This week we celebrate and honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Spirit of Dr. King. Our celebration in Hopedale will begin with the assembly at Hopedale High on Thursday January 12th at 1:00 (for students and faculty) with a presentation by Guy Peartree as Frederick Douglass and Alyssa Pool receiving the “Power of One” student award. Thursday evening following another presentation by Mr. Peartree, Ernie Chaplin will be presented the “Power of One” community award at Union Evangelical Church.

I am inviting you all to join Rev. Sarah Hubbell, Rev. Tony Lorenzen and I for a formal reading of Dr. King’s “Letter from Birmingham City Jail.” This will take place at 1:00 P.M. on Sunday January 15th at the Unitarian Parish on the Town Common. Following the reading there will be an opportunity for discussion.
I know it is a long weekend for many, yet in trying to be true to the Spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. we want to offer an opportunity for us all to reflect on the ways his spirit can empower us to live and act today as we move into a new year. Please come and join us.

Renovations continue in the church. Hopefully when you read this the new oak side door of the baptistery side of the church and the dutch door for the information booth in the vestibule will have not only arrived, but will also be installed. We are waiting for more information on the fabrication of the new front doors and once they are installed we will begin updating the two bathrooms in the church so they are handicap accessible. We were surprised when we removed the carpeting in the old reconciliation space to find that it was covering a terrazzo floor as in the vestibule, so we are restoring that floor. This room will become a parlor for various uses. Again, all the work we are doing is thanks to all of you who have contributed to the Capital Campaign “Making God’s House a Home.”

Welcome to Ordinary Time!
Fr. Bill