84 people. We had 84 people attend the Social Change Workshop last Sunday after the MLK service. That’s fantastic… and just what we need.
There was so much energy and focus as folks shared information and figured out their own next steps. Participants chose between opportunities to get involved with the People’s Food Pantry, preserving democracy, immigrant justice or climate action. A few people told me that they were teaming up with someone they met and talked to during the workshop; one pair will be organizing postcarding at NP and another pair will be volunteering together on Monday afternoons at the Pantry. So many new connections and accountability buddies! The majority of folks were from North Parish but we also had a decent group of community members. This is how we build connections and capacity.
This week, I am participating in interfaith clergy organizing both locally and statewide, including today (Friday) in Boston at St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral and the State House for a “Day of Fasting and Prayer for Truth and Freedom”, an effort involving 70 organizations. There are also gatherings in Maine over the weekend. Meanwhile, our Director of Religious Education Susanne Hinson-Rieger and her husband, the Rev. Jamie Hinson-Rieger, flew to Minneapolis to stand with religious professionals there today. We hope and pray for their safety and that of all the clergy and religious leaders gathered there this week.
Meanwhile, we continue to build community support and find joy. This weekend there’s a youth sleepover on Friday and a chili cook-off and game night on Saturday. Thanks to all of you, North Parish offers a port in the storm (perhaps literally, this weekend), a welcome table, a spirit-filled multigenerational gathering place even when stress levels are high or moods are low. (Some chili, cornbread, mac and cheese, conversation and games might help with those moods!)
Hope to see you at the Meeting House,
Rev. Lee