In late June 2019, in Spokane, WA, UUs from hundreds of congregations gathered for the annual UUA General Assembly. One highlight was a powerful Sunday morning worship, in which Rev. Marta Valentin and others call on all of us Unitarian Universalists to look at how to make our faith truly more inclusive. Join us on Sunday Jan. 19th to discuss from a heart place the feelings and questions this worship service brings up. Also, if time allows, what might we feel called to do... as individuals or as a congregation? Facilitators Pat Carstensen and Kate Plummer will guide the discussion, prefaced by the showing of a few highlights of worship. Lite snacks provided but everyone is encouraged to bring their own snacks or a bag lunch if they wish.
"The question is, are we ready to be better for our own people? Because ‘the world’ includes every person in our faith many of whom have been micro-aggressed right out the door. It is the silent revolving door that many do not want to acknowledge aloud. It is time now to ask ourselves, who are we, really? Which Unitarian Universalism are we taking into our future?"
"...the Power of We moves us from the solitary “I” to the community “We” – where there is a strong sense of belonging and we work together to the benefit of all. In the “We” culture the people are centered, it is impeccably inclusive, and the “I” exists only in relation to others, each of us must be strong for the collective to thrive. At the core the words we carry are not just ours, they include the voices of our ancestors speaking through and with us. And as this “We” engages in the delicate work it is not about the “power of tip-toeing”; the work requires speaking respectfully as we uphold our covenants; it asks us to listen reflectively; to teach the truth authentically and extend compassion to others we might not care for."
But as we all know, worship is about the music and the readings that all weave together, so we encourage people to watch the entire service (two hours) ahead of time at home if possible.
(Rev. Marta Valentin's sermon begins at around 1hr. 10 mins. if you want to jump to that part.) There are links below the main video for viewing with closed captioning for those who prefer that option.
Childcare available upon request by Sun. Jan. 12th (to Liza). Questions? Contact Pat Carstensen - or Liza Earle-Centers.
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