Minister's Page
Friends, it is 2023! It seems like I missed part of 2022 because it seemed to pass so quickly. Recently, I read an article about why time seems to go faster as we get older! It seems that research has shown that trying out new activities engages parts of our brain that make time seem to go slower. I suppose we can become so immersed in new interests that our routines are changed and time seems to slow down a bit. This certainly seems to support trying new activities or exploring new ideas. So here we are in a new year that, I am sure, will offer new possibilities and adventures. A new/old exploration for us this January will be to consider some- thing the congregation talked about a few years ago. On January 8, we will consider what our name says about who we are as a com- munity. Are we Unitarian or Unitarian Universalist? Yes, I know that officially our name has Unitarian Universalist tacked onto the end, but no one gets to the end of our long “official” name. In earlier years this topic was discussed, acted upon and later decisions were reversed. Honestly, I don’t know the whole history. What I do know is that the pandemic changed us all. We have a new focus for our mission which calls us to consider how wish to engage with one another and the world. So now it is time to revisit how our name can welcome or discourage people looking for a liberal religious home. January will be a time when we can thoughtfully consider our name, the one that will take us into the future in the most au- thentic way. There will be opportunities for everyone to offer input and on January 15, following the service, we will have a town hall meeting to chart our path forward. We encourage all our members and friends to help us discern what our name tells the world about who we are, who we welcome and how we live our faith in the world. On the last Sunday of January, we will explore the primary projects of the Justice Action and Resource Team (formerly our Social Jus- tice Task Force). This service will be a great way to learn more about the ideas and work of JART and how we might get involved. We hope you will join us on Jan. 29. I would be remiss if I did not add a few words thanking all the folks who have helped with our technology upgrade at First UU. Of course, much gratitude goes to John and Trudy who have done so much work over the years to keep us going and adapting our tech on a shoestring. We got to the place where we needed to get some additional services and equipment and realized that we needed a team of folks to help both with tech and production for services. Technology and media are increasingly important in caring for and welcoming folks to our congregation. Our volunteers have made all the difference. Thank you. Happy New Year! |