For the last three Sundays we have been back in person at church. It has been wonderful to see familiar faces again and to greet people in person. And there’s been a particular gift these weeks: newcomers in person for the first time. Now we know folks have been finding the church during the pandemic—at least google analytics lets us know that. But we haven’t had names—and certainly not faces—which has made it harder to know who those folks are. I think that’s why it has been a particular blessing to meet people in person and to hear how they…

"View from the back of a train window, somewhere east of Salt Lake City" For our Staying Connected this week, I just want to offer a word of thanks to you all. This past Sunday, I preached on “Learning to be a Guest” both as a spiritual practice and a tool for reckoning with our culture’s history of settler colonialism. This was a sermon a long time in the making, beginning last summer when my partner and I took a 20 day, 4,000 mile Amtrak journey to move to Portland, Oregon from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. I spent many hours…

Last Sunday was a glorious day! We welcomed congregants, some of you, back to the sanctuary. The choir on the chancel was in great voice. Children, some of them, attended classes for the first time in two years.  The energy in the sanctuary was so different from the hundred or so Sundays when the seats have been empty. Sunday was a glorious day. Such a big part of the day was renewing relationships. As I stood in the lobby before and after the service, it was like a reunion of close and dear friends. Well, that is because it was…

Who could have imagined when we went to virtual-only services two years ago that we would just be returning to in person now (with the exception of those two months at the end of last year). I imagine this is something that a lot of us are reflecting on this week as we mark the anniversary of the Covid shutdown in March of 2020. As I’ve said too many times, there has been a lot to hold in these many months. It is all a little foggy, the sense of time through all this, I have to say. Pre-Covid vs…

If you’ve spent any time with me in the past week, you may have heard that I just began a membership at a community pottery studio in my neighborhood. I’m over the moon about it! I took a couple of classes last year, and am at a point in my skill level where I understand the basic ceramics process and just need to devote the time to practicing, over and over again. I’m sure there’s a sermon in there about patience, or discipline, but that’s not what I want to share with you today. I want to share about creativity…

March 3, 2022 UPDATES!Please note these changes/updates that differ from my February 24 blog: On March 13, there will be ONE in-person service in our Sanctuary at 11 AM.Family Worship at 10 AM will be live-stream only.          In-Person Family Worship will begin in a couple of weeks. Religious Education Classes for K-6 and YRUU will gather in person at 11 AM on March 13. February 24, 2022Like most of you, we have been tracking the sharp reduction in the number of Covid infections, hoping that trend continues and that soon First Unitarian could welcome folx back into…

Did you know that we have lay ministers in our church? Earlier this month our Alliance invited some lay ministers to talk about the program and how it tries to support congregants in need. As I write today it felt like that would be some good information to share with the larger congregation.   The lay ministry program began in the early 1990s when First Unitarian experienced rapid growth in membership and the ministers of the church needed help in offering pastoral care. In the early years it took a while for the program to develop traction. Folks didn’t quite…

A photo of pink water lilies in a pond. It reminds me of a Buddhist metaphor for the heart that can hold both compassion and wisdom. This past weekend, I had the privilege of attending a meditation retreat at Great Vow Zen Monastery with a guest teacher in the Tibetan lineage known as Lama Lekshe. I still consider myself quite new to Buddhist teachings and practices, and I struggled much over the weekend with physical discomfort. My body is not used to sitting for so long. The experience was difficult, and I can’t say I had any particular spiritual breakthroughs…

It is Groundhog Day when I write, which is usually not a day that I pay a lot of attention to. The ritual of watching the groundhog and figuring out whether it sees its shadow has always been a little confusing to me, if I’m honest. But the day had a certain resonance for me this year. As I look out my office window I look out onto a gray day and there is a gentle rain. I have to confess I’m missing the days of sunshine we were so blessed to have recently. The gray has returned. Could I…

I am finding my own relationship with Covid shifting. Perhaps you are, too. The first year or so felt like a time to hunker down and wait for Covid to pass. Fear was what I felt most…and a kind of suspension of time. Then as vaccines became available, my routine and my feelings changed. Checking vaccine status became standard operating procedure. Mask wearing in public spaces the norm. It seemed like we were moving toward the end of the pandemic. We were weary…but relief was what I felt. Plans were in place to re-open the Sanctuary. Then Delta arrived. We…