Whew! We finally made it back into our new and newly refurbished building, and it is so beautiful—it is a wonderful testament to this congregation’s vision and dedication. Well done, all!

There are still some rough edges here and there, and a few kinks that still need to be worked out, but the new space is already beginning to feel like home.

In addition to changes in our space, we are also trying some new changes in our worship services. Last spring, members of our worship team attended a workshop led by Marcia McFee, a nationally recognized innovator in worship design.

McFee reminded us that only some of us are auditory learners (who learn primarily from listening). There are also visual learners and kinesthetic learners, and any given worship service should ideally include elements that appeal to each of these learning styles.

She also warned us of the dangers of getting stuck in a rut—with an order of service that never varies from week to week or month to month or year to year. Without some kind of variation, people inevitably “tune out” portions of the service.

So, this year, starting in September, you will notice some changes in our Sunday morning services. As our monthly themes change, so will our order of service. We will also be bringing in more visual and kinesthetic elements to our services.

You will not like all of these changes. That’s right, you will not like all of these changes. But you will like some of them. Many of them, I hope. Please keep in mind that something that may not appeal to you will in fact appeal very much to someone else.

We ask that you remain open to our changing orders of service and our new service elements. We are not trying to confuse you! We are trying to create worship services that are sensory-rich, memorable and transformative.

Our new sanctuary lends itself well to creative worship services, and we will do what we can to make the most of this space.

Thanks for your patience and your ongoing support.

–Rev. Jim Magaw