Sustaining the Cacophony of Democracy

Sustaining the Cacophony of Democracy

Rooted in faith in the inherent worth and dignity of every person, Unitarian Universalists have long affirmed explicitly the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large. However, as Molly Ivans put it, “Democracy requires . . . a large tolerance for confusion and a secret relish for dissent.” Sigh. This Sunday we celebrate not only our aspiration but also our promise to give everyone a voice. Rev. Kevin with Gail Johnson Vaughan, Worship Associate

Born and Reborn Again: us at 250

You want to feel celebratory about this year’s 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding, a founding nurtured by the ideas, values and writings of our religious ancestors, but it can be difficult to scrape up enthusiasm when the nation’s shortcomings are apparent and when so much that we value is in such deep jeopardy. You are invited to this birthday party both to celebrate and to be real.   Rev. Kevin with Gail Johnson Vaughan, Worship Associate

Growing a Beloved Community

“The place where we meet to seek the highest is holy ground.” – Felix Adler.   It’s tempting to people both outside and inside Unitarian Universalism to characterize our faith tradition “as every kind of psycho-social-political venture except a religious one,” wrote Tom Owen-Towle, who contends, instead, that healthy congregations are “primarily sites for seeking and spreading the holy.”  Here in new space, with our varied beliefs and perspectives, and with room to grow both inwardly and outwardly, how might we together grow a Beloved Community and realize that we occupy holy ground.

Moral Outrage: An Unexpected Bridge

Kurt Gray claims, in his book Outraged, that across the socio-political spectrum we share the same moral foundation – an ancient psychological need to protect the vulnerable from harm. It’s just that we have differing perceptions as to who is being harmed! Let’s examine our own moral outrage and surface our compassion at the same time, even as we learn to set fiercely compassionate boundaries to prevent the harm that we perceive. Rev. Kevin Tarsa with Randy McKean, Worship Associate

Abundance! Imagine.

This Sunday, beginning our month-long invitation to “pay attention,” we celebrate the nature and power of community and the rising, nay surging and converging waves of energy and possibility being generated these days.