Midweek Message January 14, 2025

“I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” Martin Luther King

Friends,

As I write, I have just returned to the church office after 2 weeks away for a time of winter vacation and study leave. My time away was joyful; a time for renewal of body, mind, and spirit. 

As I look at what is ahead here at FUUN, I’m recalling a story from the height of the civil rights movement when, at a press conference,  Martin Luther King was asked how he planned to spend his day. His response was, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” Living in the times we do, I appreciate his response more than ever.   

On the near horizon is the confluence of national events: the Martin Luther King holiday and the inauguration of a new president. As we prepare for what we fear the new administration may do, devastating fires rage in California and our neighbors in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina are still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Helene. 

Here at the church, your Ministerial Search Committee is in the thick of their work interviewing potential candidates to serve as your next minister.  The process for finding an Acting Director of Religious Education will soon be underway. Meanwhile, the life of the church hums along with the usual activities. 

During my vacation and study leave, I immersed myself in spiritual practices – my ways of praying – more intensely than I have in years. Daily, I practiced QiGong, meditated, and connected with nature. It is how I fill my inner reserves of strength and courage.  The times in which we live call for nothing less.  Living in uncertain times as we do – a polycrisis – the best any of us can do is to be responsive and resilient, qualities that are reinforced through daily spiritual practice. 

What I know for certain is that whatever the future holds, it is together in community that we find our way. 

What are the spiritual practices that fill your inner reserves? How do you find joy and build resilience?

Yours in shared ministry,

Rev. Diane