|
A Growing and Deepening Faith |
|
|
|
|
Wednesday, 02 May 2012 |
Sadly, UUCS recently lost two members who passed away, leaving an emptiness in many hearts. We also will soon say goodbye to a few families who are leaving this area to be closer to other family members. Each person will be deeply missed and fondly remembered. They have touched the congregation—and individuals in the congregation—in so many ways. Their legacies and the memories they built at UUCS will live on for a long, long time. It would be easy to find faith challenged and to mourn the loss to the congregation. However, I see hope, meaning, and the determination to learn and make a difference everywhere at UUCS. I have faith that the people, the spirit, and the message of the congregation will ensure the continued growth and impact of this welcoming and vibrant community, and I have already seen many signs of this unfolding future in Religious Education (RE).
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Wednesday, 02 May 2012 |
I just finished re-reading the letter we all received from our vice president and chair of this year’s stewardship campaign, Chris Houck, about the need to close the gap between our current giving and our goal. I am first struck by how incredibly generous this congregation is. I am also struck by how blessed we are by this situation. I know it could sound a little off to say it’s a blessing to be in a shortfall or to have to look carefully at what we might have to do without next year if we do not reach our goal.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Friday, 30 March 2012 |
|
"Salvation is movement toward health and wholeness, and sin is movement toward brokenness and separation."
—Rev. Marlin Lavanhar, All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma
When my maternal grandmother died, I lost someone very important in my life. She was the foundation of her family. She made sure that each member of the family was connected, that everyone was well fed, and in her own quiet way, she let each person know he or she was important. She also made sure we knew who our family was by sharing stories. When she died, I was deeply saddened both by my loss and by the long ordeal she had experienced, fighting an exhausting and painful battle against brain cancer.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Friday, 30 March 2012 |
|
A friend who does not go to church asked me if salvation was an important part of my beliefs. I immediately said yes, but then thought for a bit and asked him what he meant by the word. He used terms like everlasting life and saving your soul. Ah, well then, maybe we use the term differently. As a UU, when I think of salvation, I do not consider it an end goal. Nor is it a promise, necessary for the motivation to do right by others. The basic tenets of our faith, the seven principles, call me to act in ways I would act regardless of any promise for everlasting life.
As for the “saving your soul” interpretation of the term salvation, I told him I really thought that souls weren’t for saving, but were actually for spending. Use yourself up, give of yourself, contribute to the experience of others and leave the world a better place.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Friday, 02 March 2012 |
|
I can’t help but think of Bob Schoppet’s stained glass pieces
hanging in our sanctuary as I write about brokenness. I know that we
often view brokenness as something that was once whole and complete that is in
need of repair. This is not the case with stained glass. When
we look at a completed work, its wholeness is formed from many “broken” pieces
that have found a way to be both special and separate and at the same time
encourage other pieces to express more beauty than they could on their own. I
believe our congregation offers the same opportunity.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
|
<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 Next > End >>
|
| Results 1 - 9 of 40 |
