Candidating “fortnight”
Rev. Lissa Gundlach is our candidate
I’m hoping that you are getting a chance to meet her
Information posted on our website
Events posted on our church calendar
Information in the announcements email that went out today.
Preaching on April 26 and May 3

Voting
Congregational meeting on May 3, 11:30am
Through video or call-in
Vote during the meeting
We can call you if you can’t vote online
Michael Sallwasser and Jan Seymour-Ford (President and Clerk) will validate the votes
They will announce the votes as well as the percentage.
Our Bylaws require a 90% Yes vote in order to extend a call to a parish minister.

My participation during Candidate Fortnight
I will continue to do these facebook live messages
Tuesday through Sunday at 1pm
I’m going to temporarily cancel both the church chat, and creative spirit groups
But I have plenty of other work to do
Met this morning with Jack Graham’s children
to plan his memorial service
Sunday May 10 at 1pm
I recorded a video of me reading a children’s story for our RE program
This afternoon and tomorrow I’ll be attending a virtual meeting
Of the PSW UUMA Chapter
That would have been part of District Assembly

Church connections
Report from Steve Fuller that all transportation needs have been followed-up
Report that Buddy matches have been made and people are making Buddy calls
I sent the spreadsheet of internet access needs
to Treacy Gephart-Seeley and Gina Stephens
Rayna is entering all of the updated contact information
We should have an updated directory by mid-May, or so.
If we missed you in the survey, never fear
All of these are ongoing programs
Look for information in the May Advance about how to get involved
Or get help

2)  Message

Today I just want to acknowledge how bad this situation is.
It’s OK to not be optimistic.
It’s OK to be angry
Or depressed
Or exhausted
You don’t want your negative emotions to become pathological
And if you’re worried about that
I encourage you to seek help from a mental health professional
Which I’m not.
But as a spiritual professional
I want to assure you that it is OK to feel bad
Temporarily
And when the situation is bad,
Feeling bad is the healthy, response
Again temporarily

I had a bad day yesterday
And a bad night
I started out on a Zoom call yesterday morning
With ministers
Talking about doing church online 
And I was just feeling “This is awful”
I don’t want to do church online
It’s not the same
It’s not satisfying
We’re leaving too many people out
And we’re not giving people what they really need.
And that night I had a Zoom call with my friends
And again, I’m thinking
I don’t want to Zoom my friends
I want to be with my friends
And go out to a restaurant.
And go to the symphony
And from there I just spiraled down
To thinking
Everything that I enjoy is gone
I’m tired of being at home
This is going to last forever

So no wonder I had a sleepless night.

So I sympathize if you’re feeling that way
I feel that way, too
Temporarily
And although it’s my job to be a voice of hope right now
I sometimes feel hopeless
Temporarily

So that’s the key
Temporarily
This won’t last forever
This will end at some point
I don’t know exactly what the future will look like
But it won’t look like this forever
All things pass
Nothing is permanent

The Buddhist’s say not to get attached to pleasures
Because nothing lasts
But the same is true of bad situations, too
Thankfully
Nothing lasts forever
All things pass

So feel bad if you feel bad
But don’t believe the lie
That this will never change
It will change
It will be different.

I’ll see you tomorrow 1pm