strategic planning process in the coming weeks. Details for Church School for all ages (yes, adults too!) are coming soon, Tuesday Table will resume next week, new programming for children and youth, and the official launch of a new Brunch Church Worship Service for Communion Sundays this fall are all soon to come!
 
See you in church!

Will




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Rev. William Critzman Rev. William Critzman

West End is truly alive!

Your financial pledges have brought us 100% of the way toward our goal of $200,000. You have also made meaningful pledges of your presence and time, including attending Sunday services on a regular basis, bringing a friend, reading scripture, ushering and volunteering.

When we first introduced this annual campaign, we said that when each of us gets up — just as Tabitha gets up in the Book of Acts — we celebrate the life that comes streaming back into the one body of Christ, the church. All of your pledges, of all kinds and of all sizes, contribute to the life streaming back into West End Church.

We asked you to get up, and you got up. You have shown that we are ready to be alive in a new way, and we are ready to live not as we've lived before, but as Christ calls for us to live anew.

Thank you to our stewardship committee for their dedication and hard work: Barbara, Carrie, Lynne, Marilyn, Paul, Susan and Winnie, Matt, and Pastor Will.

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Rev. William Critzman Rev. William Critzman

An update on our campaign!

We have a bright future!

We write to you with the good news of reaching 81% toward our goal of $200,000. During worship last weekend, one of own, Marilyn Flood, reflected on her participation in our campaign and extended a heartfelt invitation for you to join. Marilyn reminds us: a pledge of any amount is a commitment, a sign of support for our church, a sign that we have a bright future, a sign that our church community is strong.

"Your financial support is important but so is your commitment of time. Read scripture on Sundays, usher, sing in the community choir, distribute meals on Tuesday, write postcards to voters. Or come up with a new project for volunteers!

I’ve been a member here for over 30 years. West End has been a source of inspiration and fellowship for me for all those years. I look forward to sharing a bright future with all of you. Please pledge with me and promise that we’ll make the coming year one of the best ever!''

Keep showing West End to be truly alive! Every pledge — every single pledge — comes streaming back into the one body of Christ, the church. You can pledge in-person after worship this Sunday, or online.

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Rev. William Critzman Rev. William Critzman

Faith in Banned Books


Faith in Banned Books

Pastor Will leads a seminar at the intersection of literature, politics, and faith. Over the course of the year, we will read six books — some classics that will be a reread for many, some newer — that are among the most challenged and banned books across the country. We will read together as people of faith to understand the challenges these books pose for some readers, and what our faith has to say in response. A fresh (ie, not “I read it in high school and remember it just fine) reading of each of the books is required for class participation.

All meetings are on Zoom. Password: Books. Meeting dates and books are below. If you need assistance obtaining a copy of a book, please contact Pastor Will.

  • Thursday 10/27: The Hate U Give (2017) by Angie Thomas

  • Thursday 12/1: Of Mice and Men (1937) by John Steinbeck

  • Thursday 1/12/23: Lawn Boy (2019) by Jonathan Evison

  • Thursday 2/23/23: The Bluest Eye (1970) by Toni Morrison

  • Thursday 3/30/23: George (2017) by Alex Gino

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Rev. William Critzman Rev. William Critzman Rev. William Critzman Rev. William Critzman

Abortion Rights are Human Rights

Dear friends,

My heart is breaking as I type. I’m so mad at what the Supreme Court has done this morning. I’m not surprised, mind you; this was expected and the result of a long-waged, evil strategy.

What the Court did this morning in overturning Roe vs. Wade, one of the most humane, ethical, responsible decisions of the last century, is an injustice to all Americans—all of us. The Dobbs decision is not justice.

Some may think this ruling protects children. It does not. If this were about protecting children, we’d be talking about equal wages and gender equity in the workplace so that parents could provide for their children. If this was about protecting children, childcare would be a fundamental, fully-funded government program and school systems would no longer be stacked against people living in poverty, especially BIPOC people. This decision is deeply connected to racism and entrenched white supremacy at all levels.

