This Sunday, we gathered to give thanks for the abundance in our lives, and on our tables. As many of us gather around tables this week with family and friends, I continue to give thanks for this congregation, how God’s Spirit is present among us, and how we share what we have with each other and the wider community.  Our congregational giving video this year captured it well! Take a look:

“Open hearts and open minds,” is how Andrew describes West Concord Union Church. A resident of Ayer and a long-time massage therapist in Concord, Andrew was recently baptized at WCUC after a period of soul-searching and spiritual exploration. “Now that my two sons are in college and my parental responsibilities move away from the day-to-day concerns,” says the Ayer resident, “I have a strong need to express, explore and deepen my spirituality in a community of open-minded and good-hearted persons. I have found that community here.”

Andrew’s renewed focus on his spiritual life lead him to join the Sunday morning Bible study, where he is “encouraged to question and explore personally difficult scriptural passages through open, honest and compassionate dialogue.” As he contemplated baptism and membership, Andrew reflected on the wisdom of his parents leaving that choice to him. “It was time to explore and deepen this yearning,” Andrew recalls, “because if the community is open hearted and open minded there is an acceptance and comfort to be gained in its combined wisdom and divinely inspired grace.”