December

by Tracy Cook on 12/13/2024

Mmmmm, I’m sitting here nibbling on a slice of Cranberry-Orange bread I purchased at the Holiday Treats Bake Sale the other day, and it is delicious! I love the bite of cranberries and the sweetness of orange, what a wonderful combination!

I know this has been a rough month emotionally for many of us. I have moved, which was sad because I moved to be on a single story, and not because I didn’t love my house any more. I tell you, it *stinks* getting older! But, I moved to a house that is, like, less than ten minutes from church, so get ready to see me a lot more often!

Other people have experienced a death in the family. Still others have been devastated by the recent elections.

To give balance to our lives, I try to see something I am grateful for. Thank you so much to Otto and Taylor Pedersen, Todd Mills, and Dana Ashrawi for all of the help moving us into our new place. We could not have done it without y’all! And a very special thank you to Dawn and Elisa for your help in settling in. So glad we are moved in and have such wonderful neighbors! Hi, neighbors! That will *never* get old!

I am also grateful for Jasmine Pantuso and Alisha Mills, for honoring my tradition of eating pie for breakfast on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Thank you for sitting and chatting with me - and eating pie!

Take a moment to think about what YOU are grateful for. Breathe deeply, close your eyes, and just be thankful. Even if you think it’s a small thing, it is still something. I realize that November is more seasonal for this, but 2024 has been a wild ride. Take the gifts where you can.

What do we have coming up?! Circle of Trees meets this Sunday, and I am excited to continue learning! I enjoy exploring how I can grow my faith and my understanding, and have a chance to listen to other people’s experiences.

If you like Christmas songs, then December 24th is your day! We will hold a celebration with songs and stories up at the church from 6:30-8:30 in the evening. Hot cocoa will be available, too.

I love a good New Year’s Eve party! And guess what?! We are hosting one at church from 6:00 until midnight! There’s a form to fill out to RSVP, and sign up to bring stuff. You can bring paper products or decorations, too, if you don’t want to make something. I’m bringing something to nibble on, and movies. Maybe, since I live so close, I’ll bring some popcorn 🍿

And have you heard about the new game that D&D is doing? It starts this Sunday, the 15th. The RPG is called “Coyote & Crow”, and is written by Indigenous-American writers. It imagines a world where colonialism never existed. I think I know someone who might be interested…

Shameless plug coming: January 4 is Cooking and Eating Covenant Group’s calendaring event. Come to the church on Saturday the 4th from 3:00-4:30, and talk about what you’d like to see happening in 2025. If you can’t make it in person, then you can text me or email me with your ideas.

And finally, I am so grateful for each and every one of y’all. I love being part of this community we are creating, and I am thankful that y’all help me grow. Y’all bring me back into Covenant when I stray too far, and forgive me for these setbacks. I try not to stumble too often, but November and December have been hard. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for all that you do every day ❤️ 

November!!!

by Tracy Cook on 11/6/2024

Welcome to November!

This month has so much going on, I can’t even keep up with all of it…

Let’s start with Gratitude, since this month has a very special holiday at the end of it. Take a moment to ponder what you are grateful for. Some people practice a month of gratitude, and share something each day. Others reflect on something 365 days a year in the morning, while others close the day with gratitude in their hearts.

This month, Tapestry has an opportunity to share breads and bread-based dishes with Framily at church for Bread Communion on November 24. There will be gluten-free and vegan options available. If someone forgets, or isn’t aware, then they are welcome to share in the bounty anyways. All are welcome!

The Circle of Trees class has been going well, with many new faces each time. I’ve enjoyed attending the sessions, and it has been beautiful weather to be outdoors! The next session is on November 17, please join if you’d like!

Tapestry held a Special Congregational Meeting to address some budgetary shortfalls, and the discussion went well. On a personal note, George and I will see where we are after the sale of our house (hopefully soon!) and make adjustments to our pledge. And I encourage each of you to do the same. We also have the Holiday Treats Bake Sale on December 7, so please sign up when the sheet comes around.

Tapestry’s Thanksgiving Camping Trip will be here before you know it! If you have been considering joining us, either for a day or several days, please sign up and reserve your spot. There’s also a sign-up sheet for food, if you wish to bring something. Just like Bread Communion, though, it is not necessary to bring something in order to participate. Several of us LOVE to share what we make, and there will be plenty of food! Please come and eat!

We have Meditation four times a month with Rev Alisha. If you wish to attend, please register so she knows to expect you. And, these sessions are a wonderful opportunity even if you are a newbie to meditating. Alisha is a gentle guide and practitioner. If you have no idea how to still your mind for even 30 seconds at a time, please attend and try it out. See the Newsletter or Tapestry Calendar for details.

And, since I am now living just a few minutes away, I will be attending our Playspace events at Tapestry twice a month! I know you were waiting to hear this with baited breath, ha! I have no idea what I will bring, so please make some suggestions to me. I haven’t lived this close to church since we moved a few years ago, and I am excited!

