October’s themes of Belonging and Commitment are a serendipitous pairing. Our Children’s Sunday School theme is Belonging while our worship theme is Commitment, and that raises some deep questions for me and maybe for you. What does it look like to be a congregation committed to the idea that children belong to the congregation? What if we ask it the other way: what if we are committed to the idea that  the congregation belongs to its children as well as the adults? I feel especially fortunate to hold a position where I get to know our children and youth as well as our adults, and I encourage all of us to make an effort to keep reaching out across generations so that each person, of every age, feels they belong and that their contributions are valued.

There are three great opportunities for getting to know new people of all ages coming up this month:
Games & Chocolate, Friday, October 4, 6:30-9:00 pm. Bring a treat to share, and possibly a game you’d like to play with others, although we never have a shortage of games to try!

Mystery Match, sign-ups in the Parlor on Sundays, Sept. 29 and Oct. 6 (or send an email to lyn@concorduu.org by Oct. 6 with names of those who want to participate), note exchanges Oct. 13-27, and our final Meet-Up Party on October 27 after worship Participants are given a mystery number and leave notes for their “match” in a corresponding mail folder, collecting notes left for them. Lyn will facilitate email exchange for participants who aren’t able to be in church some of the Sundays.

Wicked FIT 5K Walk/Run, Saturday, October 26, 9:30 am, Rollins Park. Everyone is encouraged to participate in this Halloween run to support Families in Transition. Our Youth Group will be running for the third consecutive year and our congregation’s team as a whole has been a big supporter of this event.