The world today is seemingly obsessed with, what’s next? The next fashion trend, the next news story, the next viral sensation… Maybe you are even thinking about the next task that needs to be completed? The truth is, with this obsession on the next thing, we don’t often take time to pause and think about the now, let alone to consider, what once was. While the rush to get to what is next may be the reality for most of us, this time of the year has a way of slowing us down and reminding us of what once was — the people, the places, the things, the relationships, and dreams that once were, but are no longer. 

If we’re honest, society’s hurriedness to the next thing, often robs us of our ability to acknowledge and sit with some of the most difficult things we’ve faced on our journeys, those occasions and occurrences of loss that usher in lament. Where do we go when that is our truth, our reality? 

Bearing in mind the need for space to acknowledge and lament our losses in community, this year we will hold our annual Lament and Loss service on Sunday, December 3, 2023, at 4:00 pm.