Growing in Love – Kicking Off the Stewardship Campaign for 2026!
On Saturday, October 4, we kicked off our Stewardship Campaign for 2026, Growing in Love, with our annual Fellowship Supper in Westwood Hall! With 60 Emerson members and friends present, we shared a delicious Italian-themed meal (kudos to Laurie H for the amazing desserts!), enjoyed each other’s company, and celebrated what Emerson means to each of us and the community.
The Stewardship Committee would like to thank everyone who made this evening possible. Katherine & Robert H created a magical space for us, with beautiful table settings of leafy garlands, flowers, butterflies, fairies & fairy lights, and twinkling candles. Berly K, Bill H, Kris T, Jill R, Deborah W, Ron J, and Bryan W assisted Katherine and Robert with setting up this lovely environment. It was the perfect setting for an evening spent talking about how we grow and cultivate the “garden” that is Emerson.
Thanks are also due to Mark A and Terry R, who welcomed and signed people in, as well as to Janet M, Jill R, and Marilyn R, who served as hosts, ensuring that everyone felt welcome as they arrived. Meanwhile, a large team of people ensured that we had plenty of delectable food and drink to enjoy. We’d like to thank Robin S and Janet M for bringing and donating the wine and other beverages, Kris T for preparing and donating the delicious garlic bread, and Laurie H for the incredible spread of desserts! Carol T, Francine P, Deborah W, Ron J, Ruth W, Beryl K, Zena T, Richard K, Bilma S, and Jonathan C also assisted with the meal in various ways. Thank you all!
Our minister, Rev. Ed Proulx, opened the evening with remarks reminding us that our shared values as Unitarian Universalists are more essential than ever in today’s world. A series of speakers then shared information about various aspects of “Life at Emerson” – ways that we build community, take care of each other, and live our values both within Emerson and beyond our walls. Speakers were Stephen L (Performing Arts), Lane D (Lay Pastoral Ministry Team), Mike C (Adult Religious Education), Deborah W (Children’s & Youth Religious Education), Richard K (Social Action Council), Bill H (ESL), and Ron J, who spoke as a new member and our new Treasurer. Hilary R, President of our Board of Trustees, closed the evening with a beautiful reminder of the power of love.
We’d also like to thank the clean-up crew: Katherine & Robert H, Laurie & Bill H, Bryan W, Richard K, Deborah W, Ron J, Marci C, Mindy L, Susan D, Mim & Ed F, Janet M, Robin S, Ruth W, Zena T, Rob L, Rev. Ed & Francine, and others who stayed to restore Westwood Hall after the event.
Last, but definitely not least, many members helped in various other ways. Special recognition is due to Ruth W, who designed the logo and related materials, as well as Kris T who crafted our written messages, reminding us that, like a garden, Emerson must be nurtured and tended by its stewards – all of us. Additional thanks go to Jill R, Beryl K, Deborah W, Ron J, David B, Hilary R, Michael D, Ann M, Rev. Ed Proulx, and our amazing Congregational Administrator, Alejandra G, for their varied and essential help!
The Stewardship Campaign will run through most of the month of October. If you weren’t able to join us at the Fellowship Supper or collect your pledge packet on Sunday, it should arrive in the mail in the next few days. You may also visit https://emersonhouston.org/2026pledge/ or use the QR code below. Please contact stewardship@emersonhouston.org with any questions.
Additionally, we could still use a few more volunteers to help write thank you cards and serve as calling stewards, so please let us know if you’d like to help!
Emerson matters, more than ever in today’s world. What we do matters. In today’s national context, love is counter-cultural. It is resistance. It is hope. Our pledges – every pledge – make it possible for Emerson to continue to stand as a beacon of love. In the words of Marge Piercy, whose poem “The Seven of Pentacles” I read during the Fellowship Supper:
”Fight persistently as the creeper that brings down the tree. Spread like the squash plant that overruns the garden. … Weave real connections…. Make love that is loving. Keep tangling and interweaving and taking more in…. …reach out, keep reaching out, keep bringing in.”
This is what we do. This is what we MUST keep doing as we Grow in Love. This is what our pledges make possible.
With gratitude,
Alejandra P, Stewardship Committee Chair
