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Beloved in Christ,

 

Our church creates community within the larger community of our city and our region. Our church community offers a sense of belonging, fellowship, and purpose for those who participate. We also offer a point of connection, a sense of being part of a movement for justice, and a chance to be part of something much larger than ourselves. Our local congregation can be a force for good in the larger community, city, region, and beyond. To do that, we pay attention, participate, and plan with our neighbors.

 

This week, we are paying attention to the transition between City Council members. Debora Juarez was sworn in as the new district 5 Council Member who will represent north Seattle. Juarez was appointed by the Council to temporarily fill the D5 seat that Cathy Moore vacated due to personal and health reasons, as of earlier this month. Before Moore became our Council member, Juarez served in that role. We anticipate that Juarez will hold the position for 16 months, until the next election. She was inspired to become Council Member again because of the current state of the world, after watching when U.S. Senator Alex Padilla was handcuffed by federal agents at a press conference. Juarez is also legal and political advisor to the National Congress of American Indians and the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians.

 

This week, I participated in the Families First rally in downtown Seattle. The event was organized by labor unions representing nurses, health care workers, public school employees, and others affected by funding cuts in recent legislation at the federal level. The overall theme of the speeches and chants was to stand with the most vulnerable and provide for the basic needs of children, immigrants, and the poor, rather than tax breaks for the very wealthy. I attended because I am convinced of the benefits of a free public education for all children and food availability for all families. The march began at Victor Steinbrueck park, the site where two totem poles once stood. Those totem poles have been removed and are in storage, facing indecision about whether they should be restored and renewed or replaced by native art by local tribes. Looking out over the sound, noting the empty pilings where the totem poles were once attached, I wondered about a possible future where native neighbors’ culture is honored and their wisdom sought out before decisions are made on their behalf.

 

Planning for what comes next will involve all that we know about our community and the wider community in which we operate, as well as careful discernment of God’s leading. The Faithland Team is planning how to share the criteria by which we will select a development partner for the land surrounding the church. Service Team is planning Math Camp, a Day of Service and Learning, Socktober, and a Harvest of Warmth.  Our Worship team is planning for how we will gather to celebrate God’s presence and intentionally listen for where God is leading through our Sunday morning services. Our Leadership Board is planning a mini-retreat in early September to make plans for our property and our mission. Camp United We Stand is planning their calendar well into 2026. A special plan that will be a way to listen to indigenous wisdom is the Way of the Mask journey, with a stop in Seattle at the Woodland Park Zoo on September 19. I hope many of us will plan to attend together. The plans we put in place influence how we faithfully care for our neighbors and steward the resources entrusted to us.

 

May this summer be a time when you pay attention, participate, and plan to move where God is leading,

-Pastor Laura