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Grateful Gathering at The Mountain

By: communication

Rethinking Thanksgiving Traditions: A Grateful Gathering
The prolonged challenges of Covid have led many individuals and organizations to examine their core values. Consideration of what is most important evokes fundamental life-style changes, moving toward living in harmony. 
 
At The Mountain, striving to live our core values, we are examining roles and responsibilities related to Thanksgiving traditions. Please join us for a Grateful Gathering, a long weekend event Wednesday, Nov. 24 through Sunday, Nov. 28. This intergenerational event will include activities like making corn husk dolls, and shared meals featuring traditional, locally farmed, and ethically-sourced-food. Learn more and register here.

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Nominations for Joe & Joan Moore Award

By: communication

Rev Diane Dowgiert is accepting nominations for the Joan and Joe Moore Award.  Details on the criteria for nominations (which include work at the Regional and Denominational level) and the nomination submissions form can be found here.

We accept nominations for this prestigious award until December 1.

 

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NOAH Public Meeting Recap

By: communication

On Oct. 17, NOAH held its annual public meeting. Well over 500 people were a part of the event. Mayor Cooper was in attendance and made commitments to each of NOAH’s 4 Task Forces. Also in attendance and making commitments to the Nashville community: school board representative as well as some of Nashville’s judges. Thank you to everyone who attended.

In case you missed the meeting, you may watch a video of the meeting on YouTube here

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Jaie Tiefenbrunn Resigns

By: communication

Congregational Notice
Dear FUUN Congregants,

jaie 2019I am sorry to let you know that our Director of Music Ministries, Jaie Tiefenbrunn, has resigned. Jaie’s last day of work will be Dec. 24th at the Christmas Eve service. Her music has been a source of joy and healing during this time of illness and difficulty. She will be sorely missed. If you have a chance, let her know how she has touched your life during her service here.

We will be starting a search for her successor in the near future.

On a happier note, we have interviewed several highly qualified applicants for the job of Office Administrator and will be making a hiring decision before the end of the week.

Mike Bolds,
President, Board of Directors
president@thefuun.org

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Mid-Week Message, 10-20-21

By: communication

Mid-week Message

from the Developmental Lead Minister 

Oct. 20, 2021

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“There is in every person an inward sea . . .”   -Howard Thurman

Howard Thurman, the African American minister who co-founded San Francisco’s Church of the Fellowship of All Peoples, often used the image of the inward sea when talking about the journey every person takes to discover the purpose for their existence. The inward sea is accessed through stillness and silence, setting aside the busyness and noisiness of the outer world. Within the inward sea are waves of thought and emotion that we can learn to surf like waves in the ocean. At the center of the sea, there is an island and on the island is an altar. The altar is guarded by an angel with a flaming sword. According to Thurman, “Nothing can get by that angel to be placed upon that altar unless it has the mark of your inner authority.”

These days, we’ve all been riding waves of change. It’s been a time when many have re-evaluated their priorities. The world of work is changing dramatically as a result. Across the country, workers are not returning to low-paying jobs in stressful and unsafe conditions. Others are rethinking their long and expensive commutes to and from the workplace – and other activities – everything from how we shop to how we eat to how we learn to how we meet to how we play to how we worship.

After these long months of disruption, all the pieces of our lives are on the table for reconsideration. It’s like everything we do must first get by the angel with the flaming sword, which to my way of thinking, is a good thing. It’s an invitation to mindfulness and conscious awareness of who we are and what our lives are for, consciously choosing what gets placed upon the altar of our finite existence.

My questions for you, my friends, are these: In these tumultuous times, how is it with your inward sea? What helps you to ride the waves of change? What in your life will get by the angel with the flaming sword? What will ultimately make it to your altar?

Though the inward journey is taken alone, the church exists to support the journey.

 
Yours in shared ministry,
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TN Interfaith Power & Light, Oct. Climate Academy, Oct. 23 on Zoom

By: communication
Climate Academy on Zoom
FUUN is a member of Tennessee Interfaith Power & Light (TIPL) – a faith partner.  Partners pledge to support the mission of TIPL, to stand with TIPL in support of effective Earth / life protection policies, and to identify a contact within the faith group to help spread the word of TIPL activities through our regular communications. In return, TIPL connects faith partners with resources to learn more about sustainable living practices and to offer opportunities to witness support for effective Earth / life protection policies.

Join us for Tennessee Interfaith Power & Light’s October Climate Academy on Saturday, Oct. 23, 9 a.m.  This Climate Academy will focus on what the new IPCC Report tells us about the urgency of the climate crisis. It will also focus on the potential worldwide response at COP 26 – the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference.

This climate academy will be presented by Daniel Joranko, Ph.D – Statewide Coordinator of Tennessee Interfaith Power and Light. It is free to attend this Zoom webinar. You can register by clicking on the button below. Once you register, you’ll receive a confirmation email that provides you with a zoom link. This zoom link will be emailed again to you on the morning of the presentation.
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Spiff-Up Morning, Oct. 30

By: communication

Spiff Up Day Oct. 30, 9 a.m. -Noon

Come join us for a morning of cleaning and fellowship on our FUUN campus. We will be washing windows, dusting, and decluttering. Contact facilities@thefuun.org if you have any questions or plan to participate; however, it is not necessary to RSVP.

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Mid-Week Message, 10-13-21

By: communication

Mid-week Message

from the Developmental Lead Minister 

Oct. 13, 2021

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“Honor the space between no longer and not yet.”  -Nancy Levin

Friends,
I recently came across an article of mine that was printed in Quest, the monthly publication put out by the Church of the Larger Fellowship. Though the article is several years old, it resonates with this month’s theme of mission and vision. It also speaks to the liminal space we are in and the freedom that can be found within that space. Anyway, here’s the article. 

I’ve attended the circus exactly three times in my life—twice as a child and once as an adult. The first two were the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey circus (under the big-top, the “Greatest Show on Earth”) and the third was Cirque de Soleil, held in an auditorium theater.

I was enchanted by that first circus, from the festively adorned horses and elephants leading the procession with circus performers riding their backs—not seated, but standing!—to the brave lion tamers who got into cages with big cats, to the jugglers and clowns and acrobats walking the tight-rope.

What most captivated me, though, was the flying trapeze. Perhaps my fascination was rooted in vivid childhood memories of the backyard swing-set—those times when I would pump the swing as high as it would go, and then, at just the right moment, propel my body off the seat, let go of the chains, and for a moment or two, fly free.

At the circus, I was captivated by the trapeze artists high above the crowd, gracefully letting go of their swinging bar, flying through the air, being caught, and then letting go again. The sense of freedom was exhilarating.

Author Henri Nouwen once had the opportunity to travel with the Flying Rodleighs, a troupe of trapeze artists. Their conversation inevitably turned to flying and how they could possibly do what they did. In the end, says Nouwen, it comes down to this: “A flyer must fly, and a catcher must catch, and the flyer must trust, with outstretched arms, that his catcher will be there for him.”

Nouwen, a Catholic priest, uses this as a metaphor for what happens to us when we die. We are the flyers and the catcher is God. For most Unitarian Universalists, however, the focus of the spiritual journey is on this life, realizing that heaven and hell can be conditions we create right here on earth. For me, the lessons from the flying trapeze pertain not to death, but to life—lessons in letting go, catching, and being caught.

I think something in us all craves the feeling of freedom. It is inherent in us. Yet, we allow ourselves to be deluded into thinking that security is synonymous with freedom. Truth is, the work of freedom comes with risk—the risk of letting go.

Letting go is religious work. Think for a minute of all the things that keep us imprisoned, all those things that get in the way of realizing the beloved community we dream of—racism, classism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia. The religious work is in finding these tendencies within ourselves and then letting them go. But letting go of deeply ingrained beliefs and fears is no small thing. Holding on to something feels better than having nothing to hold on to.

Much as we crave freedom, we also crave security. Letting go of beliefs, even those that don’t serve us, can feel like a free fall, a plunge into the unknown, unless we know that we will be caught, that there is a safety net.

We need trust if we are to let go of all that keeps us divided from one another. Building trust is religious work, learning that when we let go, someone will be there to catch us. The role of the religious community is catching people as they fall. People come to us all the time, having let go of beliefs that no longer serve them. They come to Unitarian Universalism for the first time with outstretched arms, trusting that we are going to be here to catch them.

The fine art of freedom is knowing when to hold on and when to let go, knowing what to hold on to and what to let go of. Now, more than ever, we are being called to practice values that we cherish, values of peace-seeking, justice-making, love—the value of extending compassion. We need to continue to let go of everything that gets in the way of freedom.

Now more than ever we need to be that community of catchers, to be a safe place to land for people ready to let go of culturally imposed values of unbridled greed and consumerism and the inevitable exploitation of people and the planet that come with an unquenched thirst for wealth and power.

Now, more than ever, we need to be that community. To do anything else is to put freedom at risk. The work ahead of us is religious work, trusting what our forebears taught—that there is a source of life from which we can never be ultimately severed. We belong to life and life belongs to us and the nature of this life is love.

In a world becoming increasingly intolerant, we can choose to be different. Within our community we can do the religious work of building trust. Within our community we can begin to create the world as we wish it to be. It is ours. We can create it to be what we want—a place of peace, a place of freedom.

If we are to fly free, we must learn to let go, and trust that when we do, we will be caught. And we must become the catchers.

 
Yours in shared ministry,

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Trans Affirming Collective (TAC) Resumes

By: communication

Trans Affirming Collective (TAC) is Resuming Meetings after a covid hiatus! TAC’s mission is to encourage our UU community to celebrate people of all gender identities through education, advocacy, and collaborative solidarity. Interested in joining? Email trans@thefuun.org for the next meeting info. 

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NOAH Annual Public Meeting, Oct. 17

By: communication

NOAH Public Meeting will be on Oct. 17, 2021 at 3 p.m. The event will be virtual.

Mayor Cooper is just one of the public officials invited who will be asked by each of the NOAH Task Forces to commit to making Nashville a city that everyone can thrive in. Show Nashville officials that you care and want improvements.

What does THRIVING look like in Nashville?
NOAH Annual Public Meeting
Sunday, Oct. 17 – 3 PM
Register in advance for this Zoom meeting:

Click here to register.

After registering, you will get an email with info about joining the meeting.

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Halloween Movie Night, Oct. 30

By: communication

Join us at the movies the night before Halloween

Saturday, Oct. 30, costume parade at 5:30 p.m., movie at 6 p.m. Bring a blanket to the Norris House lawn and we’ll watch Coco together! Please plan to observe appropriate distancing and masking. Halloween candy and popcorn for all!

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Mid-Week Message, 9-29-21

By: communication

Mid-week Message

from the Developmental Lead Minister
 

Sept. 29, 2021

“When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in service of my vision – then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.”  Audre Lorde
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Friends,

October arrives with waning daylight and longer nights. The gradual shift, from autumn into winter’s extended nocturnal hours, gives our eyes a chance to adjust to the darkness. October is a month when we are invited to embrace the shadowy aspects of life – from the grief of letting go to the unexamined fears of what the future may hold. The darkness is fertile territory. Navigating the dark takes all of our senses; it takes dreams and imagination – and from these, new visions are cast.

Our theme for the month of October is Mission/Vision. Having a vision for who we want to be and how we want to be in the world, a vision for what is possible if we dare to dream, makes us more able to move forward with strength, courage, and clarity of purpose. A compelling vision helps to clarify our mission, or that to which we must give our lives if we are to realize the vision. A clear mission keeps us focused on our aims, goals, and larger purposes.

The Dutch theologian and prolific author, Henri J. Nouwen put it this way: “We can discover who we really are. And we can ascertain when to act, when to wait, and when to be led.”

This season invites another shift, a turning inward of the kind that yields self-knowledge. This is true for individuals and for congregations. Knowing where you’ve come from, what you’ve been through, how life events have shaped you into the persons and the people you are today – this is the fertile ground from which new visions are born.

As days grow shorter and night’s blanket of darkness lengthens over us, may we invite the inward turn, the inward look into who we are and who we might become. May we dare to dream and imagine a new vision into being.

Yours in shared ministry,
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Mid-Week Message, 9-22-21

By: communication

Mid-week Message

from the Developmental Lead Ministerheadshot 080221

Sept. 22, 2021

Friends,

This message from Braver/Wiser, a weekly on-line publication of the UUA, spoke to me, especially this month as we explore the theme of radical hospitality. What parts of yourself might you welcome more fully into your awareness?

Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane
​leadminister@firstuunash.org

Healing Through Story

By Erica Shadowsong

September 15, 2021

“The reward for attention is always healing.”
― Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity

As a storyteller, I favor myths and folktales. I’ve never been one to tell personal stories. Then a virtual contest opportunity arose that invited me to confront this aversion: the story I told would have to be true and personal. A funny story did come to mind…but to tell it, I’d have to examine a part of my life I never talk about.

Thinking about my roots makes me feel lost; my various identities feel shallow, in flux, unformed. I was raised in a very small community that can best be described as a cult. It’s not a word I like to use, but it’s the one that will most help people understand what I’ve lost. Sometimes I think the things that might give me value are the very things that I was denied: answers not just about who I am, but also about to whom I belong. Who is my community? Who are my people?

For example, though I am of African and Latin descent, my exposure to my heritage was non-existent. Instead, we conformed to the group and its norms of whiteness. I am not who you come to when you want to understand the Black Church. I didn’t know that some Black families celebrate Kwanzaa. I never learned how to wrestle my hair into the perfect, smooth styles my grandmothers, aunts, and cousins seem to effortlessly do. By the time I reached college, I would have a long road ahead to reclaim the fact that my experience, with all its weirdness, is still Black experience.

My struggle to find a solid identity is also true for other parts of me—as an artist, a pagan, and a person—as if everything that’s led me here are only interruptions and obstacles, instead of part of what makes me the more whole person I am today.

The shift, for me, occurred by telling my story instead of trying to pretend like it never happened. By the time I was done editing the funny story, I had crafted a piece of art mined from a time in my life that I never thought I would be able—or willing—to share with others. In my weird, embarrassing upbringing, I found hope about exploring the telling of my own storied life with the love and respect it deserves.

Prayer

Dear Creative Life Force, thank you for your endless power to heal through the practice of crafting stories from our lives. The infinite healing power of creativity is the best gift you’ve given to us. Please help us to grow more compassion for ourselves every day, so that we may have compassion for others.
About the Author

Erica Shadowsong
Erica Shadowsong (she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist who discovered storytelling through her graduate studies in English, folklore, and music.

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Getting to Know You

By: communication
Getting to Know You
Please consider posting your picture and information in Breeze, so people can identify and get to know you. During the time the church has been closed to in-person meetings, many of us have sorely missed seeing each other face-to-face. The brave souls who have visited our services – and even joined our church – without meeting any of us in person, have a real hurdle in trying to make connections. It is hard to meet people that we cannot see! In order to facilitate more relationships between new and old members, the Board urges everyone to add their picture to their Breeze profile, along with any other information they are willing to share. To add your picture, go into your profile, right click on the photo icon. You will see an option to upload a photo. For other information, click on the section heading (such as “Main”) and you will see a menu for changes. Additionally, It is helpful to keep your camera on during Zoom services, so that others can learn who you are. Thank you for staying in touch. FUUN Board
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Covid Policy

By: communication

Announcement from Board – Covid Policy

COVID POLICY adopted by the Board September 21, 2021

Summary

We, the congregation of First Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashville, covenant together to keep our members, friends, and visitors safe by:

· Strongly urging that only vaccinated people enter our buildings,
· Registering as we enter the buildings, in order to facilitate tracing as needed.
· Wearing masks when inside our buildings,
· Properly distancing at six feet from each other,
· Immediately informing the staff if we become infected with Covid within one week of attending an event on church premises, so that others present may be contacted.

First Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashville

COVID Policy

adopted by the Board Sept. 21, 2021

Resolution regarding COVID-19 vaccinations and in-person gatherings at FUUN:

WHEREAS our Unitarian Universalist tradition draws on many sources, one of which is: Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the findings of science; and

WHEREAS FUUN is a covenanted community, bound in a covenant of mutual care and support; and

WHEREAS COVID-19 has altered the patterns of congregational life in ways that could not have been predicted and will continue to do so for some time to come; and

WHEREAS factual, scientific evidence strongly indicates that COVID-19 vaccinations are safe and effective at helping protect against severe disease and reducing the risk of transmission of the disease to others

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that we strongly encourage all our members and friends who are eligible and medically able to be fully vaccinated.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that it is strongly encouraged that everyone who attends FUUN events that are in-person will be fully vaccinated if eligible and medically able. It is also expected that any unvaccinated person will make measured choices about attending in-person events, will be duly aware of risk to themselves and others, and will be diligent about appropriate protective measures.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that it is required that everyone who attends FUUN events in-person will comply with all masking, distancing, hygiene, health screening, and registration practices that have been put in place by the leadership of FUUN.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that it is expected that members and friends will honestly and forthrightly disclose any incidents of personal infection while in attendance at in-person FUUN events.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that it is expected that those who choose to attend FUUN events in-person will obtain consent before engaging in any physical contact with another person, i.e. hugs, handshakes, fist-bumps, high-fives, and will obtain consent from those around them before unmasking for any reason.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the leadership of FUUN will diligently inform any who may have been exposed to COVID-19 while in attendance at an in-person FUUN event.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all FUUN paid personnel shall be fully vaccinated and may be asked to provide evidence of their vaccination status. Those who are medically unable to be vaccinated will work with their supervisor to arrange for work accommodations as possible, including but not limited to remote work, weekly COVID testing, or working in an appropriately isolated onsite work space.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all volunteers who work directly with children and youth shall be fully vaccinated and may be asked to provide evidence of their vaccination status.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all those who lead worship or other events as speakers or singers shall be fully vaccinated and may be asked to provide evidence of their vaccination status.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all precautions for in-person activities will be at least as restrictive as current CDC guidelines and will also take into consideration the specific needs and vulnerabilities of the FUUN community.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the leadership of FUUN will be responsive to the changing circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic and will make changes to guidelines for in-person events as the current situation requires, guided by data on the COVID Act Now web-site and CDC guidelines.

*leadership = Board, Lead Minister and Staff, and other Committees or Task Forces to whom decision-making authority has been delegated.

 

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Sponsors Needed for Fall Auction

By: communication
Fall 2021 Auction is Requesting Sponsors:
For years, the FUUN fall auction has been an important fundraiser for the church. In 2021, the Auction Committee persevered through the pandemic by presenting a live-streamed auction. With the 2021 Fall Auction around the corner, we are looking for sponsors again.
 
The First UU Nashville 2021 Fall Auction will be a mix of online and live (streamed for sure, but maybe in-person) auctions. The weeklong online auction takes the place of our typical silent auction and will run from Oct. 30 through Nov. 5. The live auction will be on the evening of Saturday, Nov. 6.
 
We won’t be serving food or alcohol this year, but we use special software to host the online version of the auction and have hired an auctioneer for the live auction. We expect our expenses to be approximately $700 for these services. Every dollar donated over our costs will go towards the operating budget of First UU Nashville. You can make sponsorship donations anytime at bit.ly/FUUNAuctionSponsor2021. Thank you.
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Mid-Week Email, 9-15-21

By: communication

Mid-week Message

from the Developmental Lead Minister 

Sept. 15, 2021

Friends,

headshot 080221Knowing the right thing to do is hard, even in good times. In challenging times, knowing the right thing to do is – well – challenging. Rarely are the choices we make as easy as yes or no, right or left, black or white. Mostly we live our lives in the grey zone. The balance sheet of costs and benefits for any given choice is complex, to say the least, because our lives are – well – complex. Put people together in community and the complexity increases. Throw a global pandemic into the mix and – let’s just say that nothing is simple these days.

I follow what is happening in religious communities both locally and nationally. In response to the pandemic, Unitarian Universalist congregations are experiencing many of the same dynamics as congregations of other faith traditions. Congregational leaders are feeling pressure in every direction, to fully reopening now, to staying virtual until the pandemic is over, to holding gatherings outdoors, to doing a hybrid of both virtual and in-person. What makes this time so incredibly challenging is that there are no road signs pointing the way, only guidelines and recommendations that must be adapted to each community’s particular context and set of circumstances.

What I’m hearing from UU congregations that have resumed fully live, in-person services is that attendance has been smaller than anticipated. What this says to me is that not everyone is ready. Not everyone is eligible and/or medically able to be vaccinated. Parents with young children at home, people with compromised immune systems or high-risk conditions (and those living with them), teachers, and health care workers who may be exposed to COVID infections in the course of their work are among those who are not yet ready to be around groups of people at church.

Our UU principles call us to radical inclusion and our UU sources call us to heed the findings of science. These suggest a cautious approach, maybe more cautious than some other faith communities. Yet, the longing to be together, to touch and hug, to laugh and cry, to raise voices together in song is real.

For now, the middle way here at FUUN is to gather on Sunday morning in the social hall for some social time at 10 a.m. and to view to the recording of the Zoom worship service at 11 a.m. Fitting the sanctuary for a more hybrid type of worship service will take some time, effort, and financial resources. Other types of in-person gatherings are being considered on a case-by-case basis. I will be vetting these requests in consultation with medical experts and the Executive Committee of the Board.     

For each one of us, the calculus around the costs and benefits of semi-isolation versus being in person in community will be different. At the very least, we all have a responsibility to keep each other as safe as possible, holding each other in tender care while we navigate this complex and challenging time. It is times like these that make our shared promises and commitments as a covenantal community real.

Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane
​leadminister@firstuunash.org 

Open the Door…

door open v23Trigg copyJoin other FUUN members, friends, and Silversonix for an in-person, outdoor celebration on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 19.  We’ll begin gathering on the front lawn of the Norris House at 12:30 p.m., and the music will start at 1 p.m. Bring your own picnic lunch, spread out a blanket, and enjoy being together while listening to some great music.  Masks will be encouraged while mixing and mingling, as will social distancing. Everyone will be required to register once they arrive so that contact-tracing can be implemented if needed. The event will be live streamed, so, if you are unable to attend in person, you can watch it from our FUUN Facebook page.

…Close the Gap
While we’re celebrating the slow and cautious opening of our doors, we’ll also be promoting a special fundraiser to close the gap in our budget. We need to raise another $90,000 to make up this gap, and sp fundraiserthe FUUN Trust has agreed to match all donations to this special fundraiser up to $50,000!  So that we don’t waste a penny of this generous match, we’re looking for all members and friends to make a one-time special gift to reach a total goal of $100,000.  Make a gift today by scanning the QR code, clicking here, or going to firstuunash.org, clicking on “Give” on the blue banner at the very top menu of the page or the large “Give to our Mission” button on the homepage. Be sure to select “Give to Close the Gap Fundraiser.”

If you haven’t heard Silversonix, youSilversonix 5’re in for a treat. Band leader Tom Surface is known for putting together many iterations of classic rock bands over the years. When he invited Sheri DiGiovanna to join in on vocals in 2018, the band added pop and country tunes to its repertoire. Band members are Tom Surface (guitar, band leader), Sheri DiGiovanna (vocals), Jim Surface (guitar), James Collins (bass), Victoria Harris (drums), and Joe Warner (keys). The name Silversonix was chosen to pay tribute to the decades, not only representing the span of their music but also the age span of the band members.  

-Richard Bird
Chair, Stewardship Committee

Mark Your Calendar 

Sept.
                 19  Special “Open the Door” fundraising event on campus

Oct. 
                   9  Habitat build day
                 16  Annual Recycle Day
                 30  Auction begins

Nov.
                    6  Auction Night
                  12 Palmer Lecture:  Open Table Nashville

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Blinding Flashes of the Obvious: Being Sick and Being Fat

By: Catharine Catharine Clarenbach

Beloveds ~

The following was in response to a query from a colleague who’s been asked to sit on a committee designed to address medical responses to fatness in elders. I answered way more than “The brief,” as they say on GBBO (and probably in British schools, though I don’t know). Thanks to Revs. Kate and Molly for the query and the typing up and cleaning up!

What do I wish medical professionals knew about being fat in a medical environment?

“1. Medical professionals WAY before you have treated us poorly, guaranteed. Dismissively. As though we’re lost causes unworthy of help with our overall health. One fat woman I know with a cyst on her breast has had three surgeons see her and walk out. One mumbled, “sorry.” None gave his name.

2. Stay in your lane. No, it is NOT the job of every medical professional of every rank and kind to either a. Ask us to lose weight, b. Ask whether we’ve ever dieted, c. Ask “Have you considered weight-loss surgery?” Consider before your speak how it is possible that we could not only live in this culture, but also be in a big body and NOT consider those things.

3. The most conservative numbers show that, at five years out, 85% of dieters have gained all their weight back. Of those, (raised hand) 40% will gain more than we lost.

4. We know that weight cycling, or “yo-yo” dieting, is significantly more damaging to health than being “overweight.”

5. In The Obesity Myth [transcriber’s insert: Paul Campos, 2004], the author looks at the numbers and discovers that those deemed “overweight” in fact have the longest life expectancy. (Though see BMI note below.)

6. Fat people can be orthorectic, anorexic, have binge eating disorder, or be intuitive and attentive to their bodies and therefore, healthful eaters.

7. Speaking of knees… a. YES, many more heavy people have BETTER outcomes than smaller people. b. Not only that, but why do you get to decide that our pain is immaterial, when you’d happily treat the pain of a thin runner? At what point does our pain matter to you? And furthermore, c. Risks are just that, risk. There are may reasons people do things. Many. And not one of them… not ONE (I am using the microphone for those who didn’t hear)… is because of laziness. Lazy should be excised from all our vocabularies.

8. Damn, I have many things to say on this topic. BMI was never intended to be an individual instrument of measurement, but rather a sociological statistical tool. It also correlates with (other) racist health care practices. Read Fear of the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fatphobia by Sabrina Strings for more on this topic.

9. Paramedics, CNAs, nurses, transfer and transportation staff, interns, residents, and ATTENDING doctors need to have regular familiarity with or at least training in the pain management, wound care, movements, pitfalls (like areas for pressure sores), and the use of bariatric equipment all pertaining to fat people’s experience/needs.

10. Well over 85% of us have dieted at LEAST once in our lives. And yet the rate of success is so low… how would your reckon those as surgical odds?

11. I remember first being told, “You don’t need that,” by one of my aunts when I reached for a cookie at three or four years old. I was on my first diet in second grade. I now weigh 600 pounds, after well over twenty (at least) rounds at intentional weight loss and several prescriptions of psych meds. You do the math.

12. Some of us—like me—are like previously kicked and abused animals. We ASSUME we’re going to be hurt. So at the first sign of aggression we exhibit trauma responses BECAUSE WE HAVE LIVED THROUGH TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCES. Ahem.

13. Gowns. Waiting rooms. Beds. Stretchers. Why do we have to call ahead, check in, be our own fat case managers? Gowns are too small — if they may be too small, tell us in advance to bring our own. If we even HAVE our own, given who has hospital gowns lying around? Waiting rooms MUST, that’s MUST have large chairs, love seats, and/or (ideally and) chairs without arms. Thin people who are occupying one of these should know to get up and switch seats when we enter the room. We shouldn’t have to ask.

14. Patisserie’s dozen. Interrogate the fact that the people who know best how to use surgical tools appropriate for the very fat among us are those who practice “bariatric”—that is, “weight loss”—surgery. They are those trained in the use of the longer instruments needed to address our bodies’ surgical concerns.

All surgeons—and other health care providers—need to stop blaming our bodies and start blaming your training and enculturation. (Wow, that last line sums up a lot!)

Good authors are Lindo/Linda Bacon, Lucy Aphramor, Ellyn Satter (especially for parents!),Sabrina Strings, and the founders of Be Nourished.

Last—the best way to keep your kids from hating their bodies is not to pour shame upon your own, Let us be kind. Even and especially to ourselves, no matter our size.

Nope, not last… this is last: being fat can be so hard, Why would you make it harder? People have already tried blame and shame and it hasn’t worked. We cannot hate our way to health on any axis. First, do no harm.”

Beloveds, hear me, ALL of us–we cannot hate ourselves or our bodies into anything good. When did hate make flowers grow? Tender, gentle, persistent compassion makes things grow and flourish. May we all shower ourselves with compassion, and so, then, make it our mission to learn about those different from ourselves, and thereby create a better world for our Descendants of Blood, Choice, or Spirit.

Blessings on you, my dears. Blessed be your bellies. Blessed be –

~Catharine~

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Palmer Lecture: “Housing is a Human Right”

By: communication

Save the Date for our Annual Palmer Lecture: Lindsey Krinks, Co-Founder and Director of  Education for Open Table Nashville, has agreed to be this year’s Palmer Lecturer. The virtual lecture “Housing is a Human Right” will be on Friday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. For more information about Open Table Nashville, visit opentablenashville.org

Rev. Palmer was named Minister Emeritus of FUUN in 1979 in recognition of his work as our first called minister. To further honor his legacy, the church began an ongoing lecture series on human rights issues with the mission to engage speakers of recognized stature and appeal to a wide audience in the Nashville area. View previous lectures at  firstuunash.org/palmer-lecture-archive/ and join us this November.

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Annual Recycle Day, Oct. 16

By: communication

Please mark your calendars for Saturday, Oct. 16, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. With the exception of 2020, since 2016 FUUN has actively participated in this interfaith Recycle Day Event. Members of participating churches are able to drop off to West End United Methodist Church parking lot items such as paper for shtredding, medicines, electronics (small fee), and more. Further information to follow. We need 3-4 volunteers to help make the day a success; contact Kathy Ganske (her information is in Breeze). 

Kathy is a member of FUUN and our inaugural co-chair for ENACT, which is FUUN’s Environmental Action Team. See our website page at firstuunash.org/enact/ for more information. Currently, our ENACT team doesn’t have a chair. If you are interested, please contact nominating@thefuun.org.

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Mary Lindsay Resigns

By: communication

Special Notice to the Congregation

 

Dear FUUN Congregants,

I am sorry to report that our church administrator, Mary Lindsay, has tendered her resignation. She will be sorely missed, but has been offered a position at Scarritt Bennett Center which is too good to refuse. Her last day of work with us is September 28. We wish her the best in her new job.

The Board, in consultation with Reverend Dowgiert and the Personnel Committee, will be working to come up with a new administrator as soon as possible. Thanks in advance for your patience in this process.

Mike Bolds,
President, Board of Directors
president@thefuun.org

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Gather, Inspire, Launch! Social Witness Convening of the Commission on Social Witness

By: communication

Part One: Wednesday, Oct 6, 6-8 p.m.
Part Two: Wednesday, Oct 13, 6-8 p.m.

Across the world, we UUs find ourselves pulled in many directions for justice & health, humanitarian aid, and earth care. Amid this trying time, let us inspire one another through collective action!

At the UUA General Assembly this past June, the delegates voted to affirm three bold statements for healing action. The delegates also adopted a formal UUA Statement of Conscience on Undoing Systemic White Supremacy. Join these two meetings to find out what UU leaders around the country are doing, what you can do, and who you can partner with to carry forward these bold actions full of inspiring possibilities.

Gather, inspire, and launch your social witness action! The Commission on Social Witness invites you to the Fall Social Witness Convening in two parts. Attend both sessions to find out about all the statements and actions!

