President’s Report - October, 2010

Cycles and Seasons

As summer ends and we change seasons, I am reminded of the cyclical nature of our lives. Fall is my wife’s favourite season and I appreciate her reminding me that it is not just a transition between summer and winter’s cold winds and snow, but a wonderful season with many merits of its own. It provides many days of cooler temperatures, allowing time to get our yard and perennial gardens ready for winter. We are also lucky to live close to Fort Whyte and love the daily sound of the geese overhead as they prepare for their journey south. One of my most treasured times are bike rides around the lakes and marshes of this splendid nature reserve. Erin has helped me understand that autumn is full of spiritual moments.

As we enter our second year and autumn with Reverend Millie, I look forward to continuing to grow as a congregation. Not just in numbers, but in both individual and congregational maturity. After a difficult couple of years without a settled minister, we now are blessed with renewed energy to look further ahead in our planning as well as extending ourselves to others, both within and without our walls.

This fall we are hosting the CUC Western Regional Fall Gathering on the weekend of October 15-17. The theme is “Shared Ministry” and the conference will feature the many ways we can minister to each other. UUs will be coming from Alberta, Saskatchewan, and northern Ontario and it promises to be a great weekend of learning, fellowship, good food, and fun.

Another way for us to reach out beyond our walls is our new initiative, Share the Plate. Beginning in October, we will, once a month, share the Sunday morning collection as a means of strengthening our connections and living our principles with the wider community. To qualify, recipients must be non-political, local, registered non-profit organizations whose principles are congruent with Unitarian Universalism, and for whom our donations would make a significant difference. You can see the list of organizations and more details here.

Yet another way for us to extend ourselves to other UUs is to stay connected to our national denominational organization, the Canadian Unitarian Council (CUC). Watch for news from our new Denominational Affairs Chair, Roger Rochester, who will be keeping us up to speed on the CUC and the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) in the USA. Did you know that $91 of your annual pledge goes to the CUC to help support the UU programs and resources available to our congregation? Please see more about the CUC vision and mission at http://www.cuc.ca/governance/council/vision_statement.htm.

As many of us have realized, reaching out and helping others feels good to all involved and comes back to us in many positive ways. I guess this is yet another cycle of life. I hope you have a great autumn with many opportunities to enjoy the season.

In faith,

Craig Edwards