Our Soul Matters Theme for March is Renewing Faith. To me, this theme goes well with the spring season. Knowing that brighter and warmer days are soon to come, is always a hopeful and renewing time for me. I like being outside and I don’t like to be cold. While we continue to watch the number of Covid infections decrease, the warmer weather offers opportunities to feel safer gathering in groups, especially for those who are at higher risk of infection.

Connecting with one another became the highest priority during the last two years. While being together in person is most people’s preference, we have learned that opportunities to gather online or on Zoom expand access to community. I hope we continue to offer these opportunities. While it took a while to get used to, and some people might be ready to toss their computer off a cliff, I think it is a valuable resource for involving people who, for any number of reasons, find connecting from home a better option. The increasing cost of gas has just been added to my list of good reasons to meet online.

Before the pandemic, I started two groups of Theme Circles. Theme Circles are created for contemplating and sharing our thoughts on the Theme of the month. A packet of readings, resources, and questions designed to open further exploration of the theme is distributed to participants each month. Themes are chosen to be broad enough to engage for a month and to allow flexibility with sermon topics. The themes take the cycle of the church year into account.

Prior to Covid, Theme Circles met at the church and there were 22 people participating. The quick switch to online did not work for everyone. We have kept one group going, and from my perspective, the conversations have been deep and meaningful. As we move into a new season, I would like to encourage you to consider trying this way of deepening your knowledge of yourself and others. A couple of expressed goals of the program are to deepen our theological literacy and build community. If you are participating in the discussion of Thomas Moore’s book, “A Religion of One’s Own,” you may find this a good way to augment or continue your exploration. I am considering options for meeting at church, as well as meeting online. I think this opens up more opportunities for participation.

For right now, I would like to offer Zoom opportunities in March for people to see what Theme Circles are all about. No long-term commitment would be requested. I will also work with our church schedule to see when a new group at church would be possible. If you are willing to give this a try, it would be enormously helpful to know if daytime or evening is important for you. An email to me or to Terra, at the church office, would be a great way for me to gather that information.

I hope you will consider this invitation to experience our Theme of the Month, Renewing Faith, with your comrades of the spirit.

In Love and Hope, Rev. Alice