Part One: Wednesday, Oct 6, 6-8 p.m.    Register

“Defend and Advocate with Transgender, Nonbinary, and Intersex Communities” with guest speakers:
  • Shige Sakurai and Alex Kapitan, lead authors and members of TRUUsT (Transgender Religions professional Unitarian Universalists Together)
  • Rev. Michael Crumpler, UUA LGBTQ and Multicultural Programs Director
  • Janine Gelsinger, Executive Director of UU Justice Arizona (UUJAZ), with local partner TBA
“Stop Voter Suppression and Partner for Voting Rights and a Multiracial Democracy” with guest speakers:
  • Donna Sheidt, lead author & member of UUSJ (Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice) Democracy Action Team
  • Fred Van Deusen, Convener of UUSJ Democracy Action Team
  • Nicole Pressley, UUA Organizing Strategy Team Field & Programs Director

Part Two: Wednesday, Oct 13, 6-8 p.m.    Register

“The COVID-19 Pandemic: Justice. Healing. Courage.” with guest speakers:

  • Rev. Bob Murphy, Sally Gellert, and Terry Lowman, lead authors and members of UUJEC (Unitarian Universalists for a Just Economic Community)
  • Carey McDonald, Executive Vice President of the UUA
  • Susan Leslie, UUA Partnerships & Coalitions Organizer
“Undoing Systemic White Supremacy: A Call to Prophetic Action” with guest speakers:
  • Carey McDonald, Executive Vice President of the UUA
  • Susan Leslie, UUA Partnerships & Coalitions Organizer
  • Members of the Diverse & Revolutionary UU Multicultural Ministries Steering Committee
  • Members of the Allies for Racial Equity Leadership Collective

All UUs are invited to these meetings, and no prior experience or knowledge is necessary. You may review the statements in advance if you are able*. The meeting will take place via Zoom. In addition, the meeting will include minimal optional breakouts in order to promote meeting usability for all.

For questions, email socialwitness@uua.org

*defend-and-advocate-transgender-nonbinary-and-intersex-communities
*stop-voter-suppression-and-partner-voting-rights-and-multiracial-democracy
*2021-06/20210624_Proposed_AIW_COVID-19.pdf
*undoing-systemic-white-supremacy

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“Seasons of FUUN * Fall” Journal is published.

By: communication

Seasons of FUUN will be published quarterly: September, December, March and June. 
Deadlines for submissions are August 15, November 15, February 15, and May 15. Submit to journal@thefuun.org.

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Mid-Week Message 9-1-21

By: communication

Mid-week Message

from the Stewardship Chair

Sept. 1, 2021

Dear Friends,

Self 2It seems we just can’t catch a break.  Turmoil in Afghanistan, floods in the south, fires out west, oppressive heat everywhere. And just when we thought the pandemic might be in the rearview mirror, we’re back to overburdened hospitals and mask-wearing.

To cope, some may sing, some may cry, some may even put on fancy clothes and take on a different persona. (You’ll hear about that during Sunday’s service.) One thing that all who are reading this email have in common is the comfort of a welcoming and loving community – a community where we are nurtured and healed.

A community is many things. It’s broadly defined as a group of diverse individuals who share common interests and perspectives. It provides a lens through which its members see the world.  Henri Nowen, the Dutch Catholic priest, professor, writer and theologian wrote, “However, community is first of all a quality of the heart. It grows from the spiritual knowledge that we are alive not for ourselves but for one another.” In order for a community to flourish and make a difference in the world, it needs leaders. It needs a common vision.  And equally as important, a community needs commitment.

Our annual stewardship campaign is one (big) way we demonstrate our commitment to FUUN. Your commitment and love poured through in our “Journey Toward Wholeness” campaign this past spring. While there was much to celebrate, we did end up a little short of meeting the financial needs for the current church year. So, in conjunction with our slow and steady reopening, we’re launching a special fundraiser to close the gap. Look for details below and on the FUUN website about the fundraiser as well as a special celebration happening on the church lawn on Sept. 19.

On Sunday, we hope you will listen to UUA President Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray talk about how communities can be transformational. They change lives and save lives. There’s a moment in every service for an offering. Let this be an opportunity to make a special gift to our community.  

**********************************
Open the Door…

 Open the door
Join other FUUN members, friends, and Silversonix for an in-person, outdoor celebration on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 19.  We’ll begin gathering at 12:30 p.m., and the music will start at 1 p.m. Bring your own picnic lunch, spread out a blanket, and enjoy being together while listening to some great music.  Masks will be encouraged while mixing and mingling, as will social distancing. Everyone will be required to register once they arrive so that contact-tracing can be implemented if needed.

If you haven’t heard Silversonix, youSilversonix 5’re in for a treat. Band leader Tom Surface is known for putting together many iterations of classic rock bands over the years. When he invited Sheri DiGiovanna to join in on vocals in 2018, the band added pop and country tunes to its repertoire. Band members are Tom Surface (guitar, band leader), Sheri DiGiovanna (vocals), Jim Surface (guitar), James Collins (bass), Victoria Harris (drums), and Joe Warner (keys). The name Silversonix was chosen to pay tribute to the decades, not only representing the span of their music but also the age span of the band members.  

…Close the Gap
While we’re celebrating the slow and cautious opening of our doors, we’ll also be promoting a special fundraiser to close the gap in our budget. This past Stewardship Campaign, as remarkable as it was under such unique circumstances, fell a little short of its goal. We need to raise another $90,000 to make up this gap. 

The great news is that the FUUN Trust has agreed to match all donations to this special fundraiser up to $50,000!  So that we don’t waste a penny of this generous match, we’re looking for all members and friends to make a one-time special gift to reach a total goal of $100,000.  Make a gift today by going to firstuunash.org, clicking on “Give” on the blue banner at the very top of the page, and selecting “Give to Close the Gap Fundraiser.” 

-Richard Bird
Chair, Stewardship Committee

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Special Fundraiser on Campus, Sept. 19

By: communication

Join other FUUN members, friends, and Silversonix for an in-person, outdoor celebration on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 19.  We’ll begin gathering at 12:30 p.m., and the music will start at 1 p.m.  Bring your own picnic lunch, spread out a blanket, and enjoy being together while listening to some great music.  Masks will be encouraged while mixing and mingling, as will social distancing.  Everyone will be required to register once they arrive so that contact-tracing can be implemented if needed.

Open the door . . .

While we’re celebrating the slow and cautious opening of our doors, we’ll also be promoting a special fundraiser to close the gap in our budget. This past Stewardship Campaign, as remarkable as it was under such unique circumstances, fell a little short of its goal.  We need to raise another $90,000 to make up this gap. The great news is that the FUUN Trust has agreed to match all donations to this special fundraiser up to $50,000!  So that we don’t waste a penny of this generous match, we’re looking for all members and friends to make a one-time special gift to reach a total goal of $100,000.

So, save the date and let’s have some FUUN – together!  If you haven’t heard Silversonix, you’re in for a treat. Tom Surface, known for putting together many iterations of classic rock bands over the years, invited Sheri DiGiovanna to join in on vocals in 2018, and the band added pop and country tunes to its repertoire. Band members are Tom Surface (guitar, band leader), Sheri DiGiovanna (vocals), Jim Surface (guitar), James Collins (bass), Victoria Harris (drums), and Joe Warner (keys). The name Silversonix was chosen to pay tribute to the decades, not only representing the span of their music but also the age span of the band members.

 

Richard Bird
Stewardship@thefuun.org
Stewardship Chair

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Small Group Ministry Gatherings Resume

By: communication

Our Small Group Ministry gatherings are starting up again.
Contact Marguerite Mills, Director of Lifespan Religious Education, at mmills@firstuunash.org to sign up or if you have questions.

Nonviolent Communication (NVC) Practice Groups are open to anyone, regardless of past experience here or elsewhere. To change one’s mind set and habit patterns from a right vs. wrong model to a compassionate and connecting model takes practice. To connect empathetically with others, and with oneself, takes practice. To begin to live in the world we dream about takes practice. Meetings take place Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m.

Covenant Groups are made up of five to 12 people, each led by a facilitator, that meet twice a month for the purpose of supporting individual spiritual growth and deepening a sense of community among participants. Each session gives participants an opportunity to reflect with one another on an engaging topic, which might include: generosity, bitterness, faith, longing, racism, etc. Covenant groups are an opportunity to listen and share with a subset of the congregation. Different groups meet at different times.

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Dinner After Words

By: communication

1st Wednesdays, Oct. 6, 2021-July 6, 2022, 6-7:30 p.m.
Via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82691358595

Let’s gather from our respective dinner tables and break bread together as we watch a sermon from the previous month and then discuss how the topic touches our lives. In our upcoming Journal, Rev. Diane talks on page 2 about our theme this year: Radical Hospitality, and within that, the topic for each month, which will inform our discussions. September’s topic will be Class, which we’ll discuss on Oct. 6, October’s topic is Race/Ethnicity, which we’ll discuss on Nov. 3, and so on for the rest of the church year. See Rev. Diane’s piece for more about the theme and topics, or contact Marguerite Mills, Director of Lifespan Religious Education, at mmills@firstuunash.org.

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Blinding Flashes of the Obvious Part 2

By: Catharine Catharine Clarenbach

Dear ones –

So here I am in my bed, thinking of all the things that people have done for me —

Doctors have been paid to get me the referrals, medicines, therapies, and consultations I need.

Friends have made donations so that we can order food.

Another friend brought a casserole. (I think Jack Mandeville is leaning into his South Carolina roots, what do you think?)

My mom (hi, Joyce Buck!) has come to help Julie and me with cooking, cleaning, and all the things that will ease Julie’s burden a bit. And Morgan came a while ago and will be here again.

The Council of Third Degree Initiates of Stone Circle Wicca (USA) made a ceremony for me, honoring the work, musical and otherwise, that I have done with them over the years, as well as offering healing and strength from the four Elements.

(In that same ceremony, our comrade Jonathan White was also standing at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, a place from which he had watched the blood-red moon rise the night before. As he said, “The Daughter giving birth to the Mother.”

I have written here about how empowering it is to be asked to help. People like it. They like, in their strength and abundance, to be able to show love in substantive, concrete ways. I know I do. I enjoy loving on others. Buying Julie a dress that fits and is one of her good shades of green has made me happy for days and days. I am so proud. I know I did something that helped her, made her happy, and let her know I was paying attention and had her in mind.

Furthermore, and what THIS missive is about is that, even when asking for help is hard, even when the ask seems too big, I am finding that it is generally worth it. The hardest one of these asks has been speaking to my friends in Stone Circle Wicca. We have another dear friend and Initiate who is in dire health straits — more dire than mine — and I am very aware of that.

But I was and remain so aware of how important connection is. I was and remained so aware of how much I needed it and how little I was getting it. I felt alone in my pain and in my healing, and I knew where I needed to turn.I knew what I wanted, what I hoped for, and what was out there. So Julie, bless her, pushed me to ask for what I wanted. Though I desperately feared a no — that indication that now is not the right time — I knew in my heart that if I heard a no, it would be an invitation to practice.

But I did not get a no. I got welcoming inquiries about what I needed and that it was okay to have asked. In Stone Circle Wicca, our ceremonies respond to a range of human needs. Sometimes those needs are to celebrate the turning solar year, to over devotion under the full moon or in the dark of the new moon. Sometimes the need is driven by faerie whim — the sense that we need to lighten our spirits and bring levity to a situation.

But my set of needs was different. My set of needs was very clear. I needed to feel blessed, held, loved by those I love. And I longed for their prayers for healing.

And they did it, friends, they did it.

There’s a little aphorism that Julie and I often quote: “Some kind of help’s the kind of help that helping’s all about. And some kind of help’s the kind of help we all could do without.” You know that second kind, I’m sure. When someone butts in and decides what you need without asking. Ugh. I hate it. It makes me vaguely anxious, just typing about it. I’ve experienced it recently, and it’s just not fun. And I know that I need to be careful about being pushy in that way, myself. It’s true that nurturing is in my character, but nurturing is not always the way to go.

So I am so grateful to my friends and co-religionists for their inquiry. For that gentle asking about what I really needed and wanted — so they could give it to me if it was in their power.

And, as I’ve said above, they did.

So this is the blinding flash of the obvious, friends: Not only is helping good for the ones who are doing it, but — hello?! — it CAN work out for the one who dares to ask. Yes, it’s lovely to have folks volunteer out of the kindness of their hearts, or even because they’re getting paid. That can be really lovely, both of those, each in their own way.

But dare to ask, beloveds. Consider what you need, and dare to ask. Because asking to have our needs fulfilled by means we think are possible, even if improbable, can lead to beautiful gifts, and a lovely exchange for all.

I don’t look self-sufficient at all, I don’t think. But still, it was hard to ask for that ceremony. We often are so afraid of seeming weak, of being vulnerable, that we forget what love means. That we forget we are worthy of love.

Dearest, you are worthy of love. And because you’re worthy of love, you’re also worthy of help. The kind of help that helping’s all about.

This can be a hard teaching, eh? So I encourage you, wherever you are in this equation, to PILE on, to DRENCH yourself in compassion. No matter what we do, we’re doing the best we have with the tools we can reach at the time. Be gentle, gentle, gentle. Let us together be persistently gentle, and so be willing to ask for the help we need and long for.

Blessings, my loves, blessings –

~Catharine~

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Business Donations Needed for Fall Auction

By: communication

Have a couple of hours and a cell phone? Help this year’s Annual Auction succeed by reaching out to local businesses to solicit donations. You may use our contacts from past auctions or develop new connections. Contact Jeannie Haman via auction@thefuun.org to help out or use this form: Breeze 2021 Fall Auction Volunteering Form

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Helping Muslims fight terrorism?

By: /u/OdinsGraycat

Does anyone know the best way to keep Muslim Youth from being tricked into Joining ISIL?

submitted by /u/OdinsGraycat
[link] [comments]
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The Eye of the Crone is Upon Us

By: Catharine Catharine Clarenbach

Beloved comrades-

What a strange, strange time. In my tradition, Lammas (August 1 to 2) begins a season of three harvest festivals followed by the Great Silence, the Close and Holy Darkness. But Lammas begins the season, still in the heat of summer, of sacrifice.

That said, Lammas also begins the season of giving oneself mindfully, clearly, wisely, and with discernment, in the service of greater goods perhaps than those we have been following. And following the greater good, the bigger institution, the more compelling spiritual idea, the more trustworthy teacher–well, these have been central to my development of my sense of self over the last twenty-five years.

Mid-June: I have a pulmonary embolism, pulmonary edema, and atrial fibrillation. When I get to the hospital and then run my labs and take chest x-rays, my heart appears to be fine, all things considered, but my lungs, not so much. It seems they have never fully recovered from the four emboli I had in 2014.

Now, though, I am being surrendered. I have prayed to know how to–to learn how to–surrender. And that can be a good thing. Offering oneself as the stalk of wheat, the neck of the sacrificial bird, the wilting flower–these are beautiful gifts.

In Sufism, though, is an incredible concept that has captured my imagination all year. It is the idea of the corpse. This is in some ways, yes, a variation on a theme in many monastic and mystical traditions. “Keep your death ever before your eyes,” sure. But that’s not the primary image or teaching that I get from it.

The Sufis say that one should pray to be in the hand of Allah, as the corpse is in the hands of those who prepare it for burial. The corpse moves because its arms or legs, trunk or head are moved. Similarly, one’s choices and actions should be ultimately and completely in accordance with Divine Love, the fullness of Divinity. You should only choose as the Divine moves you to choose. You should only touch where the Divine moves you to touch. And you cannot do this through your own will. You can only do it by making an offering of yourself, a polished soul…and I lose words and knowledge here. I don’t know how one goes from surrendering to being surrendered, from humility to abased awe before the Divine impossibility.

The edge of a bariatric bed is a hinge I must go over every time I go in and out of bed. I am on powerful blood thinners. I bruise from head to toe, especially where the bed hinge digs into my leg. My right leg has a five-inch wide, 18-inch-long bruise wrapping around my thigh.

So I’ve thought of that image of Divinity, with respect to my current conditions.

