Free & Clear Luncheon

This Sunday following service we gathered outside in the gorgeous June weather for a catered luncheon in our piazza. We celebrated the fact that over the last year we’ve paid off over half of our million-dollar-plus debt on the church, and then we proceeded to put another sizable dent in that debt to the tune of $37,500 just in the one afternoon. Just feed us a few more times and we’ll be well set to knock out the remaining $475k. Watch for more puzzle pieces getting added to our progress meter soon!

The piazza itself, as a location for a fundraiser, is such a vibrant example of what we can all accomplish when we combine our energies. Many people present could remember what that area looked like when we bought the church, which had nothing but an ugly gray parking lot next to it. The sunny, welcoming space we have now is a testament to everyone’s donations, not just of money, but of time, energy, prayers, and all the ways people contribute.

Our vegetarian lunch (courtesy of Garden Fresh, with customized fortune cookies by Joycee) was naturally accompanied by music. The choir’s first song was “May We Serve You,” because that is, of course, what we’re actually trying to do here when you zoom out far enough. We’re buying a church, yes, but only to better serve God and Guru. The second song was “Many Hands Make a Miracle,” which is how we go about doing it. (We also got an instrumental reprise of Many Hands, of the mandolin, guitar, and whistling variety.)

One other announcement of note: Our friends Paru and Ritu will be moving to Chicago in a couple of weeks, and intend to start an Ananda meditation group there. And so we all had an opportunity to offer them all our blessings in this new phase of their service.

(More photos of the day are here.)