Dear friends,

September is here, with its chillier mornings, with its unique blend of beauty and busyness. Here at church, our staff has been dreaming and planning for this season. We’ve been thinking about YOU, hoping you’ve found some rest this summer, and looking forward with excitement to seeing you in the pews on Sunday or at one of our activities during the week.

We’ll resume Sunday worship on September 10, with our Ingathering service featuring Water Communion. On September 17, Rally Sunday, we’ll begin Religious Exploration and bless the backpacks of our church kids. With a bit of history during the service, and cake afterwards on the lawn, we’ll also be celebrating the 275^thanniversary of First Parish (well, one branch of First Parish – and it’s technically the 276^th…come to hear more!). On September 24, we’ll hold a “First Parish in Action” Fair after church, where you can learn more about the amazing committees and small groups that make up our community.

That’s just the beginning…read on to learn about Beehive Art Studio (our awesome new tenants in the Parish House), an upcoming forum on Lincoln’s Housing Choice Act, and much more! With so much to look forward to, also remember to look back. Don’t forget about that utterly still hour you spent underneath an oak tree this summer, or that time when something clicked in meditation. Bring that part of you into the busyness of this month.

Lastly, a note about our upcoming parental leave. Kit and “baby brother” are both doing well, moving into the 33^rd week as we write this! If the baby arrives on or near his due date of October 27, we will begin our parental leave then. Nate plans to be on leave through November, returning in time for Advent. Kit plans to be on leave through mid-January or so.

During the month of November, Ministry Associate Sarah Klockowski will be acting head of staff. Sarah will preach twice, and two Sundays will be filled by guest preachers. First Parish member Rev. Rosemary Lloyd will also be providing pastoral care support throughout our parental leave. We are grateful to the church for the gift of this time, and to our lay leaders and staff for providing extra leadership as we care for our new child.

Onwards, into change! With love,
Nate and Kit

PS – It has been one of the privileges of our ministry to spend time with Dan Boynton (and the entire Boynton family). As you may know, Dan passed away on July 17, and we were able to be with him and Janet during this sacred time. Kit will officiate Dan’s memorial service on Saturday, September 16 at 2 pm in our sanctuary.