Pastoral Letter August 2026

“I am concerned about the future of this tree.” - Sarah the Arborist

Dear Beloved Keystone Community –

This morning, I walked the grounds of Keystone with Sarah, an arborist I asked for a consultation. As the signage team prepares to design a new sign for the front of the church, I am making sure the sign itself will be visible to all: Blooma Tree Experts will prune back some of the branches which are obscuring the view of the front door. Sarah clearly loves trees; she reluctantly advised us to take out the walnut tree, as well as a “volunteer” cherry tree which has grown up by the neighbors’ garage. She was very concerned about a red cedar growing behind Battson Hall—she said it doesn’t have room to grow and flourish because of the concrete which surrounds it, and she actually recommended removing it. I told her we would leave it for now, but I thanked her for her advice and her vision.

We at Keystone have been seeking similar advice and guidance about our beloved community—what to prune back, what to plant, and perhaps what to eliminate entirely. Why are we doing this? Because we want Keystone’s legacy to be as broad and deep as the roots of an ancient tree, reaching beyond the walls of Keystone, deep into the soil of the community. Keystone proclaims the Good News that the Realm of God is breaking through, here and now. We make this proclamation every time we organize for justice, every time we speak up against oppression, every time we bring kindness and support to folks who struggle. Our worship is only the beginning of the legacy of peace, justice, and hope which we freely offer to our communities and to our world.

I want to thank you for your comments during the mid-term designated pastor evaluation. I will be discussing my evaluation with the leadership team this week, and will do my best to respond to your assessment by adding, pruning, adjusting. I also want to thank you for asking me to preach a sermon series on the book of Revelation this summer. I learned a tremendous amount about the book, about apocalyptic literature, and most of all about myself as a preacher. It was difficult at times to lift the veil that shrouds the powers and principalities of empire, but at the end we all gathered at the river of hope, of Spirit, that flows from the heart of this – and every – loving community.

With love and gratitude

Pastor Adina

Designated Pastor Mid-Term Evaluation

PLEASE READ BEFORE THIS SUNDAY'S WORSHIP

July 2026

Greetings, Keystone! I would love some feedback from you after my first year as your designated pastor.

Please take a look at these “Marks of Faithful and Effective Ministry” from the UCC:

• Exhibiting a Spiritual Foundation and Ongoing Spiritual Practice: Exhibiting a vibrant, ongoing spiritual practice, active prayer life, and a clear sense of divine calling.

• Nurturing UCC Identity: Loving and understanding the history, theology, and polity of the church while actively living into covenant.

• Building Transformational Leadership Skills: Building healthy, adaptive congregations, resolving conflict, and empowering others for ministry.

• Engaging Sacred Stories and Traditions: Exhibiting a deep knowledge of the Bible and Christian theology, and effectively communicating these to others.

• Caring For All Creation: Demonstrating compassion and advocacy for the environment and an understanding of the intersection of faith and the natural world.

• Theological Praxis: Integrating theological reflection with daily practice and actively engaging issues of culture and context.

• Working Together for Justice and Mercy: Nurturing hope and healing in a hurting world and confronting systems of inequality and oppression.

• Strengthening Inter- and Intra- Personal Assets: Maintaining emotional and mental wellness, practicing self-care, and holding strong ethical boundaries.

Next, please take a look at this list of what I have covenanted with you:

• Preach and teach the gospel without fear or favor, regarding all persons with equal respect and concern, and undertaking to minister impartially.

• Honor all confidences shared with me, telling only those who need to know, what they need to know, when they need to know it.

• Steward church funds and property faithfully, while overseeing the administrative tasks of ministry with integrity.

• Speak the truth, not using my position, power, or authority to exploit any person nor using my position for unwarranted personal financial gain.

• Assess with care the implications of accepting gifts from congregation members.

• Not perform pastoral services within a congregation or for a member of a congregation, without the invitation of the current pastor of that congregation.

• Neither interfere with nor intrude upon the ministry of my successor, upon my departure from a ministry setting; and to deal honorably with the record of my predecessor and successor.

Please take a few minutes to consider the following questions:

1. Are there particular areas on these lists which stand out as areas of strength for Pastor Adina?

2. Are there particular areas on these lists which you feel Pastor Adina needs to improve?

3. Are there any questions or concerns you have for Pastor Adina?

4. What advice would you like to give Pastor Adina?

After our online service on July 26th, you will have the opportunity to express your thoughts and feelings in a congregational meeting with your leadership team.

Thank you for your thoughtfulness!

Pastor Adina

Pastoral Letter for July 2026

“We have set our world and our civilization on fire in a number of scary ways, and none of our trusted social institutions are inspiring confidence that they can put the fire out. That is because those social institutions were framed within social narratives or framing stories that are also failing us: fantasies of unlimited growth, delusions of power, fables about inevitable progress….But, I remind myself, our humanity cannot be reduced to our current narratives and institutions. As they fail, we can disentangle and step away from them. We can tell better, more honest, more healing stories, and we can build better, wiser, more durable, representative, and ethical institutions, starting small, and, if necessary, rebuilding from the ruins or replanting in the ashes.”