Let me repeat: the Dobbs decision is not about protecting children.

This is also not about the sanctity of human life. It is not. If this were about human life, healthcare would be a universally provided and equal right for all. Food, water, and housing would be readily available to everyone.

Let me repeat: the Dobbs decision is not about the sanctity of human life.

As people of God, it is our task to proclaim what we know to be true from scripture. God always sides with people on the margins, women and children especially. God gives us our breath, a breath that comes after we are born. God is no stranger to human injustice, and God will ultimately prevail.

Whatever you’re feeling, know that you are not alone. God is with us. We fight. We protect. We care and together we raise our voices.

We church.

Will

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Rev. Bridget Anthony Rev. Bridget Anthony Rev. Bridget Anthony Rev. Bridget Anthony

Black History Month 2022

In honor of Black History Month, we remind everyone that Black History is American History. The experiences, identities, culture and presence of formerly enslaved Africans and Black immigrants in this country are an integral part of the American tapestry.

In honor of Black History Month, we remind everyone that Black History is American History. The experiences, identities, culture and presence of formerly enslaved Africans and Black immigrants in this country are an integral part of the American tapestry.

So often, when we talk about the Black experience, we begin and end with trauma. I would like to take this month to extend what we started with our Hush Harbor service in December: I want to continue to find joy.

To mark Black History Month 2022, we invited the members of West End Church to reflect on their personal experience and encounters with Black culture. We asked them to share images and quotes that made an impact on them. What book or movie that resonates with you? Maybe there is a dish or piece of music that fills you with joy?

We are all here together, and more connected than we ever realized. The work is plentiful. Let this month be a continuation of the good work — and the joy — we are creating together, because the possibilities are endless.

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Rev. William Critzman Rev. William Critzman

Christmas Eve Plans

I write with a health and safety update for those of you who will be joining us in the sanctuary for worship on Christmas Eve. I very much look forward to seeing you in person, and wish to remind you of the following.

Dear Friends,

I write with a health and safety update for those of you who will be joining us in the sanctuary for worship on Christmas Eve. I very much look forward to seeing you in person, and wish to remind you of the following:

  1. Proof of vaccination will be required for entry. Even if you’ve showed this many times before, we ask that you show it again now.

  2. Medical grade masks covering both mouth and nose are required at all times. Cloth masks are no longer acceptable. The staff will be double masked; I encourage you to consider the same. If you do not have a medical mask, we will provide one for you.

  3. Bulletins will be placed in the pews to signify socially distanced seating. The ushers will help you find your seat upon entry. Please remain in your seat throughout worship and do not move around the sanctuary to socialize during the prelude. There will be time for fellowship outside following the service.

  4. Unfortunately, children under the age of 5 will not be permitted in the sanctuary. Vaccinated children ages 5+ are welcome in the sanctuary following the same protocols as above.

  5. All doors will be open to help maximize airflow. Please dress warmly.

For all of you who choose to worship with us on Christmas Eve safely at home, I commend you and wish to assure you that we are continuing to do all that we can to make sure worship is dynamic and fully participatory whether you’re in person at the church or at home. Thank you for being the church of today that envisions an even more flexible church for the future.

Thank you, beloveds. I know this is shaping up to be much more like the Christmas of last year than the one we wanted this year, and my heart breaks right along with yours. But we know how to do this. And we can do this. And God willing this surge will be both short and perhaps even the last. May God make it so.

Whether online or in person, I look forward to celebrating the great Light of the World with you this Friday evening.

Will

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Rev. William Critzman Rev. William Critzman Rev. William Critzman Rev. William Critzman

Update on The Collegiate Church & Call to Congregational Meeting

As you know, the Collegiate Church of the City of New York is a very different church today than it was even one year ago.

