During the month of October, we will be celebrating the renewal of our status as a “Welcoming Congregation,” and we will also celebrate our new building with our dedication weekend (don’t forget to RSVP!).

We have much to celebrate at Sunnyhill! Not only are we getting settled into our beautiful facility, but our new church year is off to a great start, with several new programs and many ways to connect with one another and with the larger world.

In the wake of our time away from the building and our return, I am reminded of a story from Exodus:

After the Israelites have escaped Pharaoh’s army and crossed the Red Sea, we are told that “Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women followed her with tambourines and dances. And Miriam called to them: Sing to God.” And the people sang, and they danced.

The Israelites carried with them the many bodily wounds and indignities they had suffered in Egypt. And they began the process of transformation with singing and dancing. It was just the beginning of their journey, to be sure. But Miriam knew that, if they were to have any chance of healing, any chance of transforming their suffering, that the change had to start with their bodies and not just their minds.

Let us celebrate in the spirits of the ancient Israelites with our hearts and our minds. Let us be grateful to one another and to all who have made our journey possible. And let us welcome all who join us for the next steps in our life as a congregation renewed, refreshed, and re-energized.

–Rev. Jim Magaw