—Brian D. McLaren, Life After Doom

Dear Beloved Keystone Community,

Liturgically, we are now in “Ordinary Time,” which is anything but ordinary; I prefer to call it the Season after Pentecost, the season of movement after we have been birthed anew by the Holy Spirit, year after year, to go forth into our community and proclaim the Good News. After my silent retreat, I feel particularly joyful and energized, and am reminded of the bullet points we created together at the end of the Day of Discernment, with specific ways in which we feel called to proclaim the Good News in this particular moment:

• Be an authentically welcoming community;

• Improve signage on the building and put signs elsewhere;

• Serve members of the wider community;

• Advocate as a church community;

• Reimagine/relaunch the Festival of Hope;

• Love the newcomer (gently);

• Hold space for diverse theologies and spiritual journeys;

• Go where seekers are and invite them to church;

• Gather in person (hybrid) every week;

• Preach, sing, and share communion;

• Speak the Good News on Social Media;

• Check in about the Justice Leadership Project;

• Magnify and continue potluck/game nights;

• Restart Maundy Thursday meals;

• Be the church in new ways;

• Identify, support, and celebrate the gifts and initiatives of the people in the community.

As I review this list, I see specific actions we are already taking, general behaviors we are cultivating, and aspirations which we hope to realize in the coming year. I see a community continuing to thrive in the face of the apocalyptic times we live in. I see a new model of church, a people of God called out from the dominant culture. And I am more grateful than ever to be called as your pastor.

With Love,

Pastor Adina

Pastoral Letter for Summer 2026

Dear Beloved Keystone Community,

I write this from the airport, on the way to my annual silent Centering Prayer retreat. This year, I mark the midpoint of my term with you as Designated Pastor. Since returning from my retreat last year at this time, I have preached approximately thirty-seven sermons (including my summer sermon series on Paul’s letter to the Galatians), reached out to numerous community organizations to offer Keystone’s support, met with other spiritual leaders in the community, begun compiling a history of Keystone’s 125 years in Seattle, and continued to offer Keystone’s building as a hub for community groups and events focused on peace and justice. I have blessed the neighbors’ cats. I have visited members in homes, hospitals, and rehab centers. I have presided over a wedding and a baptism.  I have had the roof on the learning center re-glued and nailed down so it doesn’t blow off in the next windstorm. And I have continued to deepen my connection with all of you – with gratitude, love, and appreciation for all you do to proclaim the Good News that God’s Realm is here in our midst.

One of the most profound experiences for me this year happened just this past weekend, with most of you in attendance: Keystone’s third Day of Discernment with Emily, our wonderful facilitator. For those of you who missed it, Emily asked us to respond to the questions, “What is the Good News that Keystone proclaims? To whom are we called to proclaim it? How might we be called to proclaim the Good News right now? And what might be standing in the way of this?” If you did not have the chance to attend the day, I invite you to consider these questions over the next few months. If you did participate in the day, and felt the remarkable energy as the Spirit moved within and among us, I invite you to continue to ponder the answers to these questions in your heart, and to continue to discuss them with one another. I know I will be holding these questions in my own heart and mind over the next ten days as I pray for you, and for our small but mighty Keystone community.

When I return, let’s discuss our next steps. I actually believe it’s pretty easy to discern God’s will most of the time – it’s the next indicated and obvious thing to do; nothing fancy, nothing too difficult. Just whatever presents itself, right in front of us.

Love and Blessings

Pastor Adina

Pastoral Letter for Pentecost 2026

And another time when he appeared to them, they asked him, “Lord, are you going to free Israel from Rome now and restore us as an independent nation?”

“The Father sets those dates,” he replied, “and they are not for you to know. But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power to testify about me with great effect, to the people in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth, about my death and resurrection.”

It was not long afterwards that he rose into the sky and disappeared into a cloud, leaving them staring after him.

Acts 1:6-9

Dear Beloved Keystone Community:

The month of May has me thinking about birthdays. My husband Matthew just started his birthday month by fulfilling a lifelong dream: driving a stock car at 150 MPH around a track at the Las Vegas Speedway. While in Vegas, I was able to interact with a variety of folks, many of whom are anticipating the 250th birthday of the United States. I saw t-shirts, banners, and ads for upcoming events, many of which appeared to have a Christian theme. For instance, “America Reads the Bible” is an event which proposes we take our country back to its supposed “Biblical roots.”

In the shadow of Christian Nationalist mythology like this, I propose we focus on the celebration of a most important birthday – that of the Church, the body of Christ. We celebrate this birthday every year on Pentecost, when we remember the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples in an upper room in Jerusalem, giving them the power to proclaim the Good News, boldly and enthusiastically, in multiple languages. The Good News liberates us from idolatry, from tribalism, and from all forms of oppression because it is about God’s great love for all nations, all people. Without exception.

To celebrate the birthday of the Church this year, I have decided that May will be “theology month” at Keystone. In the shadow of German Christian Nationalism of the 1930s, theologian Karl Barth used theology as resistance. I propose we do the same, as we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to spread the Good News – not simply to “counter” Christian Nationalism, but – as New Testament professor Greg Carey suggests – to preach Jesus! As Carey writes, “Again and again. The message of Jesus is all we have; it has the additional benefit of being kryptonite to the false gospel of Christian nationalism.” 

I hope you will join with me as we proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the basic theological principles — a triune God, an incarnate Savior, and a message of liberation — which the Spirit, in Her extravagance, commands us all to proclaim. Jesus promises his disciples that we will receive power to testify about him with great effect! As our mission statement declares: “Keystone Church proclaims the Good News that God’s Realm is in our midst.” Let us go forth and preach the Good News at all times! And in the words of Francis of Assisi, if necessary, use words.

In Solidarity,

Pastor Adina