Starring: Rev. Sarah York – Rev. Lisa Schwartz – Rev. Janet Onnie – Rev. Eve Stevens – Rev. Terry Davis – Kim Collins, Religious Educator – Shawn Gibson, UU  Seminarian  (and Rev. Audette!)

What a wonderful summer we’re having here at UU Asheville! Our pulpit has been filled by generous and talented guest ministers, team members, and seminary students, and the feedback has been good while the pews have been full. I am so grateful that when I called, they said “YES.” And our Faith Formation summer classes for children and youth have been doing so well that Kim had to put out an emergency call for extra hearts and hands to help! This is the strength of a congregation that has put welcome into its DNA. Summer is a time when we have a lot of visitors and friends joining us from other congregations, and so keeping our practice of good worship & radical hospitality helps us build the Beloved Community.

If you’re wondering, while I am still around and working this summer, being out of the pulpit in August means that I can read and study a lot more – in preparation for Sundays ahead – and rest up a bit, but it also means we get to hear from a wider variety of talented ministers, some of whom are drawing on an entire lifetime of service. What a blessing. 

And while we’re speaking of the vitality of our ministries and the growth in our summer program, I just want to shout out our youth who are recently back from the YRUU youth trip to West Virginia, where they volunteered for a week with Big Creek People in Action. I was able to join them for the first part of their trip, and just that small part of the time I got to spend with them, I was able to witness first-hand the marvels of seeing them crawl under houses, use circular saws and climb tall ladders to drill hardwood, saw the pictures of the team drywalling and help reorganize a critical food and clothing pantry. Our youth are incredibly kind, know how to work hard and engage meaningfully outside their comfort zone, take care of each other (they shopped & cooked & cleaned) and even care kindly for a lonely, pregnant, flea-covered stray dachshund (Bella). We are fortunate to have youth like this as part of our congregation, and I believe we are also, at least in some small-but-important ways, part of why they are so incredible. If you see Margaret McAlister or Brett Johnson, give them an extra high-five for their amazing chaperonage – they are the best.

By the way, start getting excited – we have a big announcement coming next week!

With love and in faith,

Rev. Audette