We currently use the words “Learning Community” to signify our programs for our children and youth. However, we are really a lifelong learning community. We don’t just learn about spiritual practices, world religions, ethics, and life’s big questions up through high school and then graduate from these topics. Rather, religious exploration is a learning journey of a lifetime.   When I returned to New York City after college, I immediately showed up ready to volunteer as a Sunday school teacher. I did this to give back, and, in part, because I couldn’t imagine participating in Unitarian Universalism without the excitement of…

We’re just a few days into the new year. And if you are a resolution-making person, I expect some of those resolutions may already be slipping away. I have to say for me, that sense of back-to-it has come incredibly quickly this year. Whatever energy comes with a new beginning… well, in many ways it feels as if it has come and gone. And looking out at our world, I’m not surprised. Just look at the dysfunction in Washington as Congress struggles to elect a new Speaker of the House. I assume someone will eventually be elected, but the last…

What a joyous week this is in our congregation! I am grateful to be experiencing the winter holidays with you for the first time. Although, the temperatures are dipping low outside, the spirit of warmth and community are alive and bright in this place. We lit the first candle of Hanukkah together last Sunday, we celebrated the dark of Winter Solstice and the coming of the light on Wednesday, and soon we will celebrate Christmas Eve and Christmas Day this weekend.   There is a lot to look forward to… just yesterday, a number of our families held a pizza, ice…

Some Images I'm Carrying From This Season at the Church: Last Sunday we were back in Eliot Chapel for Sunday worship. Not exactly by plan but because the elevator in our Sanctuary was not working. I was taken back to a time when the Chapel was our main worship place, when most Sundays we were invited to squeeze together to make room for more people. It was a kind of ritual that happened most every week. That was not a sustainable plan for the church with three worship services and three religious education programs every Sunday. Our present Sanctuary building…

Dearest friends, Like many of you likely do, I have some complex and conflicting feelings about the Christmas season. These feelings have been around since my journey as a spiritual seeker began in my teenage years. At times, I’m not afraid to admit that I’ve been grinchy enough to turn even the most cheerful celebrant’s eggnog sour with a well-placed sneer and snarky rant about the senseless commercialism of it all. Also, it’s true that culturally, this time of year, we are bombarded with calls to drop stacks of our hard-earned cash on the latest gadgets and swag galore. I’ve…

We lament the Christmas Season beginning earlier and earlier these days. What we usually reference in this complaint is the commercial aspect of Christmas and the pressure to buy, buy, buy beginning even before Thanksgiving. Christmas decorations go up in some stores the day after Halloween!  I feel the same way. However, this year on the heels of a lengthy pandemic that continues to lay bare the ways we live in a world that has grown dim with injustice, isolationism, and oppression, I remember that Christmas is not merely about December 25th. The Christmas Season does in fact begin right…

Becoming numb in the wake of the mounting losses of life at the hand of gun violence is understandable. Still, we must learn how to continue to feel the range of emotions that follow terrifying tragedies. Our sorrow and our rage, our ability to take in the suffering and cultivate compassion, are vital parts of our humanity. We cannot allow the perpetrators of such violence to separate us from the qualities that allow for healing. (Link for a Zoom Thanksgiving morning prayer & reflection gathering is below.)  We must name the harm of a gunman piercing the sanctuary and the…

It has been ten days since the midterm election, and I’m still processing the results. As is usually the case, there has been lots of talk of winners and losers. That’s how it goes: A narrative takes shape that confirms the expectations going into the election or (like this year) doesn’t. Of course, we prefer a good crisp narrative. It helps to try to make sense of these confusing and complex times. But it is important not to lose sight of any given situation's subtleties. Nuance is so important. That’s why it is always important to notice all the layers…

Did you know that our UU purposes, principles, and sources are being re-drafted? This includes more than the addition of the new language that was adopted by our congregation in June 2021 through the 8th Principle. In fact, the entire article 2 in the UUA Bylaws is being rewritten with an eye towards the future of our faith. Ours is a living tradition, which means that how we express what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist has changed over time. The six principles at the time of the merger between the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of…

K-1 class planting fall bulbs This past September marked the first in-person fall ingathering of our Learning Community of children and youth of all ages since 2019. Since March of 2020, our families, volunteers, and staff have engaged in various ways to keep our Learning Community afloat, and there were indeed many meaningful moments, unexpected opportunities, and powerful connections. Yet we felt the fragmentation of our community, ongoing challenges, and needs to constantly reassess during those many months that grew into years. But with intention, we move forward.  Last church year, we began a phased reopening of in person programs…