Kindred in Christ,

I am thrilled to welcome our new Worship Leader, Ben Fowler, this Sunday Dec 4^th. I hope you will join us in-person or online to greet Ben as he leads us in some of our favorite Advent hymns! In the meantime, feel free to send him a note of welcome at ben.fowler@ugathering.org.

I am also excited to continue in our series, The Unexpected Gifts of Advent. During these four weeks leading to Christmas, we are exploring the four themes of advent (Hope, Peace, Love, and Joy) in light of the four antiracist values of transformation according to Crossroads. These values are:

1. From either/or thinking to both/and thinking
2. From a scarcity mindset to an abundance worldview
3. From a secrecy mode to transparent communication and decision making
4. From Individualism to cooperation and collaboration

Read more about these transformational values here.

Alongside you,

Rev. Paul Ortiz