News: November 29, 2024
Dear Members and Friends,
Every year during our Christmas Eve service we close with a poem by the preacher and social justice activist, Howard Thurman. It runs:
I will light Candles this Christmas,
Candles of joy despite all the sadness,
Candles of hope where despair keeps watch,
Candles of courage for fears ever present,
Candles of peace for tempest-tossed days,
Candles of grace to ease heavy burdens,
Candles of love to inspire all my living,
Candles that will burn all year long.
This year will be no exception. The holidays are a time of tradition. Even though the world is cold and hard right now we can light candles of faith to keep each other warm. From our Winter Solstice service on the 21st to the Christmas pageant on the 22nd and the Christmas Eve service on the 24th, we will have lots of opportunities to celebrate joy despite the sadness and cultivate hope, peace, grace, and love strong enough to burn throughout the year.
Our Christmas Eve programs will commence at 4:00 p.m with Las Posadas. These will be followed at 5:00 p.m. with the Spanish service and the English service at 7:00 p.m. I’ll be reading stories and sharing cider with the congregation’s children between the services in the Fireside Room at 6:00 p.m.
Also this month, we have special services throughout the rest of the month. On December 1st our college ministry intern Rebecca "Artie" Throop will be preaching their first sermon. They’ll be leading a service on “The Art of Making Mistakes.” They are currently a senior at Rice and plan on becoming a Unitarian Universalist minister. I hope you’ll take to the opportunity to support Rebecca as they take this important step along their journey.
December 8th, Dr. Rocke, Chelsea de Souza, and I will be doing a service on spirituality and music. We will be focusing on the art and legacy of the musical dynamo and civil rights activist Nina Simone in a service titled “The High Priestess of Soul: the Spirituality of Nina Simone.”
Then on December 15th we will have the next installment of our “Future Visions, Future Selves” series. We’ll be focusing on “Rebirths and Restitutions: Healing Religious Trauma.” My old union buddy, and current country and americana troubadour, Mike Hellman, will be joining us as a special musical guest.
Rev. Scott will close out the month with a sermon titled “What Lies Ahead.”
On the subject of looking ahead, we are planning on having a full-time ministerial intern for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. They will start in September 2025 and be with us through June 2026. We will be sharing more information about the internship program and the timeline around finding an intern in future months. In the meantime, we’re asking members of the congregation to support this program in two ways. First, we’re looking for members of the internship team. The internship team will work with me in supervising and supporting the intern. If you’re interested you should be able to make a commitment of meeting twice a month, starting in January 2025, through June 2026, with some breaks in late spring and summer once we’ve selected the intern.
Second, we’re hoping to find someone in the congregation who might be able to provide either free housing in an in-law apartment or who has access to an inexpensive rental. If you’re able to help in this way or if you’re interested in being part of the internship team please let me know.
Have a wonderful month! I look forward to celebrating with you!
love,
Colin
Every year during our Christmas Eve service we close with a poem by the preacher and social justice activist, Howard Thurman. It runs:
I will light Candles this Christmas,
Candles of joy despite all the sadness,
Candles of hope where despair keeps watch,
Candles of courage for fears ever present,
Candles of peace for tempest-tossed days,
Candles of grace to ease heavy burdens,
Candles of love to inspire all my living,
Candles that will burn all year long.
This year will be no exception. The holidays are a time of tradition. Even though the world is cold and hard right now we can light candles of faith to keep each other warm. From our Winter Solstice service on the 21st to the Christmas pageant on the 22nd and the Christmas Eve service on the 24th, we will have lots of opportunities to celebrate joy despite the sadness and cultivate hope, peace, grace, and love strong enough to burn throughout the year.
Our Christmas Eve programs will commence at 4:00 p.m with Las Posadas. These will be followed at 5:00 p.m. with the Spanish service and the English service at 7:00 p.m. I’ll be reading stories and sharing cider with the congregation’s children between the services in the Fireside Room at 6:00 p.m.
Also this month, we have special services throughout the rest of the month. On December 1st our college ministry intern Rebecca "Artie" Throop will be preaching their first sermon. They’ll be leading a service on “The Art of Making Mistakes.” They are currently a senior at Rice and plan on becoming a Unitarian Universalist minister. I hope you’ll take to the opportunity to support Rebecca as they take this important step along their journey.
December 8th, Dr. Rocke, Chelsea de Souza, and I will be doing a service on spirituality and music. We will be focusing on the art and legacy of the musical dynamo and civil rights activist Nina Simone in a service titled “The High Priestess of Soul: the Spirituality of Nina Simone.”
Then on December 15th we will have the next installment of our “Future Visions, Future Selves” series. We’ll be focusing on “Rebirths and Restitutions: Healing Religious Trauma.” My old union buddy, and current country and americana troubadour, Mike Hellman, will be joining us as a special musical guest.
Rev. Scott will close out the month with a sermon titled “What Lies Ahead.”
On the subject of looking ahead, we are planning on having a full-time ministerial intern for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. They will start in September 2025 and be with us through June 2026. We will be sharing more information about the internship program and the timeline around finding an intern in future months. In the meantime, we’re asking members of the congregation to support this program in two ways. First, we’re looking for members of the internship team. The internship team will work with me in supervising and supporting the intern. If you’re interested you should be able to make a commitment of meeting twice a month, starting in January 2025, through June 2026, with some breaks in late spring and summer once we’ve selected the intern.
Second, we’re hoping to find someone in the congregation who might be able to provide either free housing in an in-law apartment or who has access to an inexpensive rental. If you’re able to help in this way or if you’re interested in being part of the internship team please let me know.
Have a wonderful month! I look forward to celebrating with you!
love,
Colin
Where are the Ministers?
Dr. Bossen will be in the pulpit December 8th, 15th, 21st, and 24th. Starting on December 25th he will be out of the office until January 7th.
Rev. Scott will be in Dallas the first part of December but will return on December 15th . He and Carol will be helping the children present the Christmas Pageant Multigenerational Service on the 22nd. He will be joining Rev. Colin for the Christmas Eve Candle Lighting Service on Tuesday the 24th. There will be one service on December 29th, at which he will be preaching. On January 5th, he will be preaching his annual reflection on those who passed the previous year and left behind a legacy.
Dr. Bossen will be in the pulpit December 8th, 15th, 21st, and 24th. Starting on December 25th he will be out of the office until January 7th.
Rev. Scott will be in Dallas the first part of December but will return on December 15th . He and Carol will be helping the children present the Christmas Pageant Multigenerational Service on the 22nd. He will be joining Rev. Colin for the Christmas Eve Candle Lighting Service on Tuesday the 24th. There will be one service on December 29th, at which he will be preaching. On January 5th, he will be preaching his annual reflection on those who passed the previous year and left behind a legacy.
