“There is no power greater than a community discovering what it cares about. Ask: ‘What is possible?’ not “What’s wrong?’ Keep asking. Notice what you care about. Assume that many others share your dreams . . .”

This quotation from American writer, teacher, and speaker Margaret Wheatley reminds us that—regardless of sorrow, loss, pain, and disappointment—life in community means always reaching for what we care about and making it possible. Our life need not be about solving problems but rather about creating the world we want to live in. What does it take for our world, our community, our Fellowship, to be a more inclusive and loving place? What would it take for our values and principles to not simply animate our own lives but also shine out into the community, unmistakably UU, loud and proud? What are you willing to do to shine our light brightly and brilliantly, as a member of this congregation? What is it exactly that this Fellowship cares about?

In a time of challenge and sorrow, when we are not gathering as most of us would prefer, when the restrictions in our lives are frightening and painful, may we move to these questions of our purpose and meaning as a religious community in Greater Mankato. Who are we as a people and what possibilities will we commit to unleash in this world as Unitarian Universalists? I am here with you, to do this work of dreaming and becoming.

Blessings, Rev. Rita