I just love this time of year. I truly do. Naturally there are some wonderful holidays for bringing light into the darkest time of the year (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Solstice, Yule… and for those who follow my blog, there’s also Chalica – go to revhoke.blogspot.com to learn more). But on top of all that, we just had one of the most enjoyable nights I’ve experienced in quite a while – namely, the Jazz Party on December 12 featuring “Day for Night”, an incredibly talented band. Day for Night played in our sanctuary at the UUCiA, and along with the tables, snacks, drinks, special lighting, and even a little bit of dancing, completely transformed the space into a (smoke free!) jazz club. The band features UUCiA member Patty Brayden on vocals; as much as I’d heard in advance what a wonderful singer Patty was, I still found myself utterly amazed at her talent. Other band members include Patty’s husband, John Finbury, on keyboard; Dave Hickernell on bass; George Hicks on guitar; Kevin Mara on drums; and Mike Patrishin on woodwinds (tenor and alto sax, clarinet, and flute). All of these musicians were pretty incredible, whether playing together or taking some tasty solos. Read more about the band at dayfornightjazz.com. In addition to hearing some great jazz and enjoying each other’s company, the Jazz Party was a gift to the UUCiA in the literal sense. The performance was an auction item from last year’s UUCiA auction. Luckily for us, the auction winners decided to have the performance in our sanctuary and open it up for others to come and enjoy. And because of that, the UUCiA raised about $800! So thank you to Day for Night for donating the performance, and thank you to the auction winners for sharing the wealth literally and figuratively. While I’m at it, thank you to the Congregational Family for all you did to set up and clean up for the evening, and for providing and selling snacks and drinks. Thank you to everyone else who pitched in to help that night, and to all of you who came to be a part of it. What a wonderful congregation you are! To quote from Psalm 133 (found in our own hymnal at 433), “How rare it is, how lovely, this fellowship of those who meet together.” I’m plumb excited to be a part of it. In faith, Lara

Posted by Rev. M. Lara Hoke on December 16th, 2009