Denise Foerch, Spiritual Director
I’m very excited that Nori is with us this morning. I had the privilege of spending about 10 of the 12 years she was with us, ministering under her leadership here, mostly within the music ministry. And it was important to both Ann and I that she was able to officiate our Holy Union ceremony, 12 years ago.
When I met with Nori for the first time, she was kind and thoughtful while listening to my story. She didn’t tell me what do (although that’s what I was hoping for), but said she would be praying for me as I processed and moved through my journey. She did help my journey by connecting me with another woman, whose story was similar to mine. Nori sent flowers to my work in PPMCC’s name, reminding me in words and flowers that God loves me. She believed in me.
As the Praise Band Leader I enjoyed working with Nori, coordinating the music with the rest of the service. She was supportive and encouraging. We both love reading and often shared books with each other. Nori introduced me to Sue Monk Kidd by encouraging me to read When the Heart Waits – which continues to be a favorite of mine. We discovered that we both like Barbara Kingsolver. She even got me to read a couple Dean Koontz books.
As I watched her life path begin to change, I knew that at some point she would need to move on to something else. Since then, I’ve only had the chance to watch her from a distance. And somehow I wasn’t really surprised that she ended up at All Soul’s Unitarian church as their Minister. It’s where she started – where many of us started.
Our paths are separate now, but my heart still connects with her journey. She was my mentor for a while, and sometimes through her Facebook postings, she still is my mentor. Welcome, Nori. It’s so good to have you here!