“There is something in every one of you that waits and listens for the sound of the genuine in yourself. It is the only true guide you will ever have. And if you cannot hear it, you will all of your life spend your days … read more.
The United Methodist Church has just affirmed their “Traditional Plan,” which refuses to allow same sex marriage or the ordination of queer ministers. Extensive child sexual abuse was recently exposed in the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the world. Long patterns of … read more.
Last Sunday, almost 60 congregants gathered in Eliot Chapel after the 11:15 Service for my quarterly Q&A. Given the snow on Saturday and travel difficulties for many, I was thrilled with the turnout. I always enjoy this format with its give and take and the … read more.
Through January 30, total pledge dollars for 2019 are virtually identical to last year at this time. We budgeted for a 3% increase. We anticipate an income shortfall in the $50,000 range by fiscal year-end.
We are not yet prepared to discuss how we will deal … read more.
We often say in church that there’s a lot going on here at First Unitarian. And indeed there is—all you need to do is look at the weekly enews or pick up the Sunday Bulletin or look over the Path to Engagement publication to see … read more.
Rev. Bill Sinkford and Rev. Sophia Betancourt
Few sermons have generated the level of engagement of last Sunday’s dialogue. Sofia Betancourt, who keynoted Seminary for a Day on Saturday, and I reflected on one of the shifts required to secure Unitarian Universalism as a liberating faith … read more.
The poet Mary Oliver died today—Jan. 17—at the age of 83 in
Florida. It was in a Unitarian Universalist church service when I first heard a
poem by Oliver. I can’t remember which one it was. But I do remember being
taken by her work in a way … read more.
It is the 475th anniversary of the death of Mevlana Jalaluddin al-Rumi. A Sufi mystic, Rumi is quoted as often in UU congregations as almost any other poet. “Come, Come, Whoever You Are,” has become one of our most familiar hymns. What does it mean … read more.
The gift giving and the gift finding season is hard upon us.
The commercial culture that surrounds us is insistent on it. Even if we manage
to resist the lure of the expensive “toys,” even if we bake or make our gifts,
even if we donate to good … read more.
As the winter solstice approaches, the longest dark of the year, the truth of the seasons and the cycles of life becomes so clear. We live in a culture that praises linear movement toward goals and the “crossing things off our lists.” Earth-centered traditions from … read more.
