Reflections from the President   
The Fullness of Fall

Fall is often a time of new beginnings and a time to resume many activities which may have been put on hold during the summer.  So it is with All Souls Church.  Although we held worship, committee and board meetings, as well as special events, summer had a different pace.  Now that we have turned the page from September to October our activities are in full swing.

The Sunday schedule in particular is more than full.  We have had a soft start to our pre-service activity schedule but people are arriving early and gathering for choir rehearsal, conversations in the foyer, meditation in the parlor and just enjoying being together in informal ways. The RE children have plunged into both serious discussions and fun activities in their time of religious exploration.  If you have not done so yet, consider coming to church early – the coffee pot is on and full breakfast will be held on October 22. 

We had great success with our August Tag-less Sale and September Welcome Center Fundraiser.  

On Friday, October 6 we will have our first Chili Supper from 5 – 7 pm.  Please consider being part of this event either by preparing a crockpot of chili, making a simple salad or apple crisp, or volunteering for set up, serving or clean-up.  Whether you can help or not, attend and invite your friends – it should be a tasty and fun evening!   Many in church are also looking ahead to the Holiday Bazaar to be held on December 2nd.  Crafters are crafting and bakers are planning delicious treats.   

In addition to supporting All Souls Church activities, the West Village Meeting House, is home to many others.  Theatre Adventure and the Brattleboro Women’s Chorus have resumed their fall rehearsal schedule, Miss Martha’s Early Learning Program is at full enrollment, The Spring of Hope Church of God in Christ has been using the chapel on Saturday mornings, and most recently the Brattleboro Area Jewish Community celebrated Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur in our main hall.    The original building design was for a community gathering place and we are fulfilling this vision.

It takes continued vigilance to care for our building and property.  As a result of the landscape design we have contracted to have diseased trees removed from the west bank by the playground.  Many thanks to Steve Squires for being the point person for this work.  Capital Needs and Finance Committees continue to have thoughtful conversations about next steps in building and property maintenance and improvements including ways to improve the condition of the parking lot. 

On a personal note, I would like to share that my younger daughter, Dorothy will be married this month to Joe Abraham. She now lives in Winooski, VT but was previously very active in RE and youth activities at All Souls Church.  So my family is celebrating this new beginning as well
With blessings,
Leslie