The dark days are upon us as we fall back in time in November. To address my need for more light during the dark days I decided to spread out my vacation weeks, so I’m headed to Mexico from Oct. 30 to Nov. 6 to take advantage of my second week of vacation.

For 20 years I’ve always vacated the month of August, so this is new for me and the result is that it causes me to miss the first Sundays of every month instead of the fourth Sundays. Not a huge change, but one you might notice.

This fall’s goal of deeply embedding RVUUF’s mission into the lifeblood of the congregation has more than likely been met, according to those who are tired of sermons, discussions, and logo contests that reflect the mission. I get it. The good news is that if anyone were to ask you “What does RVUUF do?,” you could answer the question, right?

The other news is that you have a final opportunity to chime-in (no pun intended) by voting on the best musical jingle composed by members of RVUUF. The showcase and vote will take place Nov. 13 during the service. I hope you can be there to hear the creativity and musical expression of your mission: embrace diversity, empower connection, engage in the work.

Engaging in the work will continue as part of the Nov. 13 service focusing on the volunteer work so many of you offer of your time and talents. Communicating what’s going on and what to look forward to in the areas of Stewardship, Membership, Worship, Finance, and Neighborhood Teams will benefit the whole congregation.

During social time any and all working groups will be offering you the opportunity to engage in the work of RVUUF. Come and experience all the important and impactful work RVUUFians do within and without the walls of the Great Hall.

The third annual celebration of Founders Day will be held on Nov. 20, almost 63 years to the day when RVUUF was organized and became a member of the Unitarian Universalist Association. Honoring the founders and remembering the history of how this congregation began in 1953 is an important and impactful way to keep the story alive for future generations. I hope you’ll make an extra effort to attend this special service.

To help you get through the dark days I encourage you to sign up for a weekly inspirational story through a new program the UUA offers called Braver/Wiser: “Life is full of hard edges and complicated choices. Braver/Wiser gives you weekly messages of courage and compassion for life as it is. Every Wednesday we deliver an original written reflection by a contemporary UU religious leader, and brief prayer, grounded in Unitarian Universalism.”

I have found myself looking forward each week to these emails. The most recent is about white privilege. As we learn more about the Black Lives Matter movement we also need to understand what white privilege looks like. I hope you’ll take the time to read the story.