[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]How are you doing?
If the election of 2016 came as a shock, as you move through this next week, you will hold in your body and heart the sense memory of all you experienced that week. It may show up in surprising ways this week – all that grief, fear, pain you felt back then, coming up all over again.
So, be gentle with yourself, and with those around you. Limit your screen time (no poll or opinion piece can bring the certainty you’re craving!). Go for walks outdoors. Lean into our gratefulness practice. Allow yourself to feel your feelings (pushing them away just intensifies them!). Do those things that bring you comfort, and that remind you of the greater arc of history that we are a part of. The great universe our service last Sunday centered on. Look up at the sky, eat the stars.
To help with the week ahead, we’ve prepared a special Pulse focused on tools and opportunities for the coming week. Pick one or two, or engage all of them. Whatever path will help the moments of the week ahead connect with the greater movement of love and justice worthy of our steadfast dedication and stewardship.
Whatever happens in this week, know that we will figure out the right response, the right next thing. We are in this together, for the long haul. Keep breathing. Trust that wherever you are, whatever the state of your moments, whatever the state of your heart, you are loved, just as you are.
In faith,
Rev. Gretchen[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Rev. Gretchen Haley has an audacious ambition for the liberal church, believing in its capacity to transform lives and our world by way of hyper-local relationships and partnerships that inspire the unleashing of courageous love. She oversees worship, community resourcing and outreach, and the intersectional work of our justice teams. She also serves as chief of staff, and ministry lead to the Board. In all of these, she is inspired by the commitment of the countless people who show up to do the sometimes-messy work of the church, and who are leading us to live into our mission for Northern Colorado as it is growing and changing. Her ministry is infused with her relentless curiosity about most things, especially the big stuff of theology, the beauty of creation, the magic of collaboration, and the joy of pop culture. She’s all in on adrienne maree brown’s emergent strategy, and finds solace in the trails in and around Fort Collins. She moved to Colorado from Washington state over 20 years ago for grad school in theatre, and knew immediately that she would never leave. She and her amazing partner, Carri, have 2 teenagers, Gracie and Josef, who both relish and resent being PKs, and who keep her grounded, frustrated, inspired, and humbled, everyday. She is basically obsessed with her two dogs, both large mutts, Charlie and Archer.
Responsible for: Worship, Community Resourcing and Outreach, Justice Ministries, and Congregational Leadership