Pastoral note, from Garrett

Halloween is this Saturday. Do you have your costume ready? Is your candy by the door? Halloween comes from “All Hallows’ Eve,” the day before All Saints’ Day. We'll celebrate All Saints on Sunday. But don't skip Saturday.

Matthew Myer Boulton asks us to consider the virtue of Halloween: It’s easy to grumble about “all that sugar,” “marauding teenagers,” “a waste of time,” and so forth. But think of it: when else do we intentionally spend this kind of time together as a community? When else do we do something as a neighborhood that’s this intergenerational? This open to all? This playful, goofy, and plain old fun? When else do our yards and doors open to so many? And when else are so many gifts given out — often by strangers, to strangers — simply for the sake of delight?

This Sunday we will remember the saints of Woodland who have died over the past year by reading their names during worship and placing a flower on the altar. This annual tradition is part of how we remember the people who have inspired and encouraged our faith. Karen Weems is organizing a continental breakfast in the gathering place for the families of those who have lost loved ones this year.  

Sunday night, there is a cultural heritage potluck starting at 4:30 p.m. in Maresh Hall. Bring a favorite dish from your culture to share. Bring other items from your culture. Do you know where your parents are from? How about your grandparents? Great-grandparents? Great-great-grandparents? How about further back? The only cost is your presence and whatever food you bring to share.

Time to sign up for Woodland Thanksgiving. We will be back in the sanctuary this year for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday night, November 15, at 5 p.m. 

Grace and peace, 
Garrett Vickrey