“What sets us apart from dumb beasts if we do not lift up our voice in prayer?”

In this short poetic quip, Alfred Lloyd Tennyson lifts prayer as the defining vocation of humanity. Of course, Tennyson assumed beasts were dumb or speechless. The assumption was these beasts had no consciousness. We now know much more. 

My lifelong friend Kevin Sinclair says, “Communication is the cornerstone of the creation.” Kevin once told me about how scientists have discovered that the vocabulary of prairie dogs is so complex that it includes adjectives. A prairie dog can communicate a sentence as complex as “Turn around! There is a green snake coming on your right side.” Maybe these creatures aren’t that “dumb” after all. 

What makes us human? Over the next 2 Wednesday nights at Serendipity, we will be discussing the advances in Artificial Intelligence. “Dumb machines” may not lift their voices in prayer, but they are learning and reshaping how we live. We’ll have some appetizers and discussion starting at 5:30 p.m. October 23 and 30 in Maresh Hall. 

The architects are almost finished with the design phase of our sanctuary renovation. At this point, it looks like we will probably not start construction until May or June. Therefore, we will most likely be displaced from the sanctuary over the summer. The plan right now is to have two worship services in Maresh Hall at 9 and 11 a.m. each Sunday. We will probably try to have shorter services of around 40 minutes. 

In other building project news— The new church signs are now finished out on Huebner Road. The new Traveler’s Classroom will get carpet next week. And if you haven’t noticed, the playground has expanded, nearly doubling in size. 

We should celebrate our stewardship so far this year. As of the end of September, our expenses for the year are about $902,000, and our offerings are about $978,000. Thanks for your faithful giving this year. Because of this incredible generosity, we have accomplished extraordinary things together. 

Grace & peace,

Garrett Vickrey