Beloved of West End Church,

As you know, the Collegiate Church of the City of New York is a very different church today than it was even one year ago. A year ago, we were five ministries, four of which were churches with both congregations and buildings. There were five senior ministers and a larger central staff all managing through pandemic as best anyone could and keeping all of us together. Much of that work remains the same, though our church today is very different.

Of all the change that has occurred, three specific events stand out. First, on December 5th, 2020, the sanctuary and campus of our sister Middle Collegiate Church was destroyed by a fire that began in an adjacent building. The insurance proceeds are nowhere close to what would be required to rebuild that building as it was. Second, the real estate project that the Ministers, Elders, and Deacons of Collegiate Church authorized many years ago near Marble Church collapsed. This has resulted in damage to our historic endowment of nearly 100 million dollars both already sustained and currently liable. This project also destroyed the administrative and programming building for Marble Church commonly known as the Bancroft Building that not only housed staff and programs, but also vital infrastructure most notably the boiler for the Marble sanctuary. Finally, last spring, the Ministers, Elders, and Deacons of the Collegiate Church voted to close Intersections International and dissolve the call of my colleague the Rev. Julie Johnson Staples. We are a church changed. And we are a church that will need to continue to change.

Last Saturday, the Executive Committee spent nearly five hours in retreat to hear everything that is currently on the table. West End’s delegation to this retreat included Elders Nathan Stilwell, Chair of our local consistory; Katherine Charapko, Chair of Collegiate’s HR Committee; Marilyn Flood, Chair of Collegiate’s Audit Committee; and me. I want you to know that your interests—historic, current, and future—could not have been better represented. Following that retreat, the remainder of our local consistory joined Nathan, Katherine, Marilyn and me on Monday night for a read out of that retreat and some frank conversation. On Tuesday night, the Executive Committee came together again for its stated meeting, during which we debriefed the retreat and set some work that needs to be done before the Full Consistory meets on Monday, December 6th.

Here at West End, we have a called Congregational Meeting for Sunday, December 5th immediately after worship both online and in the sanctuary; I encourage you all to be present. At that meeting, you will hear more of the back story, the finances, the challenges, and also the opportunities we have in this moment. The Consistory of the Collegiate Church includes 53 voting members—53 Elders, Deacons, and Ministers that are charged to lead the ministry of our singular church and respond to the most pressing needs of our people, city, and world. Of these 53 members, 11 come from West End Church, our ministry that has ministered to the Upper West Side since 1892 when the Ministers, Elders, and Deacons of the then Consistory built this campus as a combined church and school to serve our neighborhood. That same year, that same Consistory, also voted to build the building destroyed by fire less than a year ago on 2nd Avenue and 6th Street. At Collegiate, there is always a witness to our God who scripture tells is always doing a new thing. At Collegiate, there is always change.

Friends, many of you have already noted that change is in the air. It is. Last Saturday’s retreat, the meetings that have happened since and the ones that are being planned even now, are testament to this. Our church is about to change. We don’t yet know how or when, but the tragic events of this past year at Collegiate, of the ongoing pandemic, and our responsibility to steward this church so that it may exist for our children and their children are some of the why. At the retreat, Nathan, Marilyn, Katherine, and I heard the options currently on the table for how we may right this ship. We have now shared those ideas with the rest of our consistory—Madie Ivy Head, Cambridge Ridley Lynch, Carmita Padilia, Narvie Rundlet, Steve Cambor, Rich Bohart, Doug Hood, and Esau Reyes-Pesante. Wanting to be as transparent as possible, Nathan and I want to share with you in advance of our congregational meeting in two weeks the options currently being discussed. At this moment, in this new reality, and with an eye to sustainability and vibrancy for our future, Collegiate is considering significant reorganization, including the possibilities of: dissolving Collegiate, our centrally held assets and debt, and the remaining three building, and allowing each of the existing congregations to reform as their own entity; the possibility of merging two or more of the current congregations; the options for rebuilding a sanctuary for Middle Church on the existing site, of selling that site and building somewhere else, or of selling that site and partnering and moving in with one of the other Collegiate ministries; there is also the possibility of either redeveloping or selling additional Collegiate buildings meaning Marble Church, Ft. Washington Church, or our own West End Church.

