This week’s letter
Building community
A2U2 Community,
May this find you well amidst this season of transition. We have gathered in worship, merged our waters into one common dish, and a new year has begun. I was sad to miss this year’s ingathering ritual, but was grateful to be able to attend the wedding of a longtime friend. I found myself reflecting about community over much of the weekend. This friend’s life is truly a masterclass in building community. We were a gathering of folks from all parts of her life, but she brought us together in a way that we all felt connected and bonded to each other.
This is what we’ll explore in the coming weeks at church, and I hope you’ll join us! As our congregation has been growing these past years, I’ve realized that many crossing our threshold for the first time are not native churchgoers, not all coming from a childhood connected to a faith community. Many are new to Unitarian Universalism. And almost as many are new to church more generally! Which means we don’t all have the same experience and understanding of what it means to be a congregation (the nerdy theology word for this is ecclesiology). And even our longtime members could use a refresher on the whats and hows that make congregational life the incredible living, breathing system that it is. This Sunday’s service, “How to Church,” will invite all of us to consider how we are called to engage in the transformative work of community life. As a non-creedal, covenantal faith… this is our bread and butter!
As we officially launch the new 2-year pilot Committee on Congregational Life (CCL- learn more here) and think more deeply about shared ministry, we invite you to take a minute to fill out the Shared Ministry Survey which will help guide the CCL in their work to help you discern and engage in what calls you and make participation in the community more fulfilling. Thank you in advance!!
There will be many ways to engage after worship on Sunday, including Queer Community Conversations at 11:30, get out the vote postcard writing with the Social Justice Committee at 11:15 in the Sanctuary, or coffee and conversation under the Dawn Redwood tree (pictured above). I look forward to seeing you!
In faith,
Rev. Tara