Dear Congregation,I hope this letter finds you well and enjoying the life and green of late spring.  This is my first letter to you as your board president, and I am filled with gratitude and hope as we embark on a new board term, with a new minister.

I know we are all very excited to welcome Rev. Dr. Josh Snyder to our congregation.  His warm, thoughtful, and lighthearted demeanor charmed us from the beginning.  And his commitment to UU values shines through when his words get more serious.  I know we have a lot to learn from each other.  I hope you’ll join me in making him feel welcome, and giving him the trust that he has earned, through the scrutiny of our diligent Ministerial Search Committee, and our thoughtful questions during candidating week.

Please also join me in welcoming new board members Bev Hurd, Tom Crain, Heather Randolph, and Samuel Prince.  They will join me, Maya Gajic, Mary Jo Marksz, Clint Ensworth, Al Casino, and Steve Lederer on the board this year, and I think we have a terrific team of dedicated, capable, and caring individuals to guide our church this year.

Our congregation is engaged in so many meaningful and important projects.  Just to highlight one: We continue to refine the plan for our sanctuary renovation, and I extend my thanks to the team of folks across different segments of our church population, who have come together to create a vision and a practical plan and timeline, and share it with the congregation at our recent meetings.  Special thanks to Samuel Prince, Hallie Bowie, and Eric Beach for their leadership in this. 

While there are positive things happening in our congregation, I know many of you share my despair and outrage at the loss of life in Buffalo, NY and Uvalde, TX during the last month.  The violence our society tolerates nearly always affects BIPOC and LGBTQ+ minorities even more deeply and tragically.  Add this to the looming threat to women’s right to bodily autonomy and the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.  Hold each other close, and take a break if you need it, but let us never stop fighting for our UU values, which the world needs more than ever.I look forward to getting to know you all better.  Reach out to me anytime with your thoughts, concerns, or just to say hello.

With love for my church family,

Libby Archinal, President of the Board of Trustees
(libby.archinal@gmail.com)