News – November 11, 2022

Dear Members and Friends,

Three years ago this season was about the last time I remember things feeling like the old, familiar version of “normal”. I house-sat and dog-sat for my parents while they spent time travelling abroad. I saw the film Ford v Ferrari in a crowded theater. I visited a small Christmas-themed pop-up in the Heights with all four of my out-of-town siblings. Three years ago this season was also the time that I began working as the part-time Family Ministry Coordinator at what was then the Thoreau-Richmond Campus of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston, with no idea just how far we would all come together. Now, just as we are beginning to settle into the rhythm of what appears to be the “new normal”, I find myself transitioning away from my role at First Church and into a new role with the University of Houston. This season is always a season of change.

How does one wrap up three years – especially the last three years we’ve had – in just a few paragraphs? I truly cannot imagine a better place to have worked for through the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff, volunteers, members, and friends all banded together to keep our lights on, our Sunday services run, and our local and global communities supported (both practically and spiritually).

I have dearly loved and will surely miss the comforting, compassionate feelings of fellowship and togetherness that imbue every corner of this very special place. Work is work, and tasks are tasks, and those constants will be found wherever I go. Where else might one find a staff so full of bright ideas for the future, practical ideas for the present, and meaningful insight for the processing of the past? Where else might one find a group of coworkers so excited to have achieved 100% staff election participation that they erupted in applause in the middle of a meeting, much less to have even achieved it at all?

What makes this place truly special is not the building, or its location, or its enduring historic legacy. What makes this place special is not just the coordinated effort to promote a steady march towards justice and equity, nor the desire to live out our values in everyday life. What makes this place truly special are the people: the people who lead the programs, arrange the cameras, and keep us fed; the people who trust us with their children, their families, their happiness, and their grief; the people who visit every Sunday (sometimes more, sometimes less) to fill the physical space we share with laugher, fellowship, and meaningful relationships.

I may be leaving my desk, but I am not leaving what defines this institution, including the connections, the friendships, the lessons, and the kindness that grew with me here. These I will carry in my heart until we are together again.

 

In gratitude,

Alex Keimig

 

Where are the Ministers in November?

Dr. Bossen will be preaching on November 13th. From November 18th to 22nd he will be at the American Academy of Religion in Denver. He will be presenting on the project that he has been working on with Sadé Perkins titled “Religion in Houston’s Pan-African Community” in the Afro-American Religious History Unit. A video of the presentation will be shared with the congregation at a later date.

Rev. Scott will be joining Dr. Bossen on the chancel on November 13. On November 20, he and Carol will lead the annual Bread Communion. On November 27, he will be preaching.