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155 Powder House Blvd.
West Somerville, MA  02144-1613
tel: 617-625-4823
www.clarendonhillchurch.org
Rev. Karl Gustafson, Minister     Augustus Kwaa, Parish Associate/Evangelist     John Adams, Music Director     Arnie James, Sexton
I want to pass on some wise words I saw in the alumni magazine of the University of Maine Farmington.
They are written by Theodora Kalikow, UMF’s president, in the Spring 2009 edition.
“Based on my experience with confronting change at UMF, here
are my change principles for today (subject to change!):
Go slow to go fast.  But go fast enough.
Stick to your mission.
Recognize reality.
Be conservative in projections.
Think about the future, not the past.
As you cut, also invest.
And finally, don’t waste a good crisis.  We don’t get many opportunities in our lives when world
circumstances align to encourage us to be radically creative.
And also, finally, be brave.
And finally, finally, hope to be lucky.”
All of those apply to us at CHPC as we work our way into the changes we may need to make in the months
ahead.  The session has begun meeting with an old friend of mine, Mark Wendorf, who is helping us imagine
our way into the future.  We have met once and will meet again soon.  The spirit is positive, hopeful, and
confident.
As we continue in whatever changes are necessary, I will keep President Kalikow’s list in mind.  The only thing
that I will not adhere to is her last thought.  From the perspective of faith that last comment should be:  “And
finally, always trust God to provide.”
Thoughts from the Back Office
  
by Pastor Karl Gustafson