As we officially launch the 2020 Stewardship Campaign – raising funds for the 2020/2021 congregational year – let us celebrate the promise of this venerable and vital institution known as “First UU.” What is distinctive about this particular congregation, in this particular and challenging time? What role might it play in the future?
One purpose for religious community is to be a place where we help one another grow into our best selves: strong in spirit, curious about new ideas, compassionate, awake – joyful and hopeful, even when the facts of the world might lead us in other directions. Come share the power of learning the truth and … Continue reading “Building New Ways”
Marking Black History Month requires more of us than celebrating a few African Americans who played important roles in our country’s story. It also calls us to learn more of the social and political history that is the legacy of slavery, and that continues to shape American culture. There is much to learn, including from … Continue reading “Telling True Stories”
A look at how two very powerful forces in life – love and money – can pull us in opposite directions in our lives. Can minds and hearts be changed about the purpose of wealth in our world? How the voices of people of color are broadening our vision.
Why are some human beings, or families, or communities, or cultures, particularly resilient? Living through difficult challenges plays a part… but the kind of deep resilience that keeps people centered, determined and even joyful does not inevitably result from finding a way through hard times. How can we help one another grow stronger?
Celebrating the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is important every year… and never more than now, in this time of heightened dangers for people of color and greater understanding of the persistent costs of our nation’s legacy of slavery and racism. What does Dr. King’s life teach us, and call us to do and … Continue reading “Dreaming the World”
January is a good time to take a step back from day-to-day congregational life and assess how this Society is doing: where you’ve come from during the last decade and where you are heading in this new time. My role as your developmental minister calls me to share my sense of the challenges, opportunities, and … Continue reading “The State of the Society”
It has been many decades since Unitarian Universalism took the bold step of rejecting the need for a creed: a set of core beliefs that announces our religious identity. There were (and are) many good reasons for being creed-less… and it can be confusing, not just to the religious world but for UUs ourselves. What … Continue reading “Believing Whatever We Want?”
Running beneath most winter holidays is the recognition of light and dark and the Earth’s movement. The longest night, the return of light – this rhythm affects us deeply, and many cultures celebrate the turning point with story, song, and ritual. Join us for a multigenerational Winter Solstice Service.
Did you know that for a long time in the early decades of European settlement in “America,” Christmas was not regarded as a legitimate religious holiday? Come hear some of the stories of how Christmas became a beloved and sacred holiday in our country, and how Unitarians and Universalists led the way!
