Karen Sticht: Thanks for 12 years of excellent coverage

To The Daily Sun,

I can't thank you enough for the coverage you have given the Union Church of Meredith Neck over the last 12 years that I've been organizing services!

Ecclesiates 3:1-8 have always been my favorite Bible verses."To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven." With that in mind, the time has come for me to retire from the Board of Trustees of the Union Church of Meredith Neck.

By my count, I started organizing weekly services there 12 years ago, and I think my number hovers at about 95. I was a trustee several years before that and came to services even before that. I have enjoyed the many weekly conversations with various ministers, musicians, pianists, social and print media, landscapers, our piano tuner, trustees, and the congregation, usually averaging between 800-1100 emails each year.

I cannot leave, however, without thanking the wonderful ministers that I have worked with throughout the years, changing each week, but many coming back annually. The variety of denominations that comes with the heart of this church is something I've always enjoyed and learned from. It's what makes it so special for everyone.

A church service without music is just words.The melodies and harmonies add substance, depth, and meanings to those words. I can't even imagine a time without the talents that our musicians have shared. We have had groups, vocalists, instrumentalists and a variety in between, all special each week.

The only sort of constant within the weekly services are the pianists. My dear friend, Jane Jenness, has helped us a long time during my tenure and knows how to put those fingers to the keys for robust hymn singing, but we've also had many others through the last 12 years, and I appreciate that they never let us down. Some have been young students, others more seasoned, but with everything, the variety is wonderful.

Now might be the time to focus on writing a book or sitcom of all the behind the scene incidences that happen every year in putting together services for a small, 8-week summer chapel, with no electricity or plumbing, a bell that was destined for scrap from an old Mt. Washington steamboat, and a high-tech 3D printed cross and ball anchored at the top of the steeple. I also can't leave out the old transposing piano,the pump organ that still gets played at least once a summer, or the amazing acoustics of the room that lets the voices ring out. Besides history, I have a whole wealth of stories that include drama and suspense, getting more intense with each passing year.

The people who attend the Union Church of Meredith Neck create a big summer family full of laughter, message, music, prayers, energy, and fun. The building has its charm and is cared for.

Now it's time to sit back and enjoy my favorites in the summer of 2022! Stay healthy and be happy!

Karen Sticht

Meredith