Over the past few days, some WellSpringers have hopefully found surprises in their mailboxes, on their porches, or even hanging from their doorknobs. Behind the scenes, our staff has been hard at work planning, assembling, and hand delivering a special holiday care package to WellSprings families.
If you made it out to our drive-up event in November, you received yours then, but there were about 180 families still on our list. So on that note, staff has been visiting Exton, Downingtown, Coatesville, Phoenixville, The Main Line, Pottstown, Spring City, Chester Springs, Conshohocken, West Chester, and beyond to make sure each family can have a little piece of WellSprings with them this winter.
Below is the letter to accompany the care packages:
Dear WellSprings,
As the Winter holidays draw near, we know that so many of us miss the familiar rhythms of our community’s life together all the more.
The packed house all morning, for our Wild & Precious Life service. The changing vista of children’s holiday artwork, and decorations going up around the Montgomery School. That first Sunday every year when we pass the big fluffy Santa hats, during our offering. And of course, our Christmas Eve services, when – plates of cookies and jugs of milk in hand, dressed up (for once) in glittery bows and neckties, so-ugly-it’s-perfect sweaters, cursing our choice of uncomfortable shoes by the time the clock strikes five – we finally settle into our seats. We sing together. And we watch, as a single flame is shared around the room, slowly filling it with light.
That light is held in our own hands, each Christmas Eve. We pass the fire among us, candle to candle. How sad the irony, that that truth of our connection – the simple and easy way we pass a spark between us, to watch it grow – is the same truth that begs us, this year, to stay apart. This winter, we pray that we will all keep safe and well at home. When we gather in person again, our deepest wish is that none of us will be missing. All Winter, our holiday traditions will continue online with Sunday services at 10am, and a special Christmas Eve service at 5pm on Thursday, December 24th.
In September we mailed you a small gift, and an invitation: to carve out space in your home for the sacred this year. This Winter (after learning a bit more about the limits of the US Postal Service) we are hand-delivering a care package, to each WellSprings home.
Inside, you’ll find some items for comfort in December, as you follow along with our holiday message series, How to Be Afraid. You’ll find a candle you can light at home, on Christmas Eve – and a hint in a tiny bottle, for which Christmas movie will inspire our service, this year… 😉 You’ll also find some materials that can support you in your spiritual practice, as we begin our message series for the new year in 2021, Coming Home. Finally, you’ll find some seeds to plant this Spring. Because even with all we may not know, about what the Winter may hold, we do know that Spring will come again.
We hope these tokens from our community will remind you of your connection to the warmth and fire that’s always found inside of you, and that only grows stronger when we are together – whether in body, or in spirit. May that current of the charge of the soul flow freely between us, across the miles, until we can all be together again.
Haven’t gotten yours? Not to worry! The “Elves” are still making the rounds.
This is also a great opportunity to make sure your contact info is accurate in Realm. Contact Jessica for help signing in!