President's Message - July 2025

June 2025: Two weekends in a row of activities! The Elmira Pride Festival attracted even more that our first two years and created an exuberant display of music, dance, visual arts, love and community that filled Wisner Park on June 7. Then on June 14 the Racial Justice Team brought our booth to Juneteenth with a petition for the community to sign indicating their support for the protection of Black history at our National and State Parks. Plus that same day, another team from Park tabled and sold cotton candy at the Corning Pride Festival!

In Memory of our beloved Jan - I love this photo (not shown here) of Jan Butts because it reminds me of how easy her smile would light up the room or any other church function she put her love into. What a role model she was for all of us of self-less service and how to put others first. I had the privilege of learning about how we do "Congregational Life" as Jan's sidekick on Council. She could always find the time to make that one more visit or phone call to let someone know we cared. She led efforts at the church's monthly Community Kitchen meal for 40 years. Grace, gentleness and good humor were her means and will be her legacy.

We will never forget you, Jan.

Love, Jenny