April 15th, 2021

Oh friends...

Monday is usually my "sabbath day off," but this past fateful Monday, I decided to come up to church with the pups because Rob had an important zoom meeting, and my furbabies are known to be unwelcome contributors to Rob’s meetings. 
 As I was tidying up some blessing bag debris in the Fellowship Hall, Diane came in to tell me that there had been a phone call and an email over night about a semi truck crashing into the North side of the building.
 "The North side of the building??" I asked. "But there's no road there. Certainly its a mistake."
 Diane and Meghan went to go investigate while I continued tidying with the pups. Then Meghan popped her head back in, "You better come look at this."
 I walked around to, yes, the North side of the building to find Meghan and Diane gazing up at a high hole clear through the building the size of an Xtra large pizza box (yes this is the first gauge of size that comes to mind for me).
  Friends, I won't tell you what said in that moment because, as my mother would say, it's not a word that's befitting a "woman of the cloth."
 All that is to say, if you haven't heard, there was a bit of an... incident at the church on Sunday night at around 11:04 PM. My best guess is that either a toddler or racoon driving a semi-truck hit our building, a tree, a sprinkler head, and a couple of light poles while trying to find an exit near our shed.

Here’s the good news: first of all, in no time at all Diane Baker was on the phone to insurance companies and roofers. Bryan Thornhill, Meghan Trout and Rebecca Molis came soon after sawing and patching up the hole for any weather. Emily and Jane assessed the damage, which in comparison to the flood, was far less traumatic. Our insurance company, with tips from our neighbors, is sleuthing down the driver of the truck. Your leadership is discussing shifting gears and rolling the inevitable roofing repair into the planned steeple repair project, hopefully now hitting two birds with one stone. 
 Most importantly, thanks to YOU and your incredible generosity, even during this past difficult year of transition and Covid-19, surprises like this one and the burst sprinkler pipe after the storm don’t send your finance committee into a panic. So remember that when you give to your church family, you’re not just giving to our planned expenses, you’re also giving to these unplanned expenses as well, making sure that our sanctuary is ship-shape and ready to welcome you home again hopefully very soon.
 Speaking of welcoming you home, your “In-Person Coming-Together Team” is polishing up recommendations on how we might accomplish that in a way that is safe and inclusive for all in the months to come. So I pray that while they do this good work, you do your work too and get those vaccinations! Please contact the church if you need any help finding an appointment!
 Much heart,
Rev. Anna