A message from Rev. KC Slack

At some point last spring I started writing these monthly messages. I thought perhaps in writing to you, we might connect and share more. Perhaps that was working, perhaps it could have worked better. Whatever the case, things got busy and summer came and though I meant to pick it back up in August, I didn’t.

As fall moved into winter, I started meeting with more WES members to talk about our community, our communication, what we have seen work well, and what we might want to try. In these conversations I learned that at least some people had enjoyed those messages I sent and were eager to see them again. I made myself a plan to start again in the new year, and then promptly got sick for the first week of 2024.

I don’t know about you (though I suspect at least some of you are the same), but, sometimes when I’ve set up a plan and then missed one of my own deadlines I have an incredibly hard time starting again. I’ll confess also that I’ve been struggling with writer’s block recently. Basically, it has been a fight to get this written, but I’ll have that fight with myself every if it means improving our sense of connection. (And, realistically, the more I do it the less difficult it will become, some things just take time).

Maybe you, too, have things you want and even need to get done that have gotten stuck between your brain and your fingers. Maybe something you wish was finished already is moving like cold molasses and you’re struggling to imagine it ever being done. Maybe you just feel a little stuck. Whatever is going on for you here in the middle of February, I hope this message can be a reminder that we all get stuck sometimes. That going slow doesn’t mean not going at all. That you can always start again, and then another time, and again after that. That’s what I’m trying to do.

What I’m most excited to tell you about this month is the creation of a new team, the Leader’s Collaborative Advisory Team, or LCAT for short. The LCAT serves as a space for me to think through challenges and possibilities at WES, and a group to work with me on thinking about how all of what we do at WES serves our mission, vision, and ends. The committee consists of leaders with a variety of perspectives on the WES experience, and, in our very few meetings so far, I have found clarity, inspiration, and much hope in our work together. Our current LCAT members are: Karen Schofield-Leca, Trang Duong, Julie Campbell, Rajesh Vidyasagar, and Joseph Via. We look forward to sharing more about this team and getting input from you soon!

We have a lot of great programming going on at WES every week, and I encourage you to check your weekly News & Notes emails, get on the SEEK email list if you aren’t already, and pay attention to announcements during Sunday Platform to learn more.

I’m particularly looking forward to Wednesdays @ WES, coming up on February 21st. Come join us for dinner and community-building! This month, come with an idea of a song you listen to that reminds you of childhood and, if you’re interested, we’ll listen to some of those songs together and share stories and reflections on our musical selections.

Are you looking forward to Spring Festival or Founder’s Day? You’ve got plenty of time to get involved! Spring Festival is scheduled for April 28th, and Founders’ Day for May 19th. I’d love to have anyone who is interested help make these the best celebrations they can be! Please email me at kcs@ethicalsociety.org if you’re interested.

Finally, as we continue through Black History Month (which I often wish to respond to as N.K. Jemisin does “How Long til’ Black Future Month?”) you might want to consider joining me in reading Black Imagination: Black Voices on Black Futures curated by Natasha Marin. You might also try out the afore mentioned collection of N.K. Jemisin’s sci-fi and fantasy short stories, “How Long til’ Black Future Month” or get ahead of me in starting on Ijeoma Oluo’s newest work “Be a Revolution: How Everyday People Are Fighting Oppression and Changing the World—and How You Can, Too.”

Whatever you read this month, I’d love to hear about it.

Looking forward to seeing you at WES soon! one love,

KC