I’ve also thought of another image of Divinity, that of Brigid, the great Gaelic goddess and saint, whose image decorates not just my domicile, but that of a few of our comrades. If you’ve been around Reflections for a while, you know that Brigid is important to me, and that various of her tools, symbols, and stories inform my life. In this case, the pertinent image of Brigid is the one I first learned, the triple-faced deity, the Three Brigids. These are the faces of that goddess: the Bard, the Healer, and the Blacksmith, or the patroness of blacksmithing, depending on when and how we’re looking at Her. Specifically, it is the goddess in her guise as the Smith that captures my attention–captures, holds, binds, and won’t let go.

End of June through the beginning of July, and the first Heat Dome in Portland: bloodwork finds anemia, confirmation of my diagnosis of a recurrence of cellulitis, the big bruise goes deeply into my body and becomes an internal hematoma — a sac of fluid roughly a 7-cm sphere just beneath the surface of my skin.

I know two people who prayed to Brigid for transformation of one kind or another. One of them prayed to have a new relationship with her body. Both of them got appendicitis. Both of them had surgery, one in an emergency setting. Meanwhile, I have been dreaming of Her. A wrought-iron fence. A hammer. An anvil. A tempering pool. The bellows for the Great Forge. The Star Forge itself. And the arm that swings the hammer to send sparks off the top of the anvil…the broad and callused hand, the powerful forearm made burly by time at the Work of creation, destruction, and transformation.

So yeah, you can imagine. The image of lying on the anvil is just too easy, but there it is. Being shaped. Being shifted. Being hammered and pulled, malleable and ductile. Being heated, red-hot and then splashed into the water. Shaped and shifted, melted and stilled, birthed out of the forge into a shape I could never have dreamt up on my own.

Tuesday, late July: The wound where my hematoma was has begun to bleed regularly, but not alarmingly… until there appears to be a red water feature emerging from my leg. When my nurse comes, she says we’re doing all the right things. Beyond that, we tell her about the 7 cm, so she decides to measure the inside of the wound — 11 cm. When I call my PCP and share a photo, she directs me to go to the hospital. This wound is beyond her, and she knows it.

Then, very much NOT in dreamland, I listen to my primary care provider saying just this morning: “You know, I have seen women in their late forties or early fifties, over and over and over again. Each one has some kind of health crisis right around this time. I think it is an initiation. That it is a doorway to the beginning of Croning.” (Do you see why I love her? She’s amazing. Not taking new patients, but amazing.)

And I think of Charlie Murphy, author of the compelling-but-historically-totally-wrong song, “The Burning Times.” He wrote a line regarding the development of the military-industrial complex and ecological destruction: The Eye of the Crone is upon you.

The Eye of the Crone is upon you.

This can mean, look out because death is coming for you. It can also mean the ancient keeper of wisdom is with you.

Late July, over Lammas into August: 15 hours after arrival, surgery to drain and clear out the hematoma. More IV antibiotics and painkillers. Two rolls of gauze packed into my wound and then removed as I watched. Told I could not leave the hospital until I could–without IV painkillers–have my wound packed with spongy, absorbent material, wrapped in “drape,” attached by tubing to a little machine that applies suction and pressure to my wounds–the original one, as well as the new one the surgeons made.

The Eye of the Crone is upon you.

What do They… What does She mean? Does She watch? Does She carry the Scissors of Atropos? Or is she calling out the Descendants from Their place behind the veil of Birth? What does her transforming power mean for me? For The Way of the River?

We shall never be the same, my comrades, my friends, my beloveds. We shall never be the same. The Eye of the Crone, the Doorway of the Initiation, the Hole in the Stone…these are open to us. What shall we be when we go through?

I am well enough to say at this point that the community of The Way of the River is not ending. I am well enough to say at this point that portions of my ministry of The Way of the River will remain. I intend to be in touch with all my clients, one way or another, and we’ll talk about what will happen next!

Love a thousand times, my dears —

~Catharine~

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Choir Re-Zooms Aug. 19

By: communication
Choir RE-Zooms August 19

What does Choir look like this year? How do we want to be together in space? How do we commit to being together, what will work for us as a small group moving forward? Ideas, Joys, Sorrows, Sharing, and Singing, we’ll do it all on zoom to start the year. The first two weeks will be community building, covenant, warm ups and voice class. Thursdays starting August 19, 7-8 p.m. on Zoom. Questions? Email Jaie at music@firstuunash.org.

Register in advance for this meeting by clicking here.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

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Mid-Week Message Aug. 10, 2021

By: communication

Mid-week Message

from the Lead Developmental Minister

Aug. 10, 2021

“And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.” John Steinbeck

Friends,
I heard the phrase “uncertainty fatigue” the other day. It pretty much sums up where most of us are these days. Just when we thought the world was opening up again, the Delta variant arrived and the situation changed quickly, leaving us wondering what the best course of action is now. The constant state of not knowing can be exhausting. While we are not out of the woods yet, we are not back at square one either.

Your Board of Directors and I, in consultation with the Reopening Task Force, Staff, and experts in the community are deliberating the best way move forward here at FUUN. We hope to have a revised plan for reopening to you sometime this week. Be watching your email.

Within the congregation we have members who are vaccinated and those who cannot be vaccinated. Children under the age of 12 are still waiting. We have members who are parents of unvaccinated children. Schools are reopening. We have members who are teachers. We have members who are health care workers who are once again dealing with hospitals full of COVID patients. We have members who have had COVID themselves, some now with Long-COVID. We have members who have lost loved ones to COVID. We have immunocompromised members who are at high risk. Tennessee is lagging behind most of the country in the percentage of the population that has been vaccinated. Vaccination dramatically reduces the risk but does not eliminate the risk. Vaccinated people can still become infected and may even transmit the virus asymptomatically. Decisions about when and how to reopen for in-person events must take all of this into consideration.

The UUA offers four key principles for planning to reopen:

  1. Root decisions in values of inclusion and consent.
  2. Follow the science.
  3. Go slow and be flexible.
  4. Be humane and realistic with expectations of ourselves and others.

The plan will undoubtedly be imperfect. It will likely please some and disappoint others. What I have come to know about you as a people is that you genuinely care about each other and the well-being of the congregation as a whole. We will get through this together – imperfectly – safe enough and good enough.

Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane
Rev. Diane Dowgiert
leadminister@firstuunash.org

☐ ☆ ✇ WWUUD?

Auction Volunteers Needed

By: communication

FUUN’s annual auction is coming up soon!   In person (if possible) or live-streamed on Saturday, Nov. 6.

The Auction Committee is looking for volunteers to fill various roles to help make this event possible. Volunteer opportunities include a range of skills and time commitments, so please consult the link below and sign up if you can help.

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https://www.firstuunash.org/?p=12039

By: communication

Join us on Saturday, Aug. 28, 2 – 4 p.m. as we bid a fond drive-through adieu to Rev. Denise Gyauch and wish her well in her new work with Greater Nashville UU. In the meantime, help us remember all the great times we’ve shared with Denise in our online scrapbook, where you can add videos, photos, audio notes, or comments for Denise. 

☐ ☆ ✇ WWUUD?

Safe Haven Birthday Club

By: communication

Safe Haven Family Shelter’s Young Professionals Council now has The Birthday Club, a new recurring gift campaign to support the children’s program at Safe Haven. For the cost of one lunch out a month, you can help make birthdays special for children experiencing homelessness at Safe Haven Family Shelter. You can join the club by making a monthly donation. Your donations will be used to provide birthday supplies and gifts for a child and to support the children’s program at Safe Haven.
More information.

☐ ☆ ✇ WWUUD?

A Bedside Missive

By: Catharine Catharine Clarenbach

Dear hearts!

Just the tiniest note because I’m still very tired, but I wanted you all to know that as of last Thursday, I was writing to you from my own bed!!!! I was in the hospital for a total of something like a little less than a month, and I’ve been having all kinds of medical difficulties before that. And you’ve been with me all the way.

Thanks to Julica, Ruth, Sara, Oscar, Karen, Jack, Molly, Peter, Joyce, Alice, and of course Julie. And thanks, too, for REAL, to everyone my mooshy brain is not remembering at the moment. I truly appreciate all your beautiful support. And those who have texted me, sent Messenger notes, or even “snail mail” notes, thank you so very much. Keep that line open, because I have a long road ahead of me!

And a super-special thank you to my team, Elika, Alexis, Katy, and Jillian!!! They are simply amazing, and I can’t imagine–for real can’t imagine–working with a more supportive, helpful, accommodating, and talented group of women. Thank you so much.

I expect to be in recovery for around the next six months. During this time, the Way of the River will of necessity look different from the way it has the past six years. But we can still support one another, still ride the waves — the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” — that life throws at us. And we can still look for the lessons, gifts, and joys that come to us even in times of great pain.

Persistently yours,
Catharine

PS — If you are so moved to contact me, feel free to do so here.

☐ ☆ ✇ WWUUD?

Mid-Week Message Aug. 3, 2021

By: communication

Mid-week Message

from the Lead Developmental Minister
 

Aug. 3, 2021

“You’re imperfect, and you’re wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging.”  -Brené Brown.

Friends,

For me, August always marks the end of summer vacation and the beginning of a new church year. The summer began with a sense of freedom and ease. I travelled to reconnect with family, friends, and colleagues. I was reminded of how precious these relationships are. You know how it is when you get together with an old friend you haven’t seen in years and you pick up right where you left off as if no time had passed? It was like that.

This is what it means to belong – to truly belong – to a family, to a circle of friends, to a community of faith. The bonds are strong enough to remain intact over time and distance, strong enough to hold the struggles and imperfections that come with being human.

That feeling of freedom and ease with which the summer began was short-lived. Uncertainty has again taken center stage in our lives. As the numbers of COVID cases surge and new variants emerge, I’m reminded of my mountain-climbing days and the phenomenon of false peaks. After hours of arduous hiking, a peak would appear on a near horizon. Suddenly, heavy legs became lighter and over-worked lungs found a second wind, only to reach the peak and realize that the summit of the mountain was still a distance away on a further horizon. Somehow, though, that surge of energy was just what was needed to finally reach the mountain top.

Back in June, the possibility for in-person worship services appeared to be on a near horizon. It may have been a false peak, though it is too soon to say for sure. What I do know for sure is that we have not seen the end of this pandemic yet. My commitment to you is to work closely with congregational leaders to discern a timeline for reopening that is fact-based, science-driven, and rooted in values of inclusion and consent – and to keep you informed.

Traditionally, in our Unitarian Universalist congregations, late summer is a time of homecoming and in-gathering, a time to renew our faithful promises to each other, a time to renew our mutual covenant to journey together in the ways of love and service. It is our covenant that strengthens the bonds of belonging. The bonds of belonging transcend space and time, so however it is that we gather, remotely or in-person, it will be a homecoming and a reaffirmation of the commitments we make to each other and to Unitarian Universalist principles and values.

I look forward to being back in the virtual pulpit this Sunday. The title of the sermon is “A Covenant of Belonging.” I have missed being with you and look forward to seeing your faces.

 

Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane
Rev. Diane Dowgiert
leadminister@firstuunash.org
☐ ☆ ✇ WWUUD?

Habitat for Humanity Build Sign-Ups: Sept. 12, Oct. 9

By: communication

Join the New Approach for Habitat Builds
This Fall our Unity Build will be a part of a new approach for Habitat of Greater Nashville, townhomes! The development will be called Sherwood Commons and is located in North Nashville right across Ewing from our builds of the last two years. There will be 23 two-bedroom townhomes which have already been started during the Spring Build and we will finish them. That means we will be doing tasks like painting, insulation and landscaping.

Our build dates are Sept. 12 (Sunday) and Oct. 9 (Saturday). Each day, we will need 10 builders and one hospitality person in charge of the registration and food table. The homeowner we are building for is JaKymberlie Barnes. She is the mother of two girls and recently finished a masters in counseling and is working at the Williamson County Schools. We hope to have her come meet us before the build and she will participate at the build. Since we have several townhomes to build we will be assigned as needed each day. Please contact me at habitat@thefuun.org to sign up for one of the days. Breakfast and lunch will be provided along with a new helmet, gloves and mask (optional). Let’s go build 23 homes!
Carleen Dowell

☐ ☆ ✇ WWUUD?

Mid-Week Message, July 27, 21

By: communication

Message from the Board of Directors

The increasing rate of COVID infection related to the delta variant of the corona virus is a concern to everyone. The church board will continue to monitor the situation with input from our Reopening Task Force, and will make changes to our current reopening plan if they seem needed (updates are posted at firstuunash.org/re-opening-information). For now we will continue to have in-person social hours with masks inside and without masks outside. Small groups can continue to meet at church using the same mask guidelines. Members are encouraged to get vaccinated if they have not done so already, to reduce their risk of serious infection.

Mike Bolds, Board President
president@thefuun.org


Mid-week Message

from the Director of Communication
 

July 27, 2021

    “You can complain because roses have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have roses.”
                                                                            -Anonymous 

Sheri DiGiovannaMy parents begged me from afar to go to the walk-in clinic for the nagging cough, sore throat, fever, body aches, and headache I’d had for four days this month. I reluctantly went in at 9 a.m. only to be told that I had a virus (that wasn’t Covid, strep, or the flu) and that it would just have to work its course. 

I don’t know about you, but it seems each time I go in for one medical reason, I find out about another. This time, feverish and hardly in the mood for it, they worked to flush out wax build-up in my ear to no avail and scheduled me with a specialist (because they could not see my ear drum, they didn’t want to keep trying). Then, because my heartrate wouldn’t go below 124 the entire time I was sitting there, they had to check a possible cause for that and my test came back positive for a pulmonary embolism, so I was sent to the ER for a CAT scan.  

Was I worried? Nope.  This had happened before and it was nothing, so though I didn’t feel up to it, I  drove myself to the ER and I was just going through the motions again, as instructed.  

I sat in the ER waiting room for at least six hours before a bed was available. I was freezing and just wanted a bed and a warm blanket or more, to be home in mine. I learned the names of all those waiting with me as each was called back at least four times (including me)(for triage, registration, blood work, vitals, and then their scans/X-rays) and returned to the waiting room to wait. Struggling to stay awake so I wouldn’t miss my name being called, I learned both first and last names for those with difficult last names to pronounce like mine. To one side of me was a man with a badly swollen face from a tooth ache. On my other side was a woman with an ear infection that had moved to her brain. There were a couple of homeless peopleone muttering constantly but undecipherably, the other pacing nervously, almost violently, staring back and forth making others very uncomfortable. And then the room was filled out with others with various wounds, broken bones, and complications that should have been private, but a cell phone conversation to a loved one who couldn’t be in the room due to Covid protocols in a crowded waiting room, isn’t private, is it?  One woman fainted while waiting her turn.

I couldn’t help but wonder why there weren’t enough beds. Surely this isn’t the only time this happens. And I couldn’t help but think that we are a sick nation with not enough focus on good health and with a very broken health system. I watched as people could barely walk when called and it made me sad. Then I think about the “angels on earth” who deal with this broken scene every day: the nurses, the administrators, doctors, and especially the ER doctors like Doug Pasto-Crosby. We are lucky to have a few medical professionals in our congregation. And we are also lucky to have volunteers such as our caring committee (caring@thefuun.org) and our lay ministry team* (layministry@thefuun.org): Lisa Pasto-Crosby, Doug Pasto-Crosby, Jean Kline, Hal Potts, Sandye Wallick, Victoria Harris and Spanky, Elisabeth Geshiere, Rev. Holly Mueller, and Rev. Cathy Chang. If you do not know about them, please visit firstuunash.org/lay-ministers-and-pastoral-care. These professionals who treat, talk with, assist, and sit with the sick are very special people, the roses to be celebrated among the thorns. 

I went to St. Thomas once and told them my religious affiliation was Catholic. My excuse was two-fold: that I really wasn’t feeling well enough to explain Unitarian Universalism at the time and I knew how much my answer meant to the nun asking the question, having grown up in a strict Catholic family. This time, however, when asked at Vanderbilt, I said my religious officiation was Unitarian Universalism. The employee’s response was “I didn’t know about that one” and that’s on us.  Do you declare your religious officiation at the hospital and if not, why not? 

