November is here and with it comes a season of merriment, gratitude, and introspection. I invite everyone to submit materials to the advent devotional booklet and to participate in the many events that we have coming up in November and December. Thank you to all of you for taking the time to submit your events that make this such a vibrant and active congregation.  To minimize errors and omissions, I would like to ask everyone to please take a moment and gather all the information for your announcement or event into one email with all the necessary information.  With an organization the size of ours and with the amount of activity we have, the volume of emails I receive is in the hundreds per week and I don’t want important details about your event or announcement to get lost in the shuffle.

I also want to direct your attention to the Events of Interest in the Greater Community page on our website. Our congregation is involved in many service projects in our community and many of our members belong to organizations that are making a difference in our city and beyond. Please take a look and you may find something you are interested in attending or a group you are interested in joining to effect change or enjoy a pastime with like-minded folks. It is so exciting to hear all the different projects everyone is involved in, and most of all to see the tremendous impact you are making for those who are underserved, marginalized, and in need in our community.

We have several publications and activities in the upcoming weeks and I encourage you to participate in as many as you can so you can connect with your fellow United Church of Gainesville members. Community is at the heart of our congregation, and although this holiday season can be a difficult time for some, I hope you take the time to connect with others and share in the many opportunities we have to mark the season together. I encourage you to invite people in your circle to join you so they can share in the warmth of our community. Be on the lookout for our Advent Devotional Booklet, our Advent Mailer with an outline of our events in the next few weeks – we have so much this month with the art show, men’s retreat, small groups, and more for you to partake in. If the hustle and bustle of the season gets to be too much, take an hour to re-center yourself at our Sacred Sound Symphony the second Sunday of November and December, meditate on our Labyrinth, attend a prayer meeting, participate in advent and other more meditative gatherings and events taking place here at UCG.

We are grateful for patience during the three storms we’ve weathered recently and hope you all came through them okay.  As always, if you are in need of anything, please feel free to reach out to our church office or stop by for a quick chat, smile, or a warm hug.

Happy fall,

Ligia