Greetings, Chalice!

October is here! As far as I am concerned it’s basically the month of Halloween, my favorite holiday. I break out my Halloween shirts and jewelry, decorate my house with lights and fun spooky things,  and set up an altar for my beloved dead. I will be adding pictures of my mother and brother-in-law this year. The ritual remembrance of loved ones who have died comforts me, and makes Halloween a deeply spiritual time as well as a time of fun.

The BIG event at Chalice this month is our annual auction from Oct 20 – Oct 27, with the live in-person auction on Oct 26. The theme this year is Monster Mash and there will be a costume contest, a potluck, and all manner of fun things. It’s our biggest fundraiser outside of our annual pledges, so I hope everyone is planning items to put up for bid. I am donating a Halloween Boo-ze Basket and tickets to a show at the Moonlight Amphitheatre. What are you going to donate?

As I wrote in an ENUUS announcement last month, the vote on our flags has been postponed until our October board meeting. As a reminder, the flags we are voting on are the BLM flag, the LGBTQ flag, and the American flag. The American flag was in need of a sponsor, and several people volunteered to sponsor it – thank you Paul Courtright and Callie Leaf. As I wrote in my column for the September newsletter, opinions on these flags, especially the BLM flag, are as varied as each congregant here at Chalice. Know that your Board takes this vote very seriously and each of us is approaching this decision thoughtfully and with respect for each other and love for Chalice at the center.

In love and service,

Lara Brown

President, Board of Trustees