I managed to be home back in my bed at 2:30 a.m. only to wake up at 8:30 a.m. with a swollen tongue.  But the CAT Scan was clear so something else causes the positive test result againmaybe we’ll never know what. Sigh. But at least one new person now knows that Unitarian Universalists exist, so my expensive visit wasn’t a total waste. I proceeded to spend the next 6 days with a fever, eating only one bowl of soup in 5 days time. I was happy when that finally ended and I never take a feeling good day for granted.

I wish health to those who are ill; and thanks and blessings to those who work with the sick professionally and voluntarily – you are truly special people. 

-Sheri DiGiovanna 
Director of Communication 
communication@firstuunash.org 

****

*Lay Ministry and Pastoral Care:  Lay Ministers are volunteers from our congregation who are trained in compassionate listening and caring. They are available to support those who would welcome a visit or who are experiencing difficult circumstances or times of transition. The goal is to provide a ministry of hope and caring so that no member of the congregation need suffer or struggle alone through life’s hard times.

Lay Ministers may visit members who are ill at home or in the hospital; support those who are going through a major life transition or personal crisis; maintain contact with those unable to attend church due to illness or disability; support family and friends involved in care giving; comfort the bereaved; provide support that is ongoing; assist with spiritual support; and help a person find additional resources they need.

☐ ☆ ✇ WWUUD?

Annual Auction Planning Mtg, July 29

By: communication

Annual Auction Planning Has Begun
We’re planning for a combined online and live 2021 Annual Fall Auction. From Oct. 30-Nov. 5, you’ll be able to bid on many items, meals, services, and experiences. Then on Nov. 6, we’ll have a live, in-person auction! We’re planning now and look forward to sharing this event with you. 

We’re meeting this Thursday, July 29, at 7 p.m. via Zoom. If you’d like to be involved, email us at auction@thefuun.org, and we’ll get that link to you.

☐ ☆ ✇ WWUUD?

Board of Directors Invite you to their Meetings

By: communication

Meetings of the Board of Directors are open to members and friends. The Board meets the third Tuesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom. To join us via Zoom click zoom.us/j/288587268.

 

Zoom Details:

FUUN Church is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: FUUN Board Meeting
Time: Aug 17, 2021 06:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
        Every month on the Third Tue, until Dec 21, 2021, 5 occurrence(s)
        Aug 17, 2021 06:30 PM
        Sep 21, 2021 06:30 PM
        Oct 19, 2021 06:30 PM
        Nov 16, 2021 06:30 PM
        Dec 21, 2021 06:30 PM

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/288587268

Meeting ID: 288 587 268
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Meeting ID: 288 587 268

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Reflection and Gratitude [Rev. Karen Lee Scrivo]

By: Catharine Catharine Clarenbach

Rev. Karen Scrivo is one of my colleagues in Unitarian Universalist ministry, a friend, and a former client. She and I have shared many of the ups and downs of community ministry, including what it means to be an entrepreneurial minister in a system built around bricks-and-mortar congregations. She remains devoted to social justice and the particular needs of her area — Prince Georges County, Maryland (just outside DC). Her connection with other religious leaders outside Unitarian Universalism is notable and necessary. Several years ago, I had the privilege of coaching Karen through her Ministerial Fellowship Committee preparation, as well as delivering the Charge to the Minister at her ordination. I so appreciate not only her work, but her ways of being in the world. I give you the last of the July guest series, written by Rev. Karen Scrivo!


Catharine calls Reflections, her weekly “love letter” to those of us who have found the inclusive and affirming community she created here at The Way of the River. This week’s Reflections is a love letter to my dear friend and spiritual companion Catharine, who is taking some much-needed time off to tend to her health and prioritize her own healing.

I’m honored to fill this space today as we wrap up a month of moving Reflections by members of the WOTR Community. Oscar Lewis Sinclair shared about his own “being laid low” and the importance of presence. Sara Goodman reminded us of “the interdependent web of community” and how critical it is for our wellbeing. And Jack Mandeville invited us to walk with him “along the ledge of the roofline” and allow “something new to grow…”

Each of these authors capture a part of what is at the heart and soul of Catharine’s spiritual presence and her work: being fully present, supporting the spiritual growth of others and creating a nurturing and inclusive community. She does this through Reflections, Beloved Selfies, her annual Going into the Dark virtual retreat, spiritual accompaniment for individuals and groups, shepherding aspiring Unitarian Universalist ministers through our complicated credentialing process, creating and leading rituals, and so many other ways.

Like many here, I have been blessed by Catharine’s spiritual ministry. I met Catharine in 2010 at a year-long Healthy Congregations training for lay leaders. She had just been accepted to Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC and I had just started as a low-residency part-time student at Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley (California) and working as an interim religious educator at a Maryland congregation.

I’m now an ordained UU community minister focusing on justice and education in the DMV (District, Maryland, Virginia) area. Before that, I was a journalist, Montessori elementary teacher, a religious educator and a manager for a State Department study program bringing international journalists to the United States.

Soon after our paths crossed, Catharine and I began meeting for breakfast at a local café. We shared our hopes and dreams, successes and disappointments and wonderings along the way. After she moved to Portland (Oregon) for her ministerial internship and decided to stay, we continued connecting through online chats and Zoom conversations.

We’ve supported each other through seminary, internships, the UU credentialing process and our own entrepreneurial ministries as well as the ups and downs of our lives and relationships – including our own.

Neither of us have congregations in the traditional sense but we’re both pastors in the communities we serve and spiritual companions to those we journey with and whose paths we cross. I’ve witnessed and cheered on many of Catharine’s ministerial dreams. And I’ve even been a beta tester for some of them.

When Catharine began formal training to become a spiritual director and needed clients, I signed up and stayed on long after she received her certification. Catharine often gently reminded me to be truly being present to the moment I’m in. Not easy for someone with a monkey mind who’s often jumping several steps ahead. She also encouraged me to accept myself as I am – imperfections and all. I’ve also become more faithful to my daily spiritual practices, as a result of our time together.

It was during one of our sessions that I wondered out loud if she’d help me prepare for my final interview with the Ministerial Fellowship Committee, the UU credentialing body. This involved writing volumes about meeting their requirements and preparing for the interview that included an opening reading and preaching a short homily. Catharine said ”Yes!” and read through my many-paged application, listened to my homily, offered clear, actionable feedback and cheered me on throughout the process including the day of the interview. I was welcomed into the fellowship of UU ministers and this was the beginning of her successful MFC Coaching practice.

In 2015, Catharine launched her The Way of the River blog that grew into Reflections, a website and the creation of this caring community. Her Reflections have reminded me of the rich contemplative practices of my Catholic upbringing, my love of liturgy and ritual and my need for daily doses of music, beauty, poetry and art. Her deep sharing of her personal journey has helped me become more aware and inclusive of those whose lives are different than my own. It’s a weekly spiritual repast that replenishes and renews my spirt.

I also look forward to Beloved Selfies, Catharine’s Monday morning call to “notice each other’s beautiful face and complex nature.” I so enjoy seeing everyone each week. I feel more connected to this incredible on-line spiritual and caring community. As someone who’s more comfortable behind the camera, it’s been harder to post my own picture each week no matter how I feel or look. But it’s been a gift that helps me accept my whole and imperfect self.

At the end of the year, I try to participate in Catharine’s Going into the Dark virtual retreat. It is such a welcome pause during this hectic time of year. It gives me the space and time to reflect on the passing year and plant seeds for the new one. I’m also learning to embrace the dark rather than running from it. For this is where unseen and often silent beginnings occur.

Throughout the years, I’ve also enjoyed participating in Pagan celebrations Catharine has created for Samhain (Oct 31-Nov 1), when the veil between the world of the living and the dead is the thinnest; Imbolc (Feb 1-2), that pays homage to Brigid and celebrates increasing daylight, and others. I know I have been changed for the good for having known Catharine and being part of The Way of the River Community. It’s hard to imagine where I’d be had our paths not crossed. I give thanks often for the day they did those many years ago. And I am so saddened by the health challenges she’s currently facing. While I can’t be there physically, I’m sending her the words to “Sending You Light,” by Melanie DeMore.

“I am sending you light, to heal you, to hold you
I am sending you light, to hold you in love
I am sending you light, to heal you, to hold you
I am sending you light, to hold you in love.

No matter where you go
No matter where you’ve been
You’ll never walk alone
I feel you deep within

I am sending you light, to heal you, to hold you
I am sending you light, to hold you in love
I am sending you light, to heal you, to hold you
I am sending you light, to hold you in love …”

I hope you’ll join me in sending Catharine light. And if you get a chance, send her a love letter too!

☐ ☆ ✇ WWUUD?

Moving Through Unseen Light [Jack Mandeville]

By: Catharine Catharine Clarenbach

Jack Mandeville is a faithful comrade at The Way of the River and can be found during nearly every week’s Beloved Selfies in one of his many dapper blue shirts! He, like some other members of our crew, identifies as Christo-Pagan. This multireligious identity is enthusiastically welcome at The Way of the River, especially because Jack brings an open heart and searching mind to our community. Thank you, Jack!

Stay tuned for next week’s Reflections—including the words of Rev Karen Scrivo—the last of our July guest writers. She’ll be tying our series up with a bow!


“….And the soul is up on the roof
In her nightdress, straddling the ridge,
Singing a song about the wildness of the sea
Until the first rip of pink appears in the sky.
Then, they all will return to the sleeping body
The way a flock of birds settles back into a tree…”

An excerpt from “The Night House” by Billy Collins

This is about my journey : The unseen child that grew up to be a man who still loves the unseen light – the light that no one pays attention to. This is me, on top of the roof at night, in shadows soaking up the magic of the night sky, free and loved by the earth, free from judgement, free from worry, free from my small town world. Well, I mean, not really, only in my imagination, actually I grew up in a VERY orderly household, where I was watched very carefully – probably because I was a dreamer, and a baby mystic. I got invited to Boy Scout gatherings that I promptly ignored or pretended to forget about, football camps, fishing tournaments, card games, the list goes one, I was totally NOT interested in these. My parents, however, were on a MISSION to successfully insert me into the life they wanted me to live – and they were GREAT parents, and they only wanted what was best for me.

AND….

By age 10, I was hanging out in graveyards (straddling the ridge), when the moon was full, I thought they were places of safety and quiet. I would sit there and imagine all the lives of the people long buried there. Who did they love? Did they live a happy life? What did they believe? I wanted to know ALL THE THINGS. I am from the east coast so there are still many many graves from the 18th century still intact – and I loved those the most! I did grave rubbings as a teenager – and my parents would just shake their heads. Why wasn’t this boy playing ball with all the other little boys – but that wasn’t me.

As odd as that seemed to the usual observer, I was actually very much in love with church, I was there whenever I could be. I don’t think I missed a Sunday for many years, IN FACT, I would go to church when my parents did not! I can remember wondering in amazement when my Methodist minister would say the words of institution over the elements of bread and wine (during communion) and me wondering in amazement how this was any different than a spell? After all, “this is my body” is translated as “hocus pocus.” Right? Google it. I later learned as an adult how much Christianity had sought to compete with pagan holidays by inserting their own elements, by inserting Christmas and Easter alongside them, by mimicking the characteristics of pre-Christian gods and goddesses and turning them into “saints.” Honestly, this is really where I got started, in earnest investigating my multi-faith journey as both Pagan and Christian.

What I am saying is that I can’t remember a moment when I wasn’t being asked to “remember.” Remember your manners, remember your relatives, remember your ancestors, remember your friends, remember your family, remember to brush your teeth, remember to write a thank you note, remember to make the right kind of friends, remember to be “straight,” remember to go to church, remember to respect everyone (almost everyone), remember, remember, remember. Remembering the past and my connection to it was a kind of sacrament that was required to move on to the next reality that was created for me. And yet, remembering is a key component of Christianity, we are asked to consume bread and wine in “remembrance” that Christ died for us. The church calls this anamnesis; in which Christians recall the faithful sacrifice for humankind.

So why is memory and context important for me when living out my spiritual practice? BECAUSE It’s important to sift through those occasionally to remind myself where I came from, what got grafted to my current journey, what stuck to me and/or what I left behind. And it’s not a static practice, I still sift and keep and toss – even today. My journey is an active one, I haven’t just stopped “listening” to the new ideas and ways that God is offering up to me. The United Church of Christ (UCC) a cousin to the UUA had a famous tagline many years ago that said “God is still speaking” and I really love that – it resonates with me.

As I said earlier, we can thank early Christianity for silencing and co-opting many of those stories because they didn’t fit the narrative that was desperately wanting to be written. I mean, I was attending church in the morning and playing with my cauldron that had belonged to my great grand mother-casting “spells.” Of course those are memories of a young naive child – but I still believe they are indicative of my early love for paganism. It’s important to point out that this was instinctual, I was not influenced, I was drawn to magic naturally. And so I held that tension of my Christian upbringing and this shadow side of an unnamed belief.

I could go on and on about my journey but what I want you to walk away with is that remembering is a good thing, walking the ledge of the roofline (metaphorically speaking of course) and allowing something new to grow in is OK! Even WITH the traditional, privileged upbringing that is my story, I am a thankful, magical creation of the Universe – and I would have it no other way. My charge to you is that if you are feeling cozy for moonlight and need to stretch your legs, maybe it’s time to take a walk in the dark, if you are feeling sad and want to listen to the trees, maybe it’s time to take a walk in the dark, and finally, if you want to feel your life, your humanity, dirt underneath your feet to know that you are alive, it might be time to take a walk in the dark. Blessed Be and may you find your own unseen light. And remember, at The Way of the River Community, there is room for all people and spiritual expressions or none. We have drawn the circle wide!

“This being human is a guest house. Every morning is a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor…Welcome and entertain them all. Treat each guest honorably. The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in. Be grateful for whoever comes…”

― Mawlana Jalal-al-Din Rumi

☐ ☆ ✇ WWUUD?

Community [Rev. Sara Goodman]

By: Catharine Catharine Clarenbach

Rev. Sara Goodman is an Associate Minister at White Bear Unitarian Universalist Church in Mahtomedi, Minnesota. Rev. Sara finds the presence of the most Holy where people gather in community for celebration witnessing, and support. What follows is an excerpt of one of her sermons on the importance of an interdependent web of community, especially in these times. Welcome, Rev. Sara! Please enjoy her contribution to this week’s Reflections.


Some of my earliest memories are of presence, of place. My very first memory is of the inside of the YWCA swimming pool – all classic brickwork and echoes.

Some of my earliest memories are of the sounds of a place that was mine: listening to new age music from my fort under the massage table in my dad’s office, the thhwang the wires holding it together made when I plucked them like guitar strings. And in retrospect, not the most relaxing sound while my dad gave massages to clients.

A memory of a place that was mine: Listening to the waves crash at the beach for hours, running my fingers through the warm sand; and then suddenly the waves were TOO LOUD and it wouldn’t feel like mine anymore. Hearing my mom cry in another room in our house, going to her, hugging her as she wept.

I listened a lot. When I was a kid, growing up an only child with divorced parents, I spent a lot of time with adults and a lot of time alone. I got very familiar with doing my own thing while the adults around me were talking or working. Folks now call it parallel play. Two people in the same space, doing their own thing, but together. I got really good at it, and still enjoy it to this day.

I would sit, lonely, in my dorm room sometimes – until my friend down the hall would invite me to her room to do our homework together. She would be painting and I would be reading. We just enjoyed being in each other’s presence.

One of the things I learned over my early life, is that presence – the physical or emotional presence of someone I trust makes all the difference to my wellbeing. If I could hear the sound of my mom’s voice on the phone, I’d be OK. If I could sit and watch a movie with my friends, or write our sermons in a coffee shop with a classmate, or watch our children play from the same bench at the playground. I would be OK.

