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New Year's Eve Eve
With Christmas Eve and Christmas Day celebrations behind us and a New Year on the horizon, I want to thank each one of you for all that you did in your lives, in your work, in our faith community, in the world to continuously adapt in all the ways that became necessary, even essential, in 2020.
I read a quote this week (and I do not remember the source!) but it is worth repeating and receiving:
"No one has gone untouched by hardship and change this year."
"Almost everyone is doing the best they can and none of it feels good enough."
That quote resonated with me both pastorally and personally. I see that not one person in our faith community has gone untouched by hardship and change this year. And, I know that our staff and clergy often wonder if we are doing enough, even as we do more than we ever have, just differently.
I want to say, again, how much each of us appreciate all the ways you express your gratitude. Each card, each email, each text, each voicemail helps us know our work has brought meaning or connection or hope. Your gratitude fills us. Thank you.
I captured the photo above in the sanctuary on Christmas Eve, just about the time we would have gathered in a normal year for our first service at 5 p.m. Several of you had mentioned to me how you treasure the sunset view out the window during that service.
We have tried to keep the sanctuary and the window present for all of us in worship and in the Weekly Window even in this time when we could not gather in the sanctuary together.
As we ponder the New Year, I invite each one of us to consider one attribute we would like to lead with in 2021. It could be one of our Advent attributes: Hope, Love, Joy, Peace. Or it could be an attribute that felt lacking in the world at times in 2020: kindness, understanding, forgiveness. Or, it could be something you experienced in 2020 and want to share with others. I would welcome knowing what you choose. If we were together, we might create a ritual of bringing these gifts forward as our personal offering for the New Year.
In prayer and care,
Rev. Karen
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“Jesus’s Mission and Ours” is the theme of conversations each Sunday from January 10 through February 14, 11:00 a.m. to noon featuring Dr. John B. Cobb, Jr., noted theologian and charter member of Claremont UMC. John Cobb will be preaching on January 10, the Sunday we celebrate the baptism of Jesus. He will be with us for conversation about his most recent book, Salvation, facilitated by Ron Hines, board member of the Cobb Institute.
If you have someone you would like Claremont UMC to keep in prayer, and list on our prayer list, please email Jessica, 
As a special piece for the "Weekly Window," Katie shares an audio of her playing a well-loved hymn! This week's hymn is "Angels from the Realms of Glory" from The United Methodist Hymnal, no. 220. Click 
