Become a Worthy Now Prison Ministry Pen Pal

The Church of the Larger Fellowship is comprised of over 2500 individuals serving Unitarian Universalism—half of whom are currently incarcerated. As those of you reading this who are incarcerated know, most of our members in prison are new to Unitarian Universalism and learned about our church from friends or cellmates. With no access to the internet or Sunday services, people who are incarcerated can only learn about Unitarian Universalism from the mailings we send and letters exchanged with our staff and other Unitarian Universalists outside of prison.

Our Prison Ministry provides all people who participate an opportunity to live out our Unitarian Universalist values by connecting with a pen pal. At the Church of the Larger Fellowship, our message is that all of us are part of the interwoven fabric of the universe. We are deeply and undeniably connected. We acknowledge that while our behaviors can vary from loving to hate-filled acts of disruption and harm, our inherent worth remains unchanged. This is the foundation of our pen pal program.

For free-world pen pals (those who are not currently incarcerated): this relationship has the power to bring you into proximity with the issues of those people who find themselves incarcerated. In turn, your heart may be renewed by witnessing the power of Unitarian Universalism present even in the most difficult of places. For members in prison: this relationship will bring you connection, community, and a deeper understanding of how others experience Unitarian Universalism.

The experience of being a pen pal can be transformative for everyone involved. If you are in the free world, you can learn more and apply here. If you are incarcerated and are already a CLF member, you can write to Beth at our Boston office (Worthy Now Prison Ministry, 24 Farnsworth St, Boston MA 02210) to ask for a pen pal application or check where you are in the matching process. Anyone who has completed our New UU course is eligible for a pen pal, though as many of you know, we currently have a waiting list for new matches and the process may take some time. We don’t currently have enough free world pen pal applicants—so if you’re not incarcerated and are interested in being a pen pal, please do apply!

Attached media: https://web.archive.org/web/20211110222908/https://www.questformeaning.org/podcasts/21_02/05.m4a

I believe that our job as Unitarian Universalists is to love loudly. Louder than the hate in the world. Louder than the broken ness, the despair, and the darkness. We have to love so loud that everything else sounds like white-noise. This is my style of Unitarian Universalism. This is what draws me to this work. I want to be a part of a ministry that calls us to unleash a bold, fearless, and brave kind of love—a courageous love.

Growing up, I could never do Unitarian Universalism subtly. It just wasn’t my style. Even when I was really little, I have such distinct memories of 6-year-old me in 1st or 2nd grade telling all my classmates that “my church was the coolest church ever.”

That passion and vigor never really went away. In middle school, I was practically obsessed with drawing chalices on everything. I would doodle on my arms, my shoes, assignments, and a million other things. In high school, I started to figure out what it meant to be a faith leader. I served on committees at my home congregation (which is like a right of passage for any UU, right?), I became an active leader in the youth community, and had the opportunity to do some really amazing work with really incredible religious leaders.

At age 16, I served on the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Board of Trustees. Seriously, I could not do Unitarian Universalism subtly. It was just not my style.

This is the call that led me to become a religious professional and eventually led me to the Church of the Larger Fellowship. When I heard about the mission and vision of this community, I could not turn away.

I’ve recently joined the church full time, my job, in this new role, is to help people find and connect to the Church of the Larger Fellowship. Wherever they are, however they are, whoever they are. I am here to welcome them—to welcome you—to our church.

I’m living my 6-year-old self’s dream. It is literally my job to show people the tremendous power of Unitarian Universalism. If we haven’t already, I hope that we cross paths. I am so excited to serve this congregation in this role, and I know that together we will love so loudly that the whole world will know who we are.