Change is all around me these days. Many new leaders are coming into their roles in the church on the Board and as committee chairs. I have moved to new and much larger home with more amenities. I am losing weight, have a new hairdo, and I am trying to get my life more organized so I can work smarter and work less. In the face of changes and new options, it can be tempting to turn our back on the past. Or sometimes if the changes are too numerous and come too fast, it can be tempting to cling to the security of the old and familiar. I am trying to honor both in my personal in my professional life.

This would be a good time to thank Mary Teslow, retiring President, and all the board members and chairs, who are completing tours of duty, for a job well done. Our church's infrastructure, financial situation and number of active members have all improved under your time in office and I and the whole church are grateful to you for being good stewards and good servant leaders.

Likewise I learned a lot from my years of living near the heart of Los Olas and I will go back often but I am now embracing living a more grown up life where I can entertain again and have a home office.

Now I must adjust to new visions brought in by new leaders. It is not much of a problem as I am much in agreement with our new President Gary Ladka that our priority should be on how to reach out better to each other and to the new people who come to us seeking solace and a spiritual home. Likewise, I agree with Gary that we can maximize our impact on the world outside these walls more than we have in the past. Many folks in our congregation are already doing great things out in the world and we want to get the word out on these things better and leverage our clout by getting behind already existent projects rather than trying to reinvent the wheel.

So starting this summer and gearing up for a big push next fall, let's reach out to each other and then reach out to the world.

Blessings on our ongoing struggle for a better world.