Letter from Rev. Jon

Dear Members and Friends:

In a congregation as large and vibrant as ours it takes many volunteers, staff and lay leaders to maintain the quality of excellence we have come to expect of ourselves. These persons deserve our support and gratitude for the important roles they play. And like any good team, sometimes we need to relieve one of the players so that they can rest and renew their spirits, not only for themselves, but also for the benefit of the team.

Our Director of Operations, Byron Krystad, has carried an exceptionally and relentlessly large load of responsibilities these last several years. He oversaw our move out of the former building, managed our offsite operations while we were at the Meadowbrook Community Center for 18 months during the construction of the new campus, and has been a critical leader in helping us move back into the building, a building that is still not finished! He has met these challenges with his customary quiet competence, strategic brilliance, and selfless devotion. He needs a break!

So, Byron will be taking an extended break beginning this coming Sunday, October 17, and he will return to work on Monday, November 22. The staff and a few volunteers will take on all of his responsibilities during this time. The bases are covered. We will just miss his presence, one which we have come to deeply admire and appreciate in the more than ten years he has been on staff.

I am proud of the fact that we are each of us a part of a community that can provide this kind of support for one of our staff members. And I thank you, too, for your generous support of our community of memory and hope.

With all good wishes in this harvest season,