Goodness Weekly 11.27.23
“Abundance is a dance with reciprocity - what we can give, what we can share, and what we receive in the process.”
–Terry Tempest Williams
What’s Good
Thank you to everyone who participated in our most recent Kids’ Night Out. We love getting to spend this time with our little friends and serving our young families in this way.
Camelot Community Christmas
Camelot Christmas is NEXT week and we are still needing over 100 gifts to help bring some holiday magic for young families! On December 8th, we are providing an affordable Christmas market for families at Camelot Elementary school to choose gifts for their children while the kids enjoy dinner and a fun Christmas party. Here are ways we’d love your partnership:
Purchase gifts from our wishlists here and here. Take advantage of those Cyber Monday deals.
Donate to the Christmas party by selecting “Camelot Christmas” on the dropdown menu on our give page. This money will go directly to helping these families.
Spread Christmas cheer at the party & shopping experience on December 8th by helping with:
Shopping & gift wrapping
Serving food
Leading games & activities
Leading a craft
And more!
Contact Chelsea to volunteer to help.
A Message from Taylor
By Taylor Bates, Deputy Director at Sunset Ridge Collective
A couple weeks ago I got a call from a dear friend as I was getting ready to leave for work in the morning. When I saw her name appear on my phone I thought it was a little odd for her to be calling at that hour. Sure enough, when I answered the phone her voice was weepy and panicked–she had just been in a car accident during rush hour traffic.
I tell her to share her location with me and that I’ll come find her. I abandon my half eaten bagel and shuffle my feet into my shoes to rush to my car, feeling my adrenaline surge as I enter into an unknown situation.
This experience made me reflect on what it means to be an “emergency contact.” There have been several times in my life where my own emergency contacts were called upon. Some of my most profound experiences were shaped by who showed up and how they responded.
We fill out paperwork often, whether it’s at the doctors office, our place of employment, or on our children’s school forms listing the emergency contact information of our most inner-circle people. I feel grateful to have more than a few who I know who would drop everything to come to my aid. There is an intrinsic sense of vulnerability in this kind of relationship–that we would allow someone to come to our aid when a situation is beyond our own control.
As I approach her location on the highway I see the exit lane backed up with cars and know I must be getting closer. My heart starts to pound as I anticipate what I’m about to enter into. I’m finally able to spot her standing on the shoulder of the road and pull my car off to the side to park behind the wreckage. I rush out to her and wrap my arms around her, unsure of what to say other than, “I’m here, it’s going to be okay.”
When we are in authentic community with one another, willing to serve as emergency contacts, we enter a dance of giving and receiving, a chain of “I’m here, it's going to be okays”. In serious situations in my adult life I’ve been the recipient of that message. It doesn’t fix the issue or make the pain go away, but it alleviates the weight of otherwise carrying our burdens alone.
This Week
Sunday, Dec 3rd
4:30pm Supper Church
6-7pm Every Season Sacred (open to all parents of school aged children, dinner & childcare provided)
6-7pm Youth Group
Coming Up
Friday, Dec 8 Camelot Christmas party
Saturday, Dec 9 Second Saturday (Yoga, Storytime, and “In Print” Opening Reception)
Sunday, Dec 10 Chapel Worship
Inhale:
In the face of unforeseen circumstances
Exhale:
May I give the presence I’ve received
