Heartfelt greetings to you,

Welcome to the end-of-year holidays, 2009. To Religious Scientists, this season means more, not less. It’s not just one story, but lots of them intertwined. Regarding Christmas, for instance, Santa Claus is okay with us. We don’t think it was ever his plan to shove the Christ Child out of the picture. Both Christ and Elf are sacred metaphors about giving and receiving. In other lore the Oak King and the Holly King have annual combat, and this isn’t a fight that ought to be broken up, any more than you would want to split a beautiful paradox in two and make one half the whole truth. These two kings speak a metaphor about the cyclical nature of life. Later they meet a third and all turn into Magi. Light and shadow, rain and shine, each have their place and time. (As do also, you know, naughty and nice.)

Now, Creative Life is a spiritual center that honors the sacred wherever it is found – and it’s found anywhere it’s granted “room at the inn” by the beholding self. Some teaching tales, such as those found in approaching holidays, are old and familiar. Others are fresh and astonishing, having just been obscured from us by passage of time. This past year, in part we learned about the Gnostics and their amazing worldview; explored Jungian psychology; took the “Hero’s Journey;” heard the Secret of the Ages; and took in some country folk-tale wisdom. In 2010, we’ll spend a few Sundays and Wednesdays with the Apostle Paul; the poetess Ella Wheeler Wilcox and her colleagues; little-known New Thought pioneers; when the Romans met the Druids; and a lot more. Around the talks will be wonderful music provided by a variety of talented people, some old friends and some new. Classes, workshops, and discussion groups will happen about every day of the week. There will be more special-interest groups to address your needs and wants. We will have, by mid-year, more licensed practitioners stepping into service to you, especially supported in their journey by staff minister Marsha Lehman. And we’ll continue to expand – thanks to the vision of future minister Debra Morwood and her team – our absolutely outstanding children’s and youth programs.

At this time, I ask that you remember how you felt when you found Creative Life, and examine your investment in making this same magical place fully available to the next person to walk through its doors. At times it has seemed this year like the world around us all but ran out of money. The Center didn’t, though it took some special efforts on the part of your Board of Trustees and the generosity of some very good friends to repair the septic system, pay the light bill in the hottest summer on record, and cover other big-ticket expenses that cropped up, while keeping everything else running smoothly too. So, because you have a stake in our present as well as our future, we’re inviting your extra financial generosity this year-end, which may have positive tax implications for you too.

Yours in love,

Jesse Jennings, D.D., Senior Minister
Debra Morwood, RSc.P., Treasurer