Category: Monthly Essay
Welcome to: The Month Of Change
Big changes are coming your way. The UUA has proposed changes to the denomination’s Bylaws to which you should pay close attention. The section, known as Article II, defines the UUA’s purpose and principles. Here is the link: https://www.uua.org/uuagovernance/committees/article-ii-study-commission/ blog/draft-feedback Click on the link, then click the linked three-page PDF to read the proposal. The … Continue reading Welcome to: The Month Of Change
Welcome to the Month of Belonging
You hardly knew how hungry you were to be gathered in, to receive the welcome that invited you to enter entirely… You began to breathe again… You learned to sing. But the deal with this blessing is that it will not leave you alone, will not let you linger… this blessing will ask you to … Continue reading Welcome to the Month of Belonging
How Do We Nurture Beauty?
How Do We Nurture Beauty? This month’s theme—Nurturing Beauty—reminds us humans that we are more than just passive admirers or recipients of beauty. We have an active, mutual relationship with all that’s beautiful, whether the beauty lies in things, experiences, people, places, ideas, or whatever you find beautiful. If nurture means to “care for and encourage the growth … Continue reading How Do We Nurture Beauty?
Opening to Joy: Liquid Amber Trees
Opening to Joy: Liquid Amber Trees by the Rev. Nancy Palmer Jones Today, during my weekly online Lunch with Rev. Nancy, Frey Leigh finishes up his check-in with the words: “Oh! And I have something for Show and Tell!” He reaches off camera to his right, and reappears holding up a large sketchbook, whose creamy … Continue reading Opening to Joy: Liquid Amber Trees
Welcome to the Practice of Holding History: Two Essays
Welcome to the Practice of Holding History: Two Essays from the writers at the Soul Matters Sharing Circle, a Unitarian Universalist resource collaborative, with an introductory note from Rev. Nancy Before You Read—An Important Note from Rev. Nancy: Beloveds, in the work of anti-oppression, we student-practitioners learn to ask this crucial question about any writing … Continue reading Welcome to the Practice of Holding History: Two Essays
SPOTLIGHTS FOR MY ENERGIES WITH FUCSJ, 2021-22
“SPOTLIGHTS FOR MY ENERGIES WITH FUCSJ, 2021-22”: Your Senior Minister’s Goals for the Congregational Year by Rev. Nancy Palmer Jones “What is mine to do?” In my reflection from our August 22 worship service, printed elsewhere in this newsletter, I list this question as one of my great learnings from this pandemic era: “What is … Continue reading SPOTLIGHTS FOR MY ENERGIES WITH FUCSJ, 2021-22
“And Service Is Our Prayer”: The Joy of Needing One Another
June/July Theme: Play by Rev. Nancy Palmer Jones Love is the doctrine of this church, The quest of truth is its sacrament, And service is its prayer. On Saturday, June 12, 2021, a group of First Unitarian congregants gather in a circle in front of our church building to launch our first Service Is Our … Continue reading “And Service Is Our Prayer”: The Joy of Needing One Another
Remembering How to Play
June/July Theme: Play by Rev. Nancy Palmer Jones “Across the globe, many of the etymological roots of the word ‘play’ locate it in the visceral: ludere in Latin refers to leaping fishes and fluttering birds. The Anglo-Saxon lâcan means to move like a ship on the waves, or to tremble like a flame. The Sanskrit … Continue reading Remembering How to Play
Who Shall We Become? (Or, The 15-Minute Sermon I Didn’t Get to Preach in March!)
April Theme: Becoming Ah, spring! We usually think of it as a time of renewal, of birth and rebirth, of second chances and fresh starts. But how does it feel this year, when we are coming into spring after a yearlong “winter” of pandemic and other collective traumas? Wait. Let’s slow down for a minute. … Continue reading Who Shall We Become? (Or, The 15-Minute Sermon I Didn’t Get to Preach in March!)