Well some RE years start off at a clip and some years start off at a roar. This year is one of the latter.

On our opening day of RE we had 65 children in RE programming from nursery through high school. This is double from when I started and up from 45 last year. What a wonderful beginning. We had energy in abundance.

This is my third fall here. The ebb and flow of life at May is beginning to get into my bones. And it was a wonderful thing to see so many returning faces. It was wonderful to repeat many of our traditions and wonderful to introduce some new ones.

New attendees are something that we enjoy. I am really pleased to be able to help share May Memorial with others. But it means that we also need to be gracious to newcomers, take time to share our traditions and knowledge with them. Do new children know where the chapel is downstairs? Does a newcomer know how to maneuver through coffee hour? I think it also probably means being a bit more patient with one another whether new or longer-standing member. If we are taking more time and effort to welcome new folk there is less time to make the working connections that we need to make. Growth is wonderful but change takes time.

A reminder that CROP walk will be October 14th; materials have been sent home and there will be pledge sheets available in the Social Hall September 30th. After that they will be available from me. CROP walk is a wonderful way to help in fighting hunger. And it is an action that families can do together that help reinforce with children the living out of our principles. Hope you can make it