Greetings to you, Church!
I am now home from Missouri, have unpacked my suitcase, opened the mail, and am ready to get back to life after being gone for two weeks. What’s been going on with you? I’ve missed seeing you all.
Here’s the news for the week:
Community Supper Set for Thursday, Oct. 26
For those of you who volunteer, don’t forget that next Thursday will be our next Community Supper. Get in touch with Sharon Pickard if you have any questions.
Sustainability Day and Green Living Fair at Clarkson
Next weekend, Oct 27 and 28 Clarkson is hosting a sustainability fair. There will be workshops, exhibits, and posters, along with two keynote speakers.
The first keynote address will be a virtual talk on Friday the 27 from 6:30-7:30 pm. Talking Rivers, the artist and activist couple Blake Lavia and Tzintzun Aguilar-Izzo, will present a virtual panel presentation called Waters Have No Borders: Working Together for the Great River and the Great Lakes.
Dr. Kurt Steger, Paul Smith’s College Professor of Natural Sciences, will speak about how climate change is affecting plants, animals, and people in the Adirondacks, and what to expect in the future. This keynote talk will occur in the Student Center Forum at Clarkson University on Saturday at 3:30 pm.
If you’d like to know more about it, you can check out their webpage.
Our New Entrance Ramp Has Been Completed!
If you haven’t seen it already, please make sure to “ooh” and “ahh” over our newest update to the building. Last week Chris Willard came and repoured the ramp that leads into the building from the parking lot. Recently we learned that the old ramp was non-functional for manual wheelchair users, making it unsafe for them to enter the building. It’s imperative that we offer safe access to our building for all people, and now we have that very thing. Huzzah!
The Sanctuary Renovations Continue
This last week Dave Wells and Matt McKenna were hard at work in the sanctuary, removing the last of the pews and prepping the space for LaFaver’s Painting to come work on the ceiling, which is scheduled to begin the first week of November. First they will be repairing the plaster and then repainting the entire sanctuary.
In the meantime, Session has been hard at work organizing and planning out the details; the most important one this week being the selection of paint colors. Session has talked at length about the process of selecting the colors, and whether or not to ask the entire congregation to be involved in that process. Should we put together a poll and have everyone cast a vote, we wondered? We recognize how important it is for everyone to feel like our updated sanctuary belongs to all of us.
But here’s the thing. Session is running out of energy. This project has been all-consuming for months, and we’re simply running out of steam to field all of your ideas and comments. So, we made a decision. In order to finish this project to the end and still remain standing, Session needs to select the paint colors on its own. It’s simply too much work to gather everyone’s opinions. I hope that you can understand why we made this decision.
When considering paint colors, we realize that it’s of the utmost importance to make sure that the sanctuary is comfortable and inviting for everyone who comes to worship. Additionally, we have noted the importance of honoring the history of this space, especially since changes will be coming to the seating.
Given all of this, and in consultation with a color expert, we are getting close to coming up with a color scheme. It’s going to be light, and bright, and airy, but with a subtle nod to our history. Would you like to know what it’s going to look like? Or should we let it be a surprise– for you to experience it in person once we reopen? What do you think? Do you enjoy the anticipation of surprises? Let me know your thoughts!
Reaching out to The Batsons
The Batsons continue to live in an assisted living facility near their son in Syracuse, and while things are going well enough for them, they are still lonely. Might you be willing to send them a card in the mail? I know they’d appreciate hearing from some of their longtime friends.
Gordon and Kathy Batson
830 James St. #224
Syracuse, NY 13203
A Big Thank You to All of You!
I came home late in the night on Wednesday and have since learned that in my absence, all of you worked together to hold down the fort. Thank you so very much to everyone who stepped up and volunteered for extra jobs to cover for me while I was away. I can’t tell you how relieving it is to be able to go away and feel at peace, knowing that you all can take care of things if I’m not there. That is a true gift!
As for my travels– I had a wonderful time with my mom, and I am very proud to announce that my step-brother, John Tate, is on the mend. A month ago we didn’t know if he was going to live or die, and today he is sitting in a chair in a rehab facility, and working on walking down the hallway. It was truly a God-sized miracle that he lived, and we are all giving thanks for his health and wellbeing!
Friends, hug the people you love today. Tell them that they matter to you because tomorrow you might not have the chance!
See you on Sunday,
Pastor Katrina