Sun., Sept. 11, 10 am
Sanctuary & Front Patio, Dana St.
Our long-time Families’ & Children’s Program Director Carolyn Ash is moving on from her role (but staying a treasured member and active participant of our church) and we want to celebrate her! So many children, teens, and adults in our church have been blessed by Carolyn’s gentle, loving leadership. We’ve all seen the magic Carolyn has worked with our kids, from gently coaxing a shy child to join a Children’s Moment to mesmerizing a group of kids with a wildly creative Godly Play story. Carolyn’s ability to create a safe, warm and welcoming space has allowed our kids to explore and express their profound thoughts on life, faith, God and cookies, among other things.
Please make sure to come to church on Sun., Sept. 11, when we’ll bless and thank Carolyn for all her years of love. During the service we’ll take time to bless Carolyn, and afterwards we’ll celebrate with cake and other yummy treats.
You can express your gratitude for Carolyn’s ministry among us in several ways. (1) We’re gathering thanks from you and your kids in the form of cards, notes, emails, pictures, kids’ art, etc. for presentation on Sept. 11. These will be collected by Julie Greer. Julie will have a table set up after church on Sept. 4 for folks to write “love notes” to Carolyn, or you can email them to Julie at [email protected] or mail them to her address in Realm. Again, please get these to Julie Greer by Sept. 4 so that they can be printed if necessary, compiled and presented during Carolyn’s celebration that day.
(2) We’ll also be gathering up a purse* to gift to her as she moves on from this role–Nick and Annis Kukulan will be receiving those funds to give to her. To contribute to the purse, you can write a check payable to Nick or Annis Kukulan and mail it to their home address (listed in Realm or available from the church office) or you can use Venmo to send money to Annis (@Annis-Kukulan). Please send your contribution before Sun., Sept. 11.
And if you’d like to be involved in helping to organize the festivities, please let Rev. Kelly know right away so we can keep you in the loop!
*When a long-time staff member leaves our congregation, it is customary to invite members of the community to provide monetary recognition, called a “purse,” to express appreciation and to support them in their time of transition. In order for this to be a true gift (not taxable compensation), the purse must come directly from the congregation. (Please remember that your gift will not qualify as a charitable contribution to the church when you prepare your personal tax return.)