newsletter

Even though fall doesn’t officially start until September 22nd, as soon as the calendar changed from August to September, I pulled out all my fall decorations, bought apple maple coffee creamer, and started reading books about witches. This is my absolute favorite time of year, and the rainy, gloomy, slightly cooler weather has helped jump-start my fall spirit.

In that fall spirit, I watched Practical Magic for the first time in a long time this past weekend, after reading the book, and a conversation between Aunt Frances and her niece, Sally, one of the main characters, really stuck with me. Sally is venting to her aunts that all she wants is a normal life, and Aunt Frances replies, “My darling girl, when are you going to realize that being normal is not necessarily a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage!” I love this so much. Aunt Frances’s words have been inspiring me to embrace my inner “weird.” To love the things I love without worrying about what others thing. To express myself and not try so hard to present some sort of polished image to the world. To be me, whether that fits the mold that the world has assigned me or not.

What are some ways you can take Aunt Frances’s advice this week? What are some ways that you can live into the courage of being your full self, regardless of any “not-normal-ness” that might surface? And, on the flip side, what are some ways you can acknowledge the courage of others living into the fullness of their own selves, even if it seems strange or abnormal to you? My hope is that you will learn to lean into your own form of magic, just like Sally does by the end of the movie.

-Pastor Julia

On Sunday, September 8th, we’ll celebrate all of the wonderful educators at Central! If you work in education at any level (teacher, professor, faculty, admin, support staff, etc.), we appreciate your work so much, and our Care Team will have a small token of that appreciation for you after service that day.

Central’s favorite music duo, The Coastal Service (Austin and Ezra), is hosting a series of house concerts this fall! They’ll be touring friends' homes once a month, starting with a A Silly September Sleepover full of nostalgic tunes on September 14th in the Bordelons’ backyard on the mainland, followed by three more monthly shows in Galveston. They’ll have some limited-time merch available, as well as the opportunity to get a mini passport stamped with a unique stamp at every show. Get your passport and tickets here. Hope to see you there!

After countless hours of dreaming, planning, and hard work, Galveston Housing Plus (GH+), an organization birthed out of Central, will be launching their first transitional housing program, and they want to give everyone a chance to see the first site. They will be hosting an open house at the new space (301 Postoffice St.) on Thursday, September 26th from 4:30-6:30pm. You’ll have the opportunity to tour the property and visit with GH+ board members. Come and check out the building and learn more about this awesome new community!