REMINDER ~ FLOWER CEREMONY THIS SUNDAY, BRING A FLOWER(S) TO SHARE Our congregational year is bookended by two uniquely Unitarian Universalist rituals: the water ceremony on the Sunday after Labor Day, and the flower ceremony in June. Not every congregation celebrates these at the same time of year—especially the flower ceremony, which is … Continue reading June 12, 2024 Minister’s Message
Last week I was away on study leave, attending the spring convocation of the ministerial study group to which I belong. Our topic this time was about the theology of joy, pleasure, and play. It was three days of exploring that topic in lots of ways, most of which were embodied, but still grounded in … Continue reading May 29, 2024 Minister’s Message
As many of you already know, it was announced during Sunday’s annual congregational meeting that I will be continuing as your minister for a second year, and that when that second year begins in early August, my position will change from 3/4-time to full-time. I am so delighted to be continuing our shared ministry! The … Continue reading May 8, 2024 Minister’s Message
This week’s column is an invitation: come see me on a Wednesday, or let me know if you’d like me to come see you! I hold office hours at the fellowship most Wednesdays. While many of those days are full of committee meetings, there have now been several times when my only meetings were my … Continue reading May 1, 2024 Minister’s Message
Every year of ministry so far, this time between Easter and summer feels a bit like we are rolling downhill—like momentum is carrying us and also that time is passing quickly! There are just under two months left between now and our June 16 Flower Service, which marks the end of the “regular” church year … Continue reading April 24, 2024 Minister’s Message
I’ve just returned from a 5-day civil rights pilgrimage to Alabama and know I will be processing what I saw there for a long time. We visited Birmingham, Montgomery, and Selma, some of the key sites in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. I learned things I was never taught in school–in … Continue reading April 10, 2024 Minister’s Message
Despite the presence of several inches of snow in my yard as I write this, spring has officially arrived, and as is so often the case, this season feels to me as if it is full of energy and change. I have lots of plans for the next several months, and want to highlight a … Continue reading March 27, 2024 Minister’s Message
This last weekend, my spouse Shay and I went on a mini-retreat, just the two of us, to a rental cottage in northern Wisconsin, so rural that at night we could see incredible dark skies full of stars, a sight we miss, living in a city that never truly goes dark. The main purpose of … Continue reading March 13, 2024 Minister’s Message
This Sunday, I preached about the proposed revision to Article II of the Unitarian Universalist Association’s bylaws–the section that houses our principles, purposes, and sources. While my sermon touched on the process, I promised to make materials available to anyone interested in a deeper dive. Here are some links to explore: This is the main … Continue reading March 6, 2024 Minister’s Message
On Monday, it was 60 degrees and sunny, and my wife Shay and I took our dog Gus for a romp at a dog park. Yesterday, it snowed, and Gus came in from the back yard shivering. The weather this winter has confirmed what we already know: climate change is real, and the impact is … Continue reading February 28, 2024 Minister’s Message
