There is a certain kind of “re-entry” after summer is over.  

Labor Day is over, the grills are put away, schools are starting up again, work schedules find their fixed place on our calendars, and routines resume as they were in June.

Some people welcome this change, others dread it.

As for me, I think routine is good.  Familiarity is good.  But I get it: The sweetness of summer can drift away all too quickly.  

In fact, getting back into the swing of things can be jarring when we remember things such as the invasion of Ukraine, the war on women’s healthcare, and the end of climate change with the beginning of climate crisis. 

The traditional carefree-ness of summer can give way to the reality that we live in a time when our mental health is regularly challenged and put at risk.

The end of summer can feel like we are suddenly plunked down once again in the “real world.”

That’s why we need our church.

We need our church as an anchor to hold onto, a community of friends to uplift us, and a place to find tools for living our lives with greater meaning and confidence.

The regularity of the coming program year at FCC can and will provide us all with assurance and the constancy we need in the midst of the rapid changes in our society.  There will also be new approaches to things at our church which will help keep us vibrant, relevant, and engaged in a spirit of positivity.

It’s okay that summer is over.  In fact, it’s more than okay.  

I hope that this September you will make a habit of joining us on Sunday mornings.  Not only is it a way to get in on the ground floor of a brand new program year, it is also a habit that will allow you to ride the waves—the ups and downs—of the months ahead.

I feel strongly that going it alone isn’t an option these days.  We all need our church community to be at the center of our lives so that we have a place to celebrate, to grieve, to question, to share, and to grow.

It is good that summer is over.  It is good to be together.  It is good to have you here.

See you in church,

–Rev. Dominic