Month Four is Here!

by Tracy Cook on 9/25/2024

Hello, and welcome to October!

Wow, this year is passing waaaaay faster than I think it is, ha! I keep thinking we have PLENTY of time until Halloween, or SO MUCH time until the Camping Trip over Thanksgiving, or even until the Holiday Treats event at the start of December…

So, what actually *is* happening this month at Tapestry?! Well, on the first Saturday of the month Cooking Covenant Group will be hosting Spooky Foods! What a way to start the Spooky Month! For full details, see the Cooking Group’s blog or the Newsletter. Kids are welcome, so bring the little monsters with you.

Rev. Alisha has scheduled some recurring events for Tapestry people to attend. One event is a spiritual practice, the Be Still with Me days. These have both a morning and an evening time to meet. If you want to try meditating, but haven’t yet found the best way to work this into your day, go to one of the events. We are heading into a busy time of year, and so it is important to make time for yourself. Remember the lessons from the Autumn Equinox and keep the balance.

The second regularly-scheduled event is the Tapestry Playspace times. If you are looking for a space to craft and chat, this is it. Maybe you’re looking for some other people to play a game? Bring your game to Tapestry! I even heard a rumor that there might be karaoke happening…

October 20th will be the next Circle of Trees session. I enjoyed the conversations and activities for our first session, so I am looking forward to our second session! We will also kick off our annual Green Bean Casserole Kit collection for Northwest Assistance Ministries. More details coming soon.

I’m sitting here with my iced coffee, Pumpkin Spice of course, and wishing for cooler weather. What are you looking forward to?!

Welcome to Month Three!

by Tracy Cook on 8/28/2024

Hello, my Fellow Members and Friends, and welcome to the third month of the church year!

September brings a promise of cooler days to come, an uptick in outdoor activities, and Pumpkin Spice everything! I’m a huge Pumpkin Spice fan. I’ve already had a few coffees…

What are the different ways you can get involved this month?

Tapestry has just begun a postcard campaign for Reclaim Our Vote. The Social Justice Team wrote to the City of Tomball to have September 9-14 designated as Disability Voting Rights Week, and it was approved! I’ll keep boosting this important information as we move forward. Have you checked your voting status yet?

For Spiritual Practices, Tapestry is launching Circle of Trees on September 15. This Spiritual Formation class is multi-generational, which means people of all ages are welcome to attend. There are eight sessions, all using trees as metaphors for connections to life. This first session will be led by…me!

Are you interested in getting to know your fellow Tapestry friends a little better outside of church times? Well, if you don’t have family in the area, you do have FRamily! Tapestry Camping Group will be hosting a camping trip over Thanksgiving (I know, that’s a few months away, but time flies faster than one realizes!) Come up for the Big Meal, or come camping for several days - either way, you are welcome.

And lastly, I am the facilitator for the Cooking (and Eating) Covenant Group. We will be holding a Holiday Treats Bake Sale in December, so I am bringing in a few goodies for us to sample on September 8. That’s the same day as our Safety Drill practice. I’m looking for honest feedback. Would you pay money for these?! How can I make them tastier?

! I look forward to seeing you at one - or more! - of these events this month!

My First MONTH!!!

by Tracy Cook on 8/4/2024

Hello, Friends and Neighbors,

Tracy Cook here, talking to you about my first MONTH as your newly elected President!

First of all, I’d like to say that I am sooooooo glad we have a Covenant with one another. I have relied heavily on the grace of others as I moved into this position. Yes, I’ve been “here” before, but that was a long time ago. I’ve had to ask for help on how to get communications started, and who all is responsible for what. And ask for forgiveness when the answer is “you are”! I’ve been late on a few things and missed a deadline or two. But thankfully I am surrounded by wonderful people who have helped me get settled.

We know that we are better together, and we want to build beloved community, but just how do we go about this? How did I know that asking for help would get such an amazing result? We already have fun together, and that is great! I love laughing and sharing stories with everyone. But this is just the first step. It takes digging deeper to really connect with people. For those who have been through Weaving Our Lives, participants shared some intense experiences and practiced deep listening in these sessions. We have a Covenant now based on being together and avoiding some of the behaviors that we found hurtful.

We’ve been talking in one of the groups that I’m in - and I cannot recall now if this was the Board, or Worship Team, or something else - about some other ways we can have these deeper conversations and experiences. We may have Spiritual Formation classes (Adult RE) on one Sunday a month. The kids have been talking about having their own Spiritual Formation classes starting this fall, and what they might include as topics. Another choice would be a service project. I can’t remember if these would be in place of regular services or in addition, but I’d love to do something with the larger community! Talk about an opportunity to share deeply, can you imagine?!

And, of course, you can always choose to join an already-existing group. This could be Caring Team, or Cooking Covenant Group, or Justice.

Find something that you love, and come join in! Build the Beloved Community side by side with your church!