I hope you are enjoying your summer – I sure am! The weather has been beautiful allowing the finishing work on our Chalice home to progress at speed. Hopefully we will be attending services by the time you read this.

Last month I started laying out the Board of Trustees’ new goals for this coming year. I discussed the first goal, to “Find new sources of funds and creative ideas for fundraising in and out of Chalice including (specifically) raising $50k for the Spirit Level Foundation grant and reserves restoration.” You either have or will soon receive a letter explaining an exciting opportunity to help Chalice. There are also other shenanigans at foot. Stay tuned! We have a lot to be thankful for this year.

We have a lot to be thankful for this year. First there’s the new building a.k.a the Hub. On top of that, this is the 20th anniversary of Chalice’s founding. These call for celebration, pomp and circumstance, singing, dancing, and reflection.

To this end, we have the second Board Goal – ”Celebrate the New Chalice and Chalice’s 20th anniversary within and beyond our congregation”. We have a new “Hub”, new parking lot, new landscaping, and soon, a new playground, and, that’s right, Chalice will be twenty years old in 2020. There’s lots to be grateful for so lots to celebrate. We envision a number of events over the course of the year, both for ourselves and the broader community. What exactly these events will be is still a big question. We are asking Chalice members and groups to consider and suggest ideas, and so we have . . .

The Monthly Challenge Question: How should Chalice celebrates its new digs? How should we celebrate its 20th anniversary? Think both inside and outside of the box. Don’t limit yourself to fiestas and food, what about ceremonies and rituals? Personally, I’m a big fan of sage burning. Let your ideas be manifest and send them to ChaliceBoard@o2a.com.

The third, and my favorite, Board goal for this year is to “Encourage the congregation in discussions about Chalice’s mission”. This is a more personal, even spiritual goal than the first two, and serves to answer the question, “Why are we here?” Reverend Sharon spoke on the subject of mission throughout the last year and it’s a big subject especially when considered by a liberal religious organization that has no faith-based book of purpose to fall back on. As Unitarian Universalists we are encouraged to constantly refine our mission as part of our spiritual practice.

As the year unfolds I will come back to this “mission” goal often, and hopefully, we can ignite a meaningful discourse so stay tuned.

Alec Bergamini