California Fires

Dear Church Family,

On Tuesday I assumed that I would start my first article of 2025 with, “Happy New Year!” But 24 hours later, those words feel somehow out of place as I have been in touch with clergy and friends who have spent the last 24 hours being evacuated and wondering whether their homes will be there when they return. Suddenly the phrase, “Happy New Year” doesn’t seem to be the best way to start this article.

Yesterday, I helped our Trustees Chair move furniture from the Fellowship Hall walkway to make sure it didn’t get blown over in the high winds. At the same moment, my friends were quickly grabbing what they could and putting it in their cars. For the rest of the evening, like many of you, I watched the reports in disbelief as places I had visited, shared meals, and worshipped were threatened by fast-moving fires. How quickly everything can change.