I want you to hear and to hear from me that none of these are foregone conclusions and that all of these are on the table. We will discuss in more detail when we meet as the West End congregation in two weeks. I will continue to share, as I always do, as much information as I can in as timely a manner as I can. For now, I encourage you to plan to attend our meeting on December 5th. I ask for your prayers for our elders and deacons, and for our church. Humbly, I ask for your prayers for me. My colleague the Rev. Dr. Damaris Whittaker, currently the president of our Collegiate Church, writing to her own congregation at Ft. Washington offers the hope that we “may find God in the unexpected places.” Damaris writes that “we are being called to let go of our self-perceptions and embrace a new way of being.” To you, beloved West End, heaven alone knows where we are going, but friends we must go, and however we must change, we will do so together, and together with God.

With Impossible Hope,

The Rev. William Critzman
Senior Minister

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Rev. William Critzman Rev. William Critzman Rev. William Critzman Rev. William Critzman

Staying Home with Scripture

Looking for Lay Leaders!

We did it! Our inaugural hybrid worship service is in the bag and it was so good to see so many of you in person and even more of you on screen in the sanctuary. In reflecting on how everything went, I think this was a solid first preview, not quite opening night yet, but definitely up and on our legs. We’ll be learning and continuing to make tweaks, as we always do, as we go.

I want to give a special thanks to everyone who joined us on Zoom yesterday! Seeing your faces on the screen, hearing your voices across the sanctuary sound system, and worshipping with that beautiful choir piece was so meaningful. Thank you for joining us from wherever you are, just as you are. God is with you.

To all of you who are worshipping at home every week or maybe just some weeks, I want to encourage you to volunteer as one of our lay scripture readers. For a time, while we continue experimenting, the scripture reader each week will be a Zoom participant, and we’d love to hear some new voices and always love hearing from our pros. Being a lay reader isn’t as scary as it may sound, and reading scripture aloud within worship is a great blessing. We’ve added a new and super easy to use sign up tool to the calendar entry for each Sunday Worship. Starting with October 17, you can click on "Hybrid Worship" for the Sunday you want to read Scripture, and sign up to be our Lay Reader in the top left corner. If you can't click on the button, that means someone has already signed up for this date, so please select a new date.

Thank you, friends. Blessings to each of you for the week ahead,
Pastor Will

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Rev. William Critzman Rev. William Critzman Rev. William Critzman Rev. William Critzman

Returning to the Building

I am so looking forward to seeing some of you here at church this coming Sunday!

Dear Friends,

I am so looking forward to seeing some of you here at church this coming Sunday!

As some of us return to the sanctuary for Sunday worship we’ll all be taking a gradual approach. Later this week, you will receive an email detailing the four stages of the building’s reopening plan. Obviously, we hope to move through these stages quickly, but safety and reality will be our guide.

I appreciate that this may feel overly cautious to some, and I hope you will join us in caring for those with the greatest need and concern at this time. In addition to proof of vaccination and mask wearing, we are also keeping our total time in the building to less than one hour, and the length of the service to less than 45 minutes. We are excited to open our sanctuary again, but please note that—for the time—there will be no access to other parts of the building including the downstairs, kitchen, or bathrooms.

Joining us in the sanctuary is for anyone 12 years of age or older with proof of vaccination. For families with children under the age of 12 who would like to gather with other families, we invite you to join us in the chapel where we’ll engage with the worship service, and one another, together. If you’re interested in joining with your children, please let me know as we are monitoring attendance in this room.

And for those of you still most comfortable at home, please know that you will always be welcome right where you are. The upgrades to our technology are for you and we’re making adjustments as we go to make sure we all stay together wherever we are.

