Modern life has required that we mute our connections to the natural world around us, trying to persuade us that the natural world is separate from us and we are separate from the natural world.

Earth Teachers help connect First UU to our roots in the Transcendentalist movement of the 19th century, which involved many Unitarians, that proclaimed loudly that the Divine could be experienced in Nature, not just through Scripture. We continue to affirm and explore our spiritual connection with Nature, recognizing that the nature of reality is Interdependence. 

Earth Teacher connect us with the modern-day Religious Naturalism movement, as well as with Unitarian Universalist values of interdependence, in which we honor the interdependent web of all existence. With reverence for the great web of life and with humility, we acknowledge our place in it.

With the leadership of our Senior Minister, Reverend Karen G. Johnston, part of our shared congregational life includes a two-year cycle, with each month (during the formal congregational year, September – June) having its own Earth Teacher.  We began our journey with Earth Teachers in January, 2024. In the congregational year 2025-26, we will complete Year I and year 2026-27, Year II. The following year, we will start again.

Each Earth Teacher is an invitation to deepen our connection with the natural world and affirm the interdependent web of  all existence and our part within it.

How Do I Get an Earth Teacher Packet?

Just before the beginning of each month, we send out to our email list an Earth Teacher packet of materials: poems, passages, quotes, puns/jokes, meditations, songs, and images for contemplation. Some of the packets even have content aimed for children (though not all). These packets can be used by individuals, by small groups that form around the Earth Teacher, or by already-existing chalice or theme circles. You can use them at home or in conversation with your fellow congregants. Sometimes, Earth Teachers show up in the course of a Sunday service or at Family Chapel. 

Perhaps you will bring a new way for the congregation to deepen its connection to one or all the Earth Teachers! If you are already on the email list, keep a look out in the last few days before a new month starts. If you are not on the email list, click here to sign up.