Occasionally, we’ll get a phone call or an email asking if we’re open in the summer. Yes, not only are we open every Sunday in the year, but the summer is also a special time for the work of reflection, percolating, and imagination.I think the idea of closing comes from a historic custom amongst some Unitarian Universalist congregations who did take a break from services in July and August. These UU churches followed the academic calendar closely. However, we forget that even as there may have been lulls in the schedule at some churches, other Unitarian Universalist congregations experienced a…

We are in a time of healing from conflict as well as a hopeful time of renewal in our staff and in our music ministry, and these dynamics ripple out into the wider community. Our whole congregation is touched by these important groups and by relationships with the people in them. A congregation is a relational system, so when one part is struggling or succeeding, we all feel the impact.One of the important steps we have taken towards healing is finding the clarity and courage to name that there have been ongoing conflicts in these two areas that go back…

This past Sunday, I preached about ways we can practice healthy self-reflection. On the surface it may seem like a simple concept, but I know many people, myself included, who struggle to find the right balance.  How can I look back on my actions and decisions with both honesty and compassion? How can I take accountability for mistakes I’ve made without convincing myself I am an inherently bad person for making them? How can I keep from overthinking every decision? I shared that one practice I’ve found helpful in this work of self-reflection is the Ignatian Examen. This is a…

Dear ones,  We are mid-way through this summer journey together—this time of rest, reflection, and renewal. As I reflect on the summer so far, it occurs to me that I have not said something as clearly as I could have: You all are doing a very hard thing. Being a member of a church in conflict is incredibly hard. I’ve been there myself. It’s hard if you’re a long-time member who feels like you don’t recognize your church anymore. It’s hard if you feel like you’re at risk of losing deep friendships you’ve made at church over the years. It’s…

This past weekend, my wife and I packed up a campervan and hit the road for a three day music festival near Bend. I was there under the high desert sun, covered in dust and sunscreen, with thousands of others as we read about wildfires spreading across Oregon and as we learned that Joe Biden was dropping out of the presidential race. In all likelihood, we probably digested the news of some other unprecedented world event that I’ve already forgotten about amidst so many unprecedented world events. And because it was a Country and Americana music festival in central Oregon,…

Dear ones, I know this has been another anxious week in what seems to be a string of anxious weeks. Violence and devastation continue in Gaza. Heat waves drive home the dangerous impacts of climate change. And political violence, during an already tense and perilous election for our democracy, has many of us feeling especially on edge. This is a time when we’ll need every one of the spiritual tools in our toolbox to stay centered, grounded, and hopeful.  One way I try to find hope in dark times is by seeking out things that spark my “theological imagination.” As…

As we announced from the pulpit, our Music Ministry Transition Team held our first meeting last Sunday, July 7 to begin to reflect on our music ministry and how it serves children, youth, and adults of all ages in the choir community and in the wider congregation. We are in a time of rebuilding and reimagining our music ministry, which will include assessing our current capacity, identifying and supporting the traditions which continue to nourish us, and experimenting and adapting with new ways of doing things. Below you can read all about the current scope of the team’s work and…

“Treating each other and ourselves with care isn’t a luxury, but an absolute necessity if we’re going to thrive. Resting isn’t an afterthought, but a basic part of being human.”― Tricia Hersey, Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto I write this in the wake of several troubling Supreme Court decisions that could threaten the dignity and safety of our neighbors and the health of our democracy. And the alerts on my phone warning of an extreme heat wave keep distracting me from the tasks at hand. This week it feels like our nation and our planet are on fire, making it…

Dear Members and Friends, A couple of Sundays ago, Leslie Pohl-Kosbau, our Moderator, spoke from the pulpit regarding the transition in Music Ministry staffing. She shared that the entire Church Board has been engaging in processes over the last 18 months about a personnel issue that predates the current senior minister’s tenure. Leslie also let you know we would be sharing more information about the music transition soon. Our two previous letters (from June 13, and from June 5) are included below.We are balancing what transparency and confidentiality call upon us as leaders to share and not to share for…

Dev Dion, Foundation Board President The Foundation Board would like to recognize and thank the twenty-one members of the congregation who joined the Legacy Society this spring when they informed us that they included First Unitarian in their will or estate plan. The membership in the First Unitarian’s Legacy Society now totals 119 congregants.  THANK YOU NEW LEGACY SOCIETY MEMBERS Cleve Abbe & Trish Brown Marty Anderson Bill Bateman & Rodolfo Troya Marilynne EichingerRonnie-Gail Emden Ethel Gullette Nancy Hagensick Nancy Harrison John Hutzler & Teri Martin Rick & Maxine Lathrop David Livermore & Laura Jones Steve & Shannon Planchon Karen…