“Every person needs a day away”, writes poet and author Maya Angelou. We all need time away to reflect and recharge our batteries. We need time to lose ourselves in ourselves. I look at time away as a sort of pit stop on our journey. It’s easy to dedicate all of our nonworking hours to other things, other people. It is important, though, to schedule ourselves into our own busy calendar. Sometimes we are so busy serving our own community; we lose sight of our individual path. We cannot effectively live out all we are called to do and be if we don’t stay connected to the Source. My prayer for this week is that we all take time this week to be away, to visit the Source and to connect with awesome power that comes from your incredible spirit. May we all clearly hear the “still small voice”! Blessings, Tara
A great loss -- This week the community lost a great man. Rabbi Aryeh Hirschfield left us on Jan. 6 unexpectedly. Every once in while we meet extraordinary people who transcend the human experience and give us a glimpse into the heart of God. Rabbi Aryeh embodied love and peace and joy. The grief at his loss is huge. But the memory of his spirit fills us with hope and love and peace. Our prayers are with his family, the P’nai Or Congregation and the community at large.
On Monday, people will gather for his Memorial Service at 12:30 pm at Congregation Neveh Shalom. (See P’nai Or website www.pnaiorpdx.org for more details)
What you need to know – Equality Sabbath Materials have gone out. We’ll post them to the website early this week. Please join us January 25-27 to prayerfully unite during your regular Sabbath observances.
You are invited -- Join us on February 28 at 6:00 pm at Central Lutheran Church in Portland for our Annual Celebration Dinner and Silent Auction. The Portland Lesbian Choir will sing and our special guest will be Dr. Bernie Schlager from the Center for Lesbian & Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry. Donations of silent auction items are being accepted. Contact Karen Kulm (lk.kulm@gmail.com) for more information. Tickets are on sale now for $40 each or reserve a table for a discount $375. Call the CWC office 503-665-8741 if you have questions.
