Following the adrenaline rush and magic of candidating week, the uptempo pace seemed to continue as we concluded the church year and said our farewells to Janet and Meredith.

By July, though, everyone had flipped the switch and seemed engaged in summer. Even the members of the search committee had pretty much reintegrated into life before search, finding it challenging to focus on those pesky loose ends — the UUA wanting the details of the minister's compensation package, neighboring congregations in search asking for copies of our congregational record.

By the middle of July, I wasn't sure we had called a minister. Had we even been in search? What search committee? Who is Allison Palm? The vacuum after such prolonged intensity made the experience of the past two years surreal, like a mirage.

Then, promptly at 6:00 on a warm Wednesday evening in late July, Allison and Tristan pulled up in front of their new home in Nashua. A group of us were waiting to unload the U-Haul. Ginger Hedges brought a small nursery of flowers to plant in the front flower beds. Tina Marshman fixed a basket of food for their breakfast Thursday morning, each item annotated with John Burkitt's calligraphy. Others brought dinner: pizza, watermelon, desserts, and drinks, which we enjoyed over conversation in the side yard.

Thankfully, it was real once again.

The start of our journey together

On Sunday, Allison led a "sneak preview" summer service, her first time in the pulpit since May 10. Not surprisingly, the sanctuary was nearly full, more than double the turnout for a normal summer service. Her sermon, Stepping Boldly Into the Unknown, was a well articulated vision of how she wants to approach our first year together: a year where we're willing to experiment, take risks, and learn from the occasional failures that accompany experimentation.

Failure is the tuition you pay for success. — Walter Brunell

If you weren't able to attend the service or hear it broadcast on the Internet, you can listen to this recording. You'll hear the welcoming words, chalice lighting, words for reflection, and Allison's sermon. John Sanders served as the worship associate.

Even if you have already heard the sermon, it's worth listening a second time to more fully absorb the ideas and contemplate our new journey.

Though your destination is not yet clear
You can trust the promise of this opening;
Awaken your spirit to adventure;
Hold nothing back, learn to find ease in risk;
Soon you will be home in a new rhythm
For your soul senses the world that awaits you.
— John O'Donohue

Ingathering Sunday will be September 13. Let's fill the sanctuary. Let's be bold. It's real.

— Gary Lerude