“There is an oft-shared story in my family about a gentleman—a friend of the family, apparently—who pulled my grandmother aside when she was only five years old and attending the funeral of her very own mother who had just passed away from a prolonged illness. He handed my little-girl grandmother a mirror and invited her to look into it, asking her, ‘Do you see that face? Those eyes? Look carefully into that face, because that young girl you see in the mirror is someone you are going to need to look out for, to listen to, and to be a mother to. You are going to need to do it yourself, now. You are capable of this.’”
DeReau K. Farrar, music at First Unitarian Church of Portland, Oregon, found himself faced with questioning what kind of ministry he wants his to be:
“What pulls me toward church work? Is my service based in a desire to help people find a way toward abundant life, or is it based in my need to provide a venue for like-mindedness?”
He discovered that it is more than simply, “both/and.” Then he explains why!
Dear Ones, Have you seen this movie “Come Sunday” now on Netflix? It tells the story of Bishop Carlton Pearson, a Pentecostal megachurch pastor who embraced Universalism and is now, along with the remnant of his former congregation, part of All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, OK.
Many of us remember his Ware Lecture at UUA GA 2015 in Portland Oregon where one of my favorite quotes of Cornel’s is “Justice is what Love looks like in public.”
Here is the video of that evening including opening music by some of our favorite UU Musicians. At about the 30 minute-mark Peter introduces Cornel: https://www.uua.org/multiculturalism/ga/ware-west
Pray for Peace to find its way into your heart, into the world.
Wait with Perseverance as your companion in the dark still moments.
Trust that Love shall spread its wings in flight toward the spoken and unspoken desires of the heart even as it accompanies peace unto thy shoulders and surrounds the world in its beloved embrace.
I deeply appreciate The VUU taking time to begin a conversation about Earth-Centered UUism. I would love to see more of these types of conversations as there are many aspects of our Sixth Source manifesting in the hearts, minds and lives of Unitarian Universalists all over the world!
A great reminder that we have SIX Sources. The sixth is not merely an add on, rather, it is meant to be an integral part of our Living Tradition. I believe each source is meant to be active and accessible… and accepted. Yet, the whole of our sources are often left out of (or showing up more than moderately-diluted in) our “religious” services in exchange for the secularization that affirms our justice and social action principals with the reciting of profound logical quotes, psycho-political analysis, and calls to action for public witness on behalf of the most popular claimed causes.
I wonder what our Faith would look like if we went to Church on Sunday mornings (or Wednesday afternoons, or Friday evenings – – or each of these times every week) to be transformed? I wonder how many of our children would remain active members in our Faith Tradition if they were included in our now mostly adult services, rather than segregating them and hosting only a few intergenerational gatherings each year? I wonder if those among us who are taking up the mantles to be active in social justice activities would have more strength to do so if fortified by spiritually-centered community practices?
I suspect we would be stronger and more united in The Beloved Community if our worship services were rooted in the kinds of rituals, liturgy and ceremony found within the sources we are called to draw our faith from. There is so much benefit to be derived by incorporating authentic ritual into our services as well as including our children in the practice of worship. I believe there to also be benefit in having group-identified places of gathering, sharing and nurturing such as found within the sacredness of affinity and covent groups, as well as youth camps, etc. Yet to completely segregate our children from the core religious services seems at odds with our motto of “inclusion.” And in opposition to expressed desires for our children to claim this Faith as their own when they advance into maturity. If we want to pass the torch of the Unitarian Universalist Faith Tradition to the next generations, we need to include them in the Unitarian Universalist Faith Tradition.
I also am grateful that Catharine named the Women’s movement as pivotal to bringing our Sixth Source to life in our Living Tradition.UU Women and Religion (UUWR) is still active and accessible, dedicated to lifting up Women’s spirituality in our faith, preserving archives, creating curriculum and programs that honor our lived experiences of the divine.
I encourage you to join Catharine’s The Way of the River Facebook group – – and be prepared for how special Mondays are as group members are prompted to share “Beloved Selfies”: a beautiful way to witness and honor each other where ever we are in the world and on our journeys.
My daughter Morgan was finally able to return home to the Island with her son Gabriel. She gave birth on March 11th @8:47am on PEI and that night the doctors had him flown to Halifax hospital where he received wonderful care. He is doing well now and we are so very grateful. Welcome to Earth Gabriel! You are loved by so many <3 #Blessed
