Dear Ones of St. Columba's,

Life is full of surprises. Some of them are wonderful, and some of them are not. Last week I had a pretty nasty surprise, which arrived in the form of a car accident on Thursday morning. The good news is that other than a broken bone in my left hand, I am not severely injured. The other driver and her passenger are also basically okay. Yes I will need a new car, and it will take some time to heal, but I am so glad to be alive and with you that those seem like small things overall.

There has been plenty of rough stuff this summer at St Columba's. We have lost a couple of dear people, and we have had things stolen from our property. As we learned about what it really is like to be in our neighborhood doing ministry and sharing what we have with the people around us, we are also learning about how to survive loss, and how to deal with discouraging events. Much of what we do together is rewarding, encouraging work. And these two things are connected - the good work and the uncomfortable stuff, the dear community and the pain when someone is hurt, or lost. 

For the past several weeks we have been hearing about Jesus as bread, in our Sunday morning gospel. This has been a good reminder to me that we have what we need - Jesus, and each other. Cars and lawnmowers can be replaced - but the opportunity we have to love our neighborhood, to become Christ in this place together, and to love each other in community, that is an opportunity we need to choose when it presents itself. 

Thank you for choosing this place. I am so thankful to travel this road with you. 

with care and gratitude,

Alissa