Goodness Weekly 6.17.24
“Summer’s lease hath all too short a date.”
–William Shakespeare
What’s Good
The beautiful big curvy Community Table at Charis Park was completed last week and we can’t wait to enjoy Scott’s Pizza there alongside neighbors soon! The table can seat upwards of 30 or so people and is certainly a statement piece of the park as well as central to our mission of creating a space for community flourishing. You can look forward to the soft opening of Charis Park in the next few weeks.
This Week
Creator Camp (June 10- July 3)
Campus Closed Wednesday, June 19th
Lunchtime Yoga Flow with NYX Wellness, Mon-Fri at 12pm, upstairs in Room 200 Sign up for your class here.
For weekly hours of One Another Coffee, Scott’s Pizza, and NYX Yoga, please feel free to check our calendar and follow us on Instagram for any updates.
Interested in more of what’s happening at Sunset Ridge Church? Please consider subscribing to Views from the Ridge.
A Slow Summer
Message from Mae Czarnecki, Communications Coordinator, Sunset Ridge Collective
Last summer, I approached a woman I’d long been trying to make plans with. She is a teacher and mother, so the school year had been a period of time with repeated unsuccessful attempts to coordinate calendars. We were both eager to make something happen, and I’d hoped that the summer was going to be our opportunity. After we extended apologies and forgiveness over the previous attempts, we began to plan. It wasn’t long before she realized, “You know what, between swim lessons, summer leagues, and camps, my summer actually usually ends up the busiest time of year for me.” We both half smiled in defeat and I truly didn’t see her again until the fall season settled, in which we both began to plan for the holidays.
I know I’m not alone in this experience–wanting to fill up every ounce of availability for equal parts fun and productivity during the longest days of our year. Additionally, I’m often guilted by the online reminders of how many summers I have left with my children before they are women (the answer is less than ten for all three girls, and less than one hand for two of them.)
When my girls were little we’d buy a sixty cent poster board and write out a summer bucket list. Making popsicles, watching fireworks from our roof, camping out in the living room, grilling all of our food for the day; our lists were epic and mundane all at once, but filled our schedule perfectly. This summer, we are planning which days they will be in the office with me based on the oldest’s internship here at the Collective, a complicated co-parenting schedule, and sifting through free “kids” events to see which ones they are still age appropriate for.
This business has often been a topic of conversation between our Deputy Director, Taylor and I for a while. Intentional rest is as vital as the intentionality of our effort in the work that we are blessed with as mothers, and the work we do together as an organization. As such, we are practicing slowness this summer. The past few Sundays at Sunset Ridge Church, you've heard about the importance of Sabbath, and with a new season upon us, we are making room for the staff and volunteers who make our work possible to recharge creatively, physically, and spiritually.
You will see school-aged children around campus through our planned summer activities, and with their parents who work here. You will see interns learning about our neighborhood and our work. You will still receive weekly communications through our newsletters Goodness Weekly (on Mondays) and Views from the Ridge (on Tuesdays,) and see less activity on our social media accounts.
We invite you to find a place on our campus to rest as a community this summer as we prepare for some amazing events this fall (including the grand opening of Charis Park). We ask that you give yourself encouragement to put downtime on your calendar as often as you schedule events.
Inhale:
May I relax
Exhale:
Into the length of the days ahead of me