Be well this day,
Pastor Will

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Rev. William Critzman Rev. William Critzman Rev. William Critzman Rev. William Critzman

Update from Reopening Taskforce

The Reopening Taskforce is hard at work designing protocols for keeping us all safe as we return to our church building in the coming weeks.

The Reopening Taskforce is hard at work designing protocols for keeping us all safe as we return to our church building in the coming weeks. I am particularly grateful for the diversity of views, all of which aim to be conservative, practical, and also joyful.  I am so looking forward to seeing you in person. I am also committed to all of our safety.

Over the next two weeks, we will be finalizing these new protocols and as we do we’ll be communicating with all of you. Today’s newsletter is the first of what will be a series of announcements related to our return to the church building. To help you with your own planning, I want to share the following two guidelines:

  1. Proof of Vaccination is required for anyone 12 years of age or older for entry into the church building without exception. If you are not vaccinated, we invite you to continue joining our programming and worship services online. If you wish to join us in the building, you will need to show either your Excelsior Pass or your vaccination card and photo ID. If you need help downloading the Excelsior Pass app or if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to let us know.

  2. Masks are required for anyone 2 years of age or older at all times while in the building. Your pastors and musicians will also be masked while leading worship in the sanctuary.

I look forward to seeing you soon—in person or on zoom—and to all the ways we will continue our journey together with God’s help.

Peace be with you,
Pastor Will

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Rev. William Critzman Rev. William Critzman Rev. William Critzman Rev. William Critzman

We missed you!

The Reopening Task Force met yesterday after church to continue detailing protocols for how we will return to using our sanctuary and campus this fall.

The Reopening Task Force met yesterday after church to continue detailing protocols for how we will return to using our sanctuary and campus this fall. The shifting landscape of the Delta variant gives us much to consider, and the Task Force is working hard to prioritize safety while also looking for ways for us all to come back together. We’re devising a staged reopening plan that will welcome us all back safely, efficiently, and clearly. I’ll be sharing that with all of you very soon.

As the work to reopen our campus continues, this week we’re excited to begin online Fall programming. As with the reopening, programming this fall will be a cumulative effect: we’re starting slow and steady and will be adding more and more over the coming weeks. This week, we begin two online-only options: Morning Prayer at 9am on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Spirit Talk at 12pm on Wednesdays. We are also resuming our Tuesday Table Meals to Go tomorrow at 4pm. If you’re in the neighborhood and want to come say hi, please join me then.

Over the coming weeks we’ll be rolling out more programming, including exciting new ways for children, youth, and families to come together in person and online. Stay tuned. There is so much happening at West End this fall and I can’t wait to see each of you very soon.

Be well, beloveds,
Pastor Will

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Rev. Bridget Anthony Rev. Bridget Anthony Rev. Bridget Anthony Rev. Bridget Anthony

There is bread in our midst and we have everything that we need

We have survived more than 16 months. It has been grueling, and yet we have stayed connected. We’ve worshipped and prayed together, held classes, enjoyed an art festival, had Pride contests and more.

As some of you know, I recently went on vacation to Aruba. I had some hesitation about traveling alone, but I was happy to have no agenda, no obligations and no one to answer to.

And while Aruba was everything I could have hoped for, it actually took me almost two days to fully relax. I had to talk myself out of making a “relaxation plan.” I deliberately turned off all my alarms, even if meant that I would miss breakfast. I decided to do nothing that I should do: no island tours, no water sports, no activities. I just sat on the beach, and slept, and tanned, and read.

We get so caught up in doing, that it’s almost impossible to turn it off. As I mentioned in my sermon yesterday, we have survived more than 16 months. It has been grueling, and yet we have stayed connected. We’ve worshipped and prayed together, held classes, enjoyed an art festival, had Pride contests and more.

We still have work to do, and the Fall promises to bring new programming, new ideas, new ways to build community. But for now, let’s continue to find ways to rest, and renew.

Peace,
Pastor Bridget

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