EDMONDS — Almost 40 years after he first stepped foot into Edmonds Unitarian Universalist Church, Robert Fulghum will return again this month to serve as minister.
“I am the minister Emeritus for the church … and he asked if I would hold the fort down for him,” Fulghum said of Reverend Ed Brock’s request that he fill in. Brock has taken a one-month leave from the church while he is in the process of adopting a daughter from China.
Beginning Sept. 12, Fulghum will lead four consecutive Sunday services at 9:30 and 11 a.m. at the church, located at 8109 224th Street SW in Edmonds.
As his life has changed since he last served at the church in 1985, so have the members of the church; some still attend, some have passed, and new ones have joined. The changes will have a positive impact on his work at the church, he said.
“I was 26 or 27 (years old) — I hope that I am wiser,” Fulghum, 67, said of his return. “I know a few things now that I didn’t know in my 20s; I’ve been many places and seen many things.”
Indeed, Fulghum’s life has been full. He has penned and published seven books including the popular “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten,” written a nationally syndicated newspaper column, become a renowned speaker and currently is awaiting the release of his novel, “Third Wish.” His family also has grown to include four children and seven grandchildren.
Still, Fulghum said he is anxious about stepping onto the pulpit again.
“I haven’t done this on a regular Sunday morning basis for 18 years — my chops are pretty rusty,” he said.
But, he said, he is excited to see some familiar faces and experience for himself how the church has grown and evolved.
“The church has been very successful since I left, and it’s nice to be around success,” Fulghum said. “The congregation is still alive in the community, and many people who were there when I was still are there now. It’s nice being with people you love and respect before you all get old and die.”
Fulghum said he plans to give sermons on “basic and fundamental things; things that are elemental as opposed to topical.”
And, he has a simple goal for his new, albeit temporary position.
“To not make a fool of myself,” he said.
For more information on Edmonds Unitarian Universalist Church, call 425-778-0373, or go to www.euuc.org. For more information on Robert Fulghum, go to www.robertfulghum.com.
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