Let me just say, this pandemic is so lonely. I am so fortunate to have my best friend, my co-parent: my husband by my side through this time. We support and care for each other every day. But I am acutely aware of the isolation and loss so many people are experiencing. The presence of others is so important to our wellbeing. Loving physical touch is vital to human wellbeing. And too many of us are not able to get those needs met.

We need to be reminded of our interconnectedness, our inter-dependence within the web of existence.

We are a community, a community of care and compassion. We are connected, interconnected, and sometimes all we need to remember that is presence. The presence of another’s face on a screen. The presence of another’s voice on the phone line. The presence of letters arriving in mailboxes. We can and must be present to each other, this year more than ever before.

We are, some of us, struggling. Some of us struggling with loneliness, some of us struggling with working while parenting and educating our children, some of us are struggling in relationships that aren’t built to be in such close quarters for so long. Some of us are struggling with job loss, some with too much to handle. Some of us, many of us, are struggling with the election, and what the outcome could mean for our country.

Some of us are struggling with the death of loved ones, the ending of relationships. With grief that is so heavy on our hearts, like swallowing the weight of a teaspoon of neutron star on earth, as Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer wrote in her poem:

Watching My Friend Pretend Her Heart Isn’t Breaking

On Earth, just a teaspoon of neutron star
would weigh six billion tons. Six billion tons
equals the collective weight of every animal
on earth. Including the insects. Times three.
Six billion tons sounds impossible
until I consider how it is to swallow grief—
just a teaspoon and one might as well have consumed
a neutron star. How dense it is,
how it carries inside it the memory of collapse.
How difficult it is to move then.
How impossible to believe that anything
could lift that weight.
There are many reasons to treat each other
with great tenderness. One is
the sheer miracle that we are here together
on a planet surrounded by dying stars.
One is that we cannot see what
anyone else has swallowed.

In times of distress and struggle, it is easy to get caught up in the stress and strain of our lives. It is easy to drive too fast, or react too angrily when met with a new struggle. It is easy to break down crying in the middle of the grocery store. It is easy to think that we are alone.

We need to treat each other with great tenderness. We don’t know what anyone else has swallowed.

We are a people who need one another’s presence. We are a people who need to be held when grief overwhelms us. We are a people who need to sit by someone’s bedside as they’re dying, who need to gather in grief and joy, we are a people who need to be together. And when we can’t be physically together, we need to find other ways.

In my training for pastoral care, I have again and again learned the lesson that presence makes all the difference. Presence in this case means deep listening, deep caring, deeply seeing the other person. Treating them as whole and holy. This presence is just as important on the phone or over zoom as it is being in person. Bringing someone a book of poetry they love, or singing some of their favorite songs with them can be some of the more meaningful experiences with someone who is suffering.

I know that many of you are from a culture where you are told to suck it up and do the thing yourself. But now more than ever we have to examine that belief. Now more than ever we need to be able to reach out to someone and ask for help.

☐ ☆ ✇ WWUUD?

Mid-Week Message, July 6, 2021

By: communication

Mid-week Message

from the Assistant Minister
 

July 6, 2021

denise-1920-683x1024Beloveds, 

What’s new? How is the texture of your life changing in this still-worried, maybe less-worried, somewhat newly-worried-again time? We have been busy re-entering, re-opening, and returning to the people, places, and activities that were abruptly left or drastically altered many long months ago. Maybe take a moment to pause and consider how that really feels for you.  

Here’s a bit of how it’s been for me: 

Last Sunday, after worship and our Zoom social hour, I went over to the social hall for the in-person social hour. I saw people—their whole, entire bodies! (masked, of course)—in our church building!  

It was amazing:  

Entering the door: People! In the building!   
Down the hallway: People! In the building! 
Around the corner: People! In the building!  
Talking in small groups: People! In the social hall!  

The fact of other people in the building was not a surprise: I’d registered ahead of time and even saw the registration list and knew who was coming, but still, something inside me was surprised, and elated, and also a little unsure. Which color wristband should I wear? (I decided on yellow.) Could I take my mask off to drink the water I brought with me? (I did, very briefly, once or twice.) Will I remember names? (mostly, thank goodness.) Would we be touching each other, and how: fist bump? awkward spine-twisting, aim-testing elbow bump? (Turns out, not this time.)   

I talked with people I’ve seen many times on Zoom over the last year+ and others with whom I haven’t spoken for over a year and a half. It was wonderful, this long-denied experience of being with precious people in the space that has become precious to us because it is our space, the home we have made together. It made me smile and talk with my hands and want to write with lots of exclamation marks! 

And I was exhausted for the remainder of the day: just done thinking and deciding and managing life. I was glad to be at home where I know how to act and how the people sharing my space are (probably) going to act.  

I am finding this to be a pattern lately: when I engage in some social activity involving more than just a few others in person (as opposed to online gatherings, to which I have become acclimated), I find later in the day that I need to slow down, give up plans to be productive, and take a nap or go to bed early. I do feel physically tired, but I know it’s really more about mental and emotional overload than it is physical exhaustion. I don’t feel bad, just more tired than makes sense, at least until I consider what I’ve been doing and how long it’s been since I last practiced all those used-to-be-automatic social skills.  

That’s me; how’s it going for you? What’s catching you by surprise or inviting adjustments to your schedule or self-care strategies? May I suggest that you continue to take excellent care of yourself during this period of transition (or maybe just for always)? And extend a little extra grace to those around you, too. We are none of us quite the same as we were last time we were together. 

These are (still) very strange times, but wow, it was good to see some of you (in our church building!) last Sunday!  

With love & faith (and excitement!), 
Denise
Rev. Denise Gyauch

Assistant Minister of Congregational Engagement
assistantminister@firstuunash.org

P.S. If you’re interested in attending an in-person social hour on an upcoming Sunday (11 a.m.), please be sure to register in advance and bring a mask. Registration for each week is separate and opens at noon on the Sunday a week ahead and closes at noon on Saturday the day before. Find the link below to register before Saturday, July 10 at noon for the social on July 11; maybe I’ll see you there! 

☐ ☆ ✇ WWUUD?

Being Laid Low [Rev. Oscar Sinclair]

By: Catharine Catharine Clarenbach

Dear friends,

I’m writing this column as a guest of my dear friend Catharine, who is currently having a well-managed health crisis. However well-managed such things are, they can be a surprise, and this one was, so the community of The Way of the River is coming around to help. One of the ways I can help, as a congregational minister, is to write contemplative words. So I have the pleasure of offering the following piece. The prompt I received for this piece was to ‘write about being laid low.’ And Catharine knew this would be a piece I know something about…

This is fertile soil for me. While I live in the world as a straight, white, cis-gender man, happily married, employed, with a picket fence, a toddler, and a black lab in Lincoln Nebraska (how my younger self might have shuddered at that description), the most important moments of my life have not been successes caught up in privilege. Rather, they have been the moment when, despite every expectation to the contrary, I was laid low by life. Times that had me quoting from Star Trek “Commander [Data] “It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness, that is life.”

I applied to seminary from a hospital bed in Baltimore. Three years earlier as an idealistic college graduate, I joined the Peace Corps, thinking that I would do some good in the world and decide whether to be a minister or not. I served in Southern Africa at the height of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, in a not-fully developed position, in an isolated part of the country. In the last months of my service, a friend of mine was shot and killed in an attempted mugging. I arrived in Baltimore laid low by life- heartbroken at what I felt as the loss of idealism, and angrier than I had ever been. Seminary was out of the question. “If God’s up there he’s in a cold dark room” as the songwriter Josh Ritter put it “…bent down and made the world in seven days/And ever since he’s been a’walking away.” I was also, though I did not know it at the time, very sick.

Seven months after I closed my Peace Corps service, I was diagnosed with Nodular Lymphocyte Predominant Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. I spent half a year in chemo, and much longer than that recovering. For as many times as I have told this story, I don’t know that I have ever been able to capture the feeling of the thing- the terror, but also profound weariness. I had passed my breaking point a year earlier, and it just felt like more was stacked on every day.

Around the same time, I had started attending the Unitarian Universalist church in downtown Baltimore. And on a Sunday in the midst of all of this, I found myself weeping almost uncontrollably on the portico in front of the church. We had just sang a hymn, and while there are problematic images in it, Carolyn McDade’s recasting of words from Amos and Isaiah rocked me to my core:

We’ll build a land where we bind up the broken.
We’ll build a land where the captives go free,
where the oil of gladness dissolves all mourning.
Oh, we’ll build a promised land that can be.

This was it. This was a message that I could hear, and it broke me open. I don’t remember anything about the service it was part of. I don’t remember the sermon, or who I sat with. I just remember holding on to the iron fence on Franklin St, holding on for dear life. What would it mean to work to build something, not it the expectation of perfection or even success, but to build the promised land that can be? Right here, with who we are, and the cards we are dealt. What if the meaning that we find in the world is the meaning we make? What would that feel like? I applied to seminary that fall and have been trying to answer those questions since.

Here’s the thing: I have told that story so many times that it’s become rote. In person, I can hit the same cadence every time. It’s the story that I told in my formation process, and the story that I have told in countless sermons. And for all that telling, it is an experience that cannot be captured in words.

Each of us has a story like this- or will in time. To be human is to be brought low by life. For the last four years I have served as the minister of the Unitarian Church of Lincoln, and it is a rare week without at least one person weeping in my office. In those moments there are few words that I can offer to explain, the experience of breaking down is both universal and deeply personal. But what I can do, what we all can do, is be present with each other saying simply “I see your sorrow and pain. I witness it, and am right here with you.”

At our best, simply being present to each other is at least 87% of what we do in religious communities. We are with each other, practicing being human when we get it right and when we get it wrong, even if we have committed no mistakes. That’s what I found in Baltimore, work hard to help build in Lincoln, and see every time I open up Reflections or Beloved Selfies from the Way of the River.

At the seminary where I met Catharine, I heard this story: usually we tell the story of Job as that of a man laid low by life, whose friends come and try to explain why this has all befallen him. This is true, but it leaves out the first part of the story: before they try to explain anything, Job’s friends sit with him for three days, simply being present. How might the story have gone if they had simply listened?

☐ ☆ ✇ WWUUD?

TN Innocence Project Presents Anthony Ray Hinton, exoneree and author of “The Sun Does Shine”

By: communication

On August 31 at 5:30pm,  Tennessee Innocence Project presentation, fundraiser, and reception with Anthony Ray Hinton, exoneree and author of The Sun Does ShineMr. Hinton was incarcerated for 30 years on Alabama’s death row for crimes he did not commit. After the presentation, the Tennessee Innocence Project will host a fundraiser and cocktail reception with Mr. Hinton, for those who would like to join. Attendees will receive reserved priority seating for the presentation, a copy of Mr. Hinton’s memoir, The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row, and join Mr. Hinton for a book signing and cocktail reception following the event. Individuals can purchase cocktail reception tickets and/or RSVP for the general presentation here.

The Tennessee Innocence Project formed as a state-wide non-profit two years ago in 2019 and offers free legal representation to indigent and wrongfully convicted Tennesseans while raising awareness of the issues of wrongful convictions and why they happen in order to improve the criminal legal system. While there have been more than 2,700 exonerations in the U.S. since 1989, Tennessee has seen only 24 exonerations despite ranking 18th for prison population by state. Tennessee is behind other states, and we aim to change these statistics.

☐ ☆ ✇ WWUUD?

UU Southern Region News

By: communication

The Committee for the Larger Faith encourages you to stay up-to-date on the happenings of our UUA Soutern Region.

This month’s newsletter includes the following: 

  • Staff Blog and UUA Communications – Post-Pandemic Southern Region Programming by Natalie Briscoe; Re-enter, Rejoice, and Stay Masked by Rev. Sarah Gibb Millspaugh; and ICYMI sharing
  • Southern Region Events – RE-UUp: Conversations on Re-opening for Religious Education Programs; Toolbox Webinar Series 2021-2022; and Leadership Experience Primer
  • News – Unlocking the Power of Covenant; Recruitment Now Open for UUA Hope for Us Regional Coach (National Team)!; Five Practices of Welcome Renewal; Future Change Framework; Congratulations and Celebrations!; UUA Board of Trustees Open House; Universalist Convocation 2021; Congregation-Based Spiritual Direction; Chalice Lighter Update; Faithify Updates; Updates from UUA International Office; Live Oak UU Church Accepting Grant Proposals; UU Faith Lab for High School Aged Unitarian Universalists; and Transitional Religious Leadership
  • Calendar Listing of Events, Occasions, and Connection Opportunities
☐ ☆ ✇ WWUUD?

Mid-Week Message, June 29, 2021

By: communication

Mid-week Message

from the Assistant Minister
 

June 29, 2021

Beloveds,  

denise-1920-683x1024I am just full up from last week’s activities! I have had so many good conversations with Unitarian Universalists from all over, been to several amazing worship services, and taken reams of notes from intriguing and timely workshops, all from my little office at the Norris House. In the months to come, you’ll be hearing more from the amazing team of FUUN delegates to the General Assembly, but just to pique your interest, here are a few of my favorite takeaway tidbits:  

  • We learned that UUA staff have been engaging in JEDI work (justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion)—nice acronym, yes? 
  • So many good conversations about anti-racism and anti-oppression work, with special attention to engagement throughout all levels of our movement with Widening the Circle of Concern, the report released last year by the UUA Commission on Institutional Change. 
  • Worship! So many wonderful services packed into one week’s span. (You can watch these on YouTube! Go to uua.org/ga to find links.) 
  • Encouragement for the journey:
    • Let’s replace perfectionism with trust and partnership. 
    • Let’s learn to balance bold with practical, imaginative with sustainable.  
    • Sometimes resistance is part of the work. 
    • Re-covenanting will be crucial in upcoming seasons: no one has ever been where we are right now! 
  • Consider the ancestors and those to come. From Sunday morning’s General Assembly worship service: Our grandchildren are telling us, “You don’t have to win everything. Just hold the space.” 
  • As people of faith, Unitarian Universalists are called to find, create, and center joy, hope, trust, and love.  
  • And a closing question embedded in one of the musical offerings from the Sunday morning service: “What have you done for love lately?” 

So, so much more: Our own Roddy Biggs and other young adults leading closing worship, not just one but two amazing Ware Lecturers, informative chats among GA attendees on the GA app and among FUUN delegates by text, democracy in action, debating and voting on bylaws amendments, Actions of Immediate Witness, and a Statement of Conscience.  

Recordings of much of this are available for public viewing; Go to uua.org/ga and fill yourselves up, too! And be sure to read the posts from our delegatesPart one is introduced in the announcements below.*

With love, hope, and an extra, post-General Assembly dose of enthusiasm, 
Denise
Rev. Denise Gyauch
Assistant Minister of Congregational Engagement
assistantminister@firstuunash.org


Guidance for Gathering in Covenantal Community

Click here or the picture
for Guidance for Gathering in Covenantal Community.

See the bottom of this email for details on our re-opening.**

☐ ☆ ✇ WWUUD?

Bill Welch Memorial Tribute Available to View

By: communication

Members and friends of Bill Welch put together a lovely tribute. 

Click here to view.

☐ ☆ ✇ WWUUD?

Mid-Week Message, June 22

By: communication

Mid-week Message

from our Assistant Minister for Congregational Engagement
 

June 22, 2021 

denise-1920-683x1024Summer Solstice greetings to you, dear ones!

Both Rev. Diane and I are participating in Ministry Days (the annual continental gathering of UU ministers) andeneral Assembly (the annual gathering of Unitarians and Universalists to learn, celebrate, and to do the work of our UU Association of Congregations) this week.

(By the way: Thank you for being a congregation committed to professional development!)

Instead of a lovely pastoral message today, I want to celebrate that we have a plan to begin seeing each other in the Zoom-alternative world—i.e., in-person! Some of the congregation’s small groups and committees have already started making plans to meet on the church campus, and we plan to have our very first in-person Sunday social time since many, many months ago on Sunday, July 4. (Don’t forget to register if you’d like to attend.)

As we approach our first on-campus meetings, we need to consider not just safety, but also our Unitarian Universalist values of inclusion and care for all. UUA staff have created some resources for us, and I hope you will consider reading this article: uua.org/leadership/library/covenantal-consent and watch for a graphic about masking and safe forms of gathering now. These materials are addressed to UU leaders, but I think we can all find some helpful suggestions about how to love others well in all areas of our life as we emerge from the pandemic-centered months (almost) behind us.

I am looking forward to seeing you (on Zoom or on other, closer “platforms”) and talking with you this summer!

In love and faith,

Denise
Rev. Denise Gyauch
Assistant Minister of Congregational Engagement
assistantminister@firstuunash.org

☐ ☆ ✇ WWUUD?

The Stolen Stripes Reprised

By: Catharine Catharine Clarenbach

Hello, my dears –

What follows is a version of the piece I did in 2019, slightly updated. It was such fun to write, and it got such good conversation started, that I thought I’d bring up the topics again:

Happy LGBTQ* Pride month! I should say, happy LGBTQQIPA Pride! That’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Queer, Intersex, Pansexual, Asexual Pride! Happy month for us! For all of us, especially those of us whose queer identities may not be apparent, those of us whose identities are around the edges, just out of sight, happy, happy, happy month. May we remember the ostentatious, flamboyant, unassimilated ones who’ve helped to create a world in which we can come to understand our own complex, sometimes hidden stories. While this piece is largely about dancing in the streets, literally and figuratively, it is also very much for those of us who don’t or can’t.

I’m a Gen-Xer priestess and minister who came out when I was 17, during the AIDS Crisis. Please consider my words in light of that part of my identity.

The movement once described as “Gay Liberation,” has grown to include people who use words like non-binary/Enby; demisexual; gender nonconforming; cisgender; and aromantic. To some of us, all this new language can feel overflowing, overwhelming, even frustrating and flooding.

But queer culture has always been about finding out who we are and how to tell its stories, even if we can’t explain them. It’s always been about multiplicity in unity. There have always been people of Male, Female, Both, All, and No gender. There have always been people who were asexual (not just celibate), polyamorous, same-sex/same-gender-loving.

There has always been queerness.

For example, in ancient Greece, the priestxes of Cybele were ecstatic drag singers and dancers, the Galli. The Galli are, in many ways, the forebears of some of queer culture’s most daring, reviled, marginalized, and magical, sacred, people—transwomen and drag queens. These holy forebears, the Galli, danced through the streets generally making a ruckus, with painted faces and flowing gowns, jingling their sacred tambourines.

The Galli are the ones whose magical, sexy worship we invoke in Pride parades.

Pride parades are an opportunity for contemporary queer people to dance in the streets as our worship. To walk, roll, dance, chant, and watch as ecstatic celebration. As rejection of the toxic prison of the closet—a place so many of our queer kin still live.

While the parades are not for all of us—some of us prefer other kinds of events, or don’t really celebrate this month at all, and that is our prerogative—the Pride parade is still one of the quintessential expressions in the constellation of queerness.

Pride parades are chances to pull out all the stops and make room to be just as countercultural as some of us are, just as flamboyant, just as glittered, just as sexy, just as threatening to heteronormative hegemony as we are.

Queer people have been recognized for millennia as magical beings. Cultures with three to seven genders acknowledge that gender expression is complex, mysterious, and even touched by the Divine. We have been acknowledged as travelers between the upperworld and underworld. For example, in the Sumerian myth of Inanna, Queen of Heaven, it is two “genderless beings” who bring her the Water of Life and the Food of Life to save her after her invasion of the Underworld realm of Her sister-self, Ereshkigal.

And in 1978, queer, world-traveling magic would find a new expression: Gilbert Baker designed the first rainbow flag. Baker included eight stripes, each one a different color. He assigned a meaning to each stripe, an expression or aspiration for the “gay” community. Bright pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, turquoise for magic, dark blue for serenity, and violet for spirit.

The flags were an overnight sensation, and eventually groups like the 32 volunteers who dyed and sewed the first flag couldn’t keep up with demand.

Enter mass production.

Mass production that of course changed something that had been the work of a few, dedicated, invested human hands.

The first big change was that large lots of hot pink fabric were unavailable; the stripe signifying sex was lost.

The second change, made to accommodate hanging the flags in municipal areas, was to eliminate the turquoise; the stripe signifying magic was lost.

So now we have the six-colored flag we see all the time. And six qualities, no longer including sex or magic.

What I mean to get at, though, is that the loss of sex and magic—sexmagick—may have been the work of mass production, may seem benign, may look like happenstance…but as a priestess, I look at the symbol of those losses and know that losing the celebration of sexmagick as essential to queer identity contributes to marginalizing our own kin and impoverishing our own liberation.

I think of the dozens of transwomen murdered in the US each year, mostly women of color, often sex workers, usually killed by someone they know. These vulnerable women are shapeshifting, magical, sexual people whose talismans have been lost in the rainbow flag. The fuchsia stripe celebrating sex and the turquoise stripe recognizing magick told a story of queer power that Pride celebrations have been losing for years.

These days, our extravagant Pride celebrations are most often supported by corporate sponsorships. And corporate sponsorship, like mass production, transforms something created by the work of devoted volunteers into something overseen by bigger and bigger money and more and more assimilation and respectability.

People fuss over whether the Dykes on Bikes (often the leaders of Pride parades) are too threatening, too dangerous, too obviously sexual to be the heralds of the parade. Queer leatherpeople are looked at askance, and their more assimilated queer kin ask each other, “Why do they have to be so out there?” A drag queen of my acquaintance was discouraged from wearing anything so revealing.

As if.

The whole point of Pride parades is to be revealing. They are our time to reveal being just as we are in our hearts of hearts. They are our time to celebrate, to dance in the streets with Galli ancestors.

Pride parades are our time to reveal that queerness can indeed be a threat to so-called “traditional family values,” by showing that it is the freaks among us who are family to one another. However we engage our sexuality, from asexual to polyamorous pansexual, how we are sexual is part of Pride, and part of queer family.

It is no coincidence that “family” has been a word used by queer people to identify one another. We have been family to one another when no one else has.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m a nice, white married lady with two cats. I live in the suburbs with my wife, who looks like the Girl Next Door. Two kids would make us the ultimate lesbian-appearing family. (PS – kids love Pride parades. What’s not to love about a bunch of grown-ups in costumes?!)

But my household and my families by birth and marriage are not my only family. I’m family to the boi walking on a leash in the parade with their Dom. I’m family to my asexual kin whose relationship with sexuality may be utterly different from that boi and his leash. I’m family to my kin who have visible and invisible disabilities that keep us from parades but who are nonetheless part of my Pride.

All part of my sex magickal family.

And it is that sex magick, the stripes taken from our original rainbow flag, that terrify those who would eradicate us from Earth’s face.

No matter how much or how many of us assimilate to a straight-looking image, there are still people disgusted by what they imagine we do sexually behind closed doors and therefore (?!) disgusted by our very existence. For example, just this week, an Alabama mayor wrote openly on social media about killing queer people. And queer women have been called out for being witches for-fucking-ever.

Sex magick, I’m telling you.

Pride is our time to be magically sexy and to reclaim what was lost from that first eight-striped flag.

It is time to fly—all together—the flags of the Radical Faerie families, of the pansexual leather families, of the nonbinary families, of the families of Girls Next Door, and most certainly, of the families of drag queens and transwomen of color who have been at the front of the fight for our inclusion from the beginning.

Remember that during the Stonewall Riots, the 50th anniversary of which we commemorate this year, it was people like Silvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson, two transwomen of color, who legend says took off their high heels and threw them at the police who raided the Stonewall Inn. This cisgender white woman owes my liberty and perhaps my life to trans women of color.

I am proud to call the queens and dykes of the Stonewall Inn, and of all the other raided bars across the decades, my queer ancestors. And if you are queer, you can too. Let us give thanks and praise to our Ancestors who have fought the good fight, the fight for pride and inclusion. And let us give thanks and praise to our Descendants, may they live in liberation.

Blessed be your Pride month, my dears. Blessed be.

~Catharine~

☐ ☆ ✇ WWUUD?

Mid-Week Message, June 15, 2021

By: communication

Mid-week Message

from our Developmental Lead Minister

June 15, 2021
diane smaller

“The system is not working. That is how a paradigm shift begins: the established way of seeing the world no longer functions.” Matthew Fox, author of Original Blessing

As the world begins to open up, a question comes to mind for me. What if COVID-19 hasn’t been a pause but a cosmic reset? While a pause button stops operations, a reset button returns operations to their default settings. A pause implies that when the pause is over, things will resume as before. A reset is something entirely different, more like a mulligan, or a do-over, a chance to begin again. The question then becomes, what is our default setting?

More orthodox Christian theologies might argue our default setting is original sin while more liberal theologies would argue that our default setting is original blessing. What would life be like if we truly lived from a place of blessing?

These are the questions I will take up this coming Sunday, my last sermon of the church year, which I have titled “A Turned Around World.” 

I will be away from church beginning Monday, June 21 and will return on Tuesday, August 3. That first week I will be attending Ministry Days and the annual General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations – virtually, of course. My vacation time will be spent in North Carolina, Virginia, and here in Tennessee.

While I am away, your Lay Ministry Team and Rev. Denise Gyauch are available for your pastoral needs. Your Worship Committee has a full schedule of Sunday services arranged. I will be logging on for FUUN’s Annual Meeting on Sunday, June 27.  I hope you will too. I consider the Annual Meeting to be a sacred event as we engage the democratic process, which is one of our principles.

When I return in August, things will be far different than this past year. In-person Sunday services begin on August 29 with a celebration of Water Communion. The only thing I know for sure about that service is that it will be different from years past. For every person who is looking forward to being physically present in the sanctuary, there is one other who is hoping to be able to continue coming to worship by Zoom. Maybe this cosmic reset is when our Unitarian Universalist congregations actually expand our ministries to reach people where they are!

Wherever you may find yourself this summer, may you and yours find moments of grace, the times when you are open to receiving the blessings of life.

Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane
leadminister@firstuunash.org

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In-Person Social Hour Resumes, July 4: RSVP Here

By: communication

 Join us weekly for a FUUN Sunday Morning Social Hour on Zoom, immediately following our Zoom Worship service by registering for our services.  See https://www.firstuunash.org/services-on-zoom/ for details.

Use the link above for the worship service (to register) to join us anytime at or after 9 a.m. We usually expect the worship service to end at 9:45, give or take a few minutes.

Or join us weekly in the social hall. In-person social hour resumes on July 4. These will be weekly, 11 a.m. – noon in our social hall. Bring your own coffee: no food or beverages will be served/sold. No information tables will be set up.

As per the Re-opening Task Force guide:

  • Participants will RSVP up to one week ahead of time. The link to register will change weekly and will be posted here. The forms are activated at noon Sundays the week before the event and will close at noon on Saturday to enable staff to print out sign-in sheets. Please only register when you are sure you are attending.  Thank you.
  • Masks worn indoors. May be taken off outdoors. 
  • Color-coded bands will be provided for participants to indicate their distancing comfort level.

See firstuunash.org/re-opening-information/ for the complete list of Task Force  recommendations.

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How Spiritual Poverty Makes Room for Our Hearts

By: Catharine Catharine Clarenbach

Dear hearts –

In the middle of last week, I was in a small group, and we were talking about the concept of spiritual emptiness, or poverty.

Many of you may have heard the fable, often attributed to a Buddhist tradition, of the student who comes to the teacher. And the student is full of all the things they want to learn about, all the things they are curious about, all the things they want to know after speaking with the teacher. While the student is speaking, the teacher is simply pouring a cup of tea. Eventually, the student notices that the cup has gotten full and there is tea all over the tray. Not only that, but the teacher is just continuing to pour, until tea has spilled over onto the floor, meanwhile saying nothing.

The moral of the story is clear, eh? If you come to learn and your cup is already full, how is there room for anything else? If you come believing that you already know the right questions to ask, much less their answers, then why bring yourself to the table of learning?

Over the course of our small group, I kept thinking about emptiness, and it was clear that my comrades were too. Here are some of the nuggets that came out of our conversation:

Trust is necessary to allow anything to come into us.
Indigo Girls: “But our poverty is our greatest gift”
“It is in our weakness that God’s strength in us is made perfect.”
The vacare Deo — the emptiness of God — is where the Divine comes in and makes something new.

And then finally, one of our dear comrades said, “I don’t have to manufacture anything.”

For some reason, that last statement, “I don’t have to manufacture anything,” especially in the context of the previous statements, slid right into home plate for me. If I am doing all the manufacturing, all the judging, all the quality control in my work — trying to control EVERYTHING, which is what I tend to lean toward — then I am leaving no room for the tea of learning.

But leaving my teacup empty is uncomfortable. Saying, I don’t think there is anything that can fill my cup, I feel as though I must fill my cup alone, and clearly something must be manufactured to put into my cup…Well when we get down to brass tacks, what I am saying is that I feel alone and afraid. After all,

WHAT IF THERE’S NEVER ANY MORE TEA?????

At times like this, when I become afraid and feel as though I should push, should tough it out, should muscle through, almost always, the answer is the opposite of that approach.

I need to rest. Resting gives me integration. I need to wait. When I can’t see a way forward, most of that time that’s a clue that I should stay put. When I’ve got a lot on my mind and am feeling stuck, just allowing myself to do some freewriting — just writing whatever comes to mind without regard for its quality or even its content. Just let it come out and live on the page for a while. I may even use free dancing, either a contact improv class or rock out in my chair in the living room. I use my body, whether through dancing or singing, to let go of my blocks when I can. Singing, especially, I find helpful because when I do it it is devotional. It is a kind of prayer. And prayer + rest tends to = integration and inspiration for me.

Essentially, I can ask, “Is there love even here? Is there inspiration, even here? Can tea be poured into my empty, dry, bone china cup even here?”

All these exercises, these practices, are ways of putting ourselves near the Divine Source of Love and Life. They are all ways of expressing trust that it is not we ourselves who produce anything — and our worth is certainly not based on what we produce — but that it is the Divine, working through us, Who gives us gifts in order to share, inspiration in order to create, love in order to give.

“I don’t have to manufacture anything.”

That doesn’t mean I don’t show up. It doesn’t mean I just blow off all my responsibilities. It means, I show up, I do the work, I do my best, and I let it go.

As Julia Cameron says to the Divine, speaking of writing and the other arts, “I’ll take care of the quantity. You take care of the quality.” That is to say, I’ll keep showing up. I’ll keep coming to the page. I’ll keep stretching. I’ll keep practicing.

Remember, too, that practicing is not just about art or athletics or science.

It’s about our spiritual practice. “Forgive yourself for everything every day.” Start anew. Don’t let the absurdities, as Ralph Waldo Emerson said of the previous day, come in and wreck the practice you’re trying to build today. “Every breath is a new beginning,” Belleruth Naperstek reminds us. Every single breath. I find myself taking an extra breath with each typo. (I think it might be making me have more typos, just because my body wants more breath!)

Finally — wow, I’m quoting a lot of wise people today — never forget Martha Graham’s words:

There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique, and if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium; and be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is, not how it compares with other expression. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.

Note especially that last bit — “to keep the channel open.” If the channel is already full, then it cannot be open. It will be, if you will, stopped up. The channel, the reed, the way must be open in order for the awen, the Divine inspiration of the Celtic bards, to be given, used, and brought to other people.

So today, let us avoid judging what we bring into the world. Today let us just be that reed that sings when the wind of the Spirit blows over us. Let us be the empty cup. Let our hearts be empty and filled and emptied and filled again.

Blessings on all the lessons of the day –

~Catharine~

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Mid-Week Message, June 1, 2021

By: communication

Mid-week Message

from our Developmental Lead Minister

June 1, 2021
diane smaller

 

Friends,
How are you? I mean, really—how the heck are you? How are you as you emerge or contemplate emerging from your pandemic state of mind and way of being? Are you excited or frightened or some combination of both? Are you ready to jump back into pre-pandemic life with both feet or are you feeling more cautious? Are you the wait-and-see kind of person or the I’ve-had-enough-of-this-let’s-get-on-with-life kind of person, or the somewhere-in-between kind of person? 

I have good news. However you answered these questions, you are normal, whatever the heck normal is these days. 

For me, I’m feeling grateful, and some other things, but mostly grateful. Grateful to have survived. Grateful that FUUN has survived. Grateful to be part of a community that welcomes people wherever they may be on their journey, a community that welcomes diversity in thought, belief, sexuality, gender identity, and ethnicity, a community that welcomes doubt and honest questions, a community willing to sit in its own uncomfortableness—the uncomfortableness that comes during times of emergence.

Much as I’m feeling grateful, I’m also feeling uncertain. And sad. And angry. And, truth be told, afraid. No one of us alive today has ever been through a time such as this. We are trailblazers and pathfinders moving into uncharted territory. We keep moving because we have a vision for a world that can be, a world filled with compassion and grace, love and commitment, justice and hope. All the uncomfortable feelings are fuel for the journey, the energy to keep moving forward toward a promised land where people are free and united as one. 

I am grateful to be emerging from a week of paid leave, granted to me and your whole staff at FUUN. It’s been one heck of a year, hasn’t it? I’m grateful for a dedicated staff and congregation who hold the principles of Unitarian Universalism close to the heart, allowing the time and space for the rest and restoration needed to affirm and promote human wholeness in each and every one of us. 

The title for this coming Sunday’s sermon is “Emergence: Rethinking Community.” In worship, we will take up the topic of emergence and how we might think differently about spiritual community in this time, feeling our way into the future together.

Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane 
leadminister@firstuunash.org

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Hiller/Ratner Mosaic installed

By: communication

The HiIler/Ratner Mosaic is Complete

FUUN is pleased to announce the installation of the Hiller/Ratner mosaic. It is located on the wall left of the fellowship hall door. The mosaic was created by Sherry Hunter and commissioned by the FUUN Endowment Fund. It is portable and can be relocated. Sherry’s creations include the metallic catfish throughout the city and the dragons in Dragon Park.

For those of you who don’t how this artwork came into being, here is the story:

Hilda Ratner was working towards having a piece of artwork commissioned in honor of her husband, my father, Aaron Hiller after his passing in 1997. She specifically requested that it be located on that  wall. Unfortunately, in 1998, Hilda was afflicted with a debilitating stroke which severely limited her speech and mobility. Plans for the artwork remained on hold as Hilda focused on her own rehabilitation. With her passing in 2016, Hilda left the church a significant financial gift; even though she didn’t specify that a portion of the gift be used to fund the artwork, many felt that using some of money to fulfill her dream was appropriate and that the art should honor both Aaron and Hilda for their many years of devotion and service to FUUN.

The mosaic celebrates Hilda’s love of scientific reasoning and Aaron’s passion as a staunch humanist and includes symbols of things they held dear in their hearts: In the center of the mosaic is a UU chalice, resting on books that inspired them; Inside the flame is the humanist symbol; In the background are the green hills for which the area of town the church is located in is named for and where Hilda lived for much of her adult life. The mosaic also includes DNA strands in the sky and images of nature including hemlock leaves because they were both long time members of the Hemlock Society. 

A special thanks to the following who worked together to make this happen: Kathy Bryant, John Harkey, Brenda Stein, and the FUUN Endowment Committee.

Dan Hiller 
Member and Facilities Council Chair
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Atheists who attend UU?

By: /u/ilikeanimeandcats

I would like the community of church and I like the moral values of many religions, and sometimes I enjoy Buddhist lectures (just not sure if I believe in enlightenment)... I have been thinking I need a sense of community and belonging and I’m really interested in UU. Does anyone attend as an atheist for the learning aspect and the moral parts of religion? I’d like to hear some experiences. Also what do you where there?? Haha

submitted by /u/ilikeanimeandcats
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June/July Newsletter is published.

By: communication

Visit our Newsletter page for the current and past newsletters.

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What Day Is It?

By: Catharine Catharine Clarenbach

My dears –

As many of you who participate on The Way of the River Facebook page or who read this missive with some regularity know, I have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Inattentive Type. Some folks with this version of ADHD say that they have “ADD without the H,” a decision I understand and respect. However, as our comrade Megan Potter said, it is our minds that are unusually active, even if our bodies aren’t.

And it’s true, when I am head down in hyperfocus, I am ON. IT. I can plan, create, and execute with skill. I can organize a calendar, for heaven’s sake! And when combined with the hypomania that can come with my bipolar disorder, I might even… even… (the crowd gasps in anticipation!) tidy something.

Lately, I have been head down in something you, my dear comrades, will be hearing about very soon, quite a bit ahead of its public reveal. For now, though, we’ll all have to wait as I get it all together.

So my question for you today, given that I’m NOT yet giving away my secrets, is how do you know what day it is?

I’m not talking about looking at my calendar. I do that a lot. Like, a lot. My calendar keeps my work and religious community lives running well at all. Nevertheless, I can look at the calendar, and then ten minutes later, Vyvanse or no Vyvanse (it’s a drug to improve focus in people with ADHD, like Aderall), I turn to Julie. “Remind me what day it is?” And really what I’m asking, I think, in my heart is, “What month is it?

I somehow feel as though March was just yesterday, April just happened, and how it is not June yet. What is with that? We have said in my house that during the pandemic, in a household with no one who is sick, days are like weeks, weeks are like years, years are like decades, and months are completely random. Oh, that’s just when we’re experiencing them. Looking back, thank you, ADHD, I have no idea when anything happened.

Two weeks ago? A month ago?

Thank the Mother of all the gods, I have a Google calendar and it and I are friends. Otherwise, I would not have a clue where I was in my life.

Do you feel this? Do you feel this strange disorientation?

I mean, I realize that having ADHD makes me a special case, one in which my executive functioning gets together with the pandemic and does the tango. But how about you? I ask because even one of the most organized, clear, and routine-loving people I know, my own dear spouse, is affected by this.

Early on in Year One of the Pandemic, I wrote two editions of Reflections on grief, one of which was called, “That Feeling You’re Feeling Is Grief.” But now? Now I don’t know. Now I am pleased to be fully vaccinated. Now I am delighted to be able to see people I love live and in person. TO GET HUGS! YES!

Hugs, and.

And 30% of the population isn’t vaccinated, and some number like 15% aren’t intending to get vaccinated. Some of those people have good reasons not to be vaccinated, but not most of them. Most of them are feeling fine about putting immunocompromised people like my twin nephews at risk for full-on COVID.

So do I think masks are going away? Hell, no. Turns out — shocker — they protect us against the flu, the common cold, and some other diseases, as well. There are ways in which the US population is healthier than ever… well, not really, but we haven’t been seeing the flu in anything like the numbers we usually do, and the same with the cold. So that’s… something?

But we’re still just exhausted, no? Exhausted by lack of human contact, especially, but not exclusively, us “high-test extroverts.” We’re exhausted by our work, even when it’s work we love, are passionate about, work that makes us better versions of the selves we might otherwise be.

But worry and grief have taken their toll, and now a kind of insidious numbness seems to be sinking in, at least for me. It’s not depression–I know you, you pest–but it has things in common with it. Just not finding joy in things that I have loved. ‘Cause they’re nice, but there’s only so many times I can watch Bridgerton before I really don’t care at ALL what happens to the characters. (Or is there?)

So I am trying to find joy every day. And I often find joy in beauty. Friends, you think I’ve been obsessive about flowers before, but the discovery of a big ol’ sage plant I didn’t know was lurking (and blooming!) in the corner of the garden by my office window has my heart doing cartwheels. The rhododendron is actually blooming — thank you, friend gardeners for pruning the lilac so the rhodo could have some sun. And roses, roses, roses. Or should I say, “Grinch heads, Grinch heads, Grinch heads!” By which I mean, I have counted over 40 rose buds, working on blossoming, and only one has bloomed yet. It’s gonna be EPIC around here, friends.

And I do watch, listen, and read. I do make sure to keep up the banter with my wife. I play with makeup, ‘cause that’s how I roll.

What do you do to keep the numbness at bay? Can you call someone, or text them, just to let them know you’re thinking of them? Or better yet, send someone actual MAIL! On both ends, the contact is nice, and you’ll have done a mitzvah, in any case.

Today, look at Pandemic Year Two in the face and say, “Okay, you. You’re not going to take me and my mood down. You’re not.”

I’m going to finish my work today and write a letter to the first people who popped into my head. They have no idea it’s coming, and it will be super-fun to surprise them. I recommend sharing the love, as well. Because love not only casts out fear, as the biblically minded will know, but it wakes us up, makes us feel more alive, gives us a sense of agency or hope, and makes us and those around us happy. And happiness is in short supply these days, friends. So let’s make some!

Love you!

~Catharine~

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Community Conversations re: Projected Budget

By: communication

Based on the current pledges and other estimated income for FY2021-22, our proposed expenses exceed income by $90,000. Please come to one of our Community Conversations to see the current projected budget and help us figure out any and all possible solutions before the June 13 Congregational Meeting at which we have to vote on the budget.

Wednesday, June 2 at 7 p.m. at https://zoom.us/j/95938887117
Sunday, June 6 at 10:30 a.m. at https://bit.ly/FUUN_SundayMorning
Wednesday, June 9 at 7 p.m. at https://zoom.us/j/95938887117

Thank you for your time and attention.

-Your Board of Directors

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Mid-Week Message, May 18, 2021

By: communication

Mid-week Message

from our Developmental Lead Minister

May 18, 2021
diane smaller
“I believe that gratitude is the appropriate religious response to the nature of the universe.”
-Rev. Galen Guengrich, Senior Minister of All Souls Unitarian Church in New York and author of The Way of Gratitude

In my life I have learned that generosity begets gratitude and gratitude begets generosity. The two go together. Both are spiritual practices that enhance our lives.

I am grateful for the generosity of spirit you granted me as I made my way into the life of your congregation this year—a year that has been like no other. I have come to know that you are generous and gracious people. You have met each challenge with flexibility and creativity, coming through amazingly intact as a congregation. Not unscathed, but intact. I have come to know that together, you have a tenacious spirit and a can-do attitude that has served you well in the past and will carry you into the future. It is exciting for me to be on this leg of the journey with you.

It is also hard to believe that the end of this church year is almost upon us. Truly a season of gratitude. With Religious Education Sunday last week. and All Music Sunday coming up this week, and the Annual Congregational Meeting coming up on June 13, I give thanks to all who give so generously of themselves to make FUUN the special place it is.

As the church year winds down and the world begins to open up a bit more, I hope that you will pause and remember all the ways FUUN makes a difference in your life and in the greater Nashville community. Remember, too, it is your generosity of time, talent, and treasure that makes it all possible.

I remind you that the church will be closed the week of May 24 – May 30, giving staff and volunteers some needed time off for rest and restoration.

One last note – it has come to my attention that the most current issue of the UU World magazine included a death notice for The Reverend William “Bill” Welch who died on November 15, 2020. Rev. Welch served for a time as Director of Religious Education at FUUN. He was much loved by the congregation. We will be sure to find a way to honor his life and legacy when we are able to come back together in person.

May we move through the coming days with gratitude and generosity. By these, the world moves forward and is renewed.

Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane
leadminister@firstuunash.org

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Noah Action: Attend Virtual Town Hall May 27

By: communication

Request for attendance at a virtual Town Hall Meeting on May 27,  6:30 p.m.

NOAH believes that a budget is a moral document, and the budget for the city of Nashville is no different.

Please join us on

Thursday, May 27, at 6:30 pm
for a Virtual Town Hall

NOAH Task Force leaders will discuss:

  • What is at stake in the areas of Affordable Housing, Criminal Justice, Education and Economic Equity and Jobs.
  • How we will fund these items in the proposed Metro budget before Metro Council.

NOAH knows that we can only hold our elected leaders accountable when we are powerful – when we show up. We need 500 of us to be online, so we can be ready to learn and demonstrate the value of a moral budget. Please join the meeting by 6:20 p.m.  so we can start right on time.

Click here to register in advance for this Zoom meeting. After registering, you will get an email with info on joining the meeting. Then share this email with your neighbors, friends and coworkers.

Our voices matter!

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Ask Governor Lee to Stop the “Whitewashing”!
The Tennessee House and Senate passed legislation (HB 0580/SB 0623) that prohibits state funding to public schools that allow teachers to explore race and racism with their students. We must take action now and urge Governor Lee to veto this bill!

This bill will whitewash curricula about America’s past, omitting white oppression, discrimination of marginalized groups, and sexism. White children and other children are also harmed when challenging topics like racism are prohibited in their classrooms. Our communities, our cities, and our state are at a disadvantage when our students lack a world-view that includes insights into historical systemic racism.

The General Assembly passed this bill on Wednesday, May 5, 2021, but it has not made it to Governor Lee’s desk. Once it gets there, he has 10 days to sign it. But he can VETO it! There are several organizations, including Tennessee Education Association, Metropolitan Nashville Education Association and EdTrust, that have voiced their disapproval.

NOAH is uniting with these and other groups to oppose this amended bill. Please join us by sending an email to Governor Lee and sharing it with your members to do the same. Ask Gov. Lee to VETO this bill!

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NOAH Action: Email this letter re Metro Budget.

By: communication

NOAH Action: Affordable Housing and the Metro Budget 
You can make a difference for Affordable Housing in the Metro Budget! The Mayor has developed his budget for Metro and has presented it to the Metro Council. They consider it and come up with their own budget, making changes that they think are important. A budget must be adopted by June 30. If we want real change in affordable housing, it is important for the Council to hear from us now and throughout June – while they will be negotiating with one another. 

You can email all the Metro Council Members at once at councilmembers@nashville.gov (Please copy ahtf@noahtn.org so we can track how many emails are going to them). You may copy this sample email (below), use parts of it, or write your own. Please send as soon as possible. 

SUBJECT: NOAH urges: Make Affordable Housing a Budget Priority!

Dear Council Members,

The affordable housing situation in Nashville is getting worse and worse – with skyrocketing costs, the 2020 tornado, the COVID crisis, and evictions pending. Even during the pandemic, housing costs went up – while wages went down!

We appreciate Mayor Cooper including $12.5 million in the Metro Budget for the Barnes Fund. This is a slight increase from previous years, but still not enough to make a dent in the need. The Mayor’s own Affordable Housing Task Force called for $30 million per year for 3 years for the Barnes Fund, so we can be working on a different scale.

Of course, the Barnes Fund is not the only tool we need. If we are to have a successful long-term plan for dealing with our affordable housing crisis, we need a separate Department of Affordable Housing that continues beyond any one mayor. This department will ensure that a real plan is drawn up – and that it is followed, instead of just sitting on a shelf.

We need:
1. $30 million in the Barnes Fund, each year for 3 years.
2. A separate Department of Affordable Housing led by a senior-level executive with substantial housing expertise.

Affordable housing needs to be a major priority in the Metro budget! Please join NOAH in creating a Nashville where we can ALL live!

Sincerely,

NAME (required)
ADDRESS (required)
Member, your church or organization (optional) 

In addition to sending emails that go to all Council Members, sending personal emails or making a call to your own Council Member can make a big difference. Find your Council Member to email personally at https://www.nashville.gov/Metro-Council/Metro-Council-Members.aspx.

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The Pulse of Existence and the Dance of LIfe

By: Catharine Catharine Clarenbach

My heart is with your heart today, and there is something tender I wish to share with you…

In the Tradition of Stone Circle Wicca (USA), we often write imaginative stories, guided meditations for grounding and centering, or imagery to help a group create the “artichoke” of the ritual. (Previously called the “meat” of the ritual, but we had vegetarians among us, so it came to be called “the artichoke,” or the “working” