Minister’s Message

Jeff and I have ventured across country one final time before the intensity of the new church year takes off. We are here to celebrate his birthday with his twin brother, to see my mother before some necessary surgery, to visit our daughter, to enjoy the company of 4- and a 2-years old grand-nieces. Surrounded by mountain laurel and rocky ground softened by moss and generations of evergreen needles, we are once again at our camp in Pennsylvania State Game Lands, hauling water from a pump two miles away and checking the outhouse for spiders before meeting other calls of nature.

The irony is not lost upon me—that I can spend one more precious week in relative wilderness because the internet allows me to work remotely. I do drive 40 minutes for the connection, but that is a small price to pay. I am a firm believer in the William Blake adage “Rest before Labor.” Here, I rest my eyes and rest my spirit that I might have the strength for the tasks at hand—new learning with new Board leadership through the Midwest Leadership School and our Leadership Retreat later in September; sharing spiritual journeys and questions through our expanding Soul Matters Sharing Circles program; re-connecting to members and friends after a long summer; continuing to lend my voice and our collective voice to the cause of justice; seeking a second renewal of my Preliminary Fellowship with the UUA. And so much more.

As we collectively flow back from our lakes and rivers, from our camps and cabins, from our tents and travel trailers, as vacations end and normal routines resume, we remember how good it is to be a gathered people with a purpose in the world—to make life good for all, to live life abundantly with gratitude. I look forward with joy and anticipation of great things for UUFM. I pray you feel this, too, today and every day, as you remember that you are loved, you are worthy, you are welcome, and you are needed. May you feel it so, and may it be so.

Blessings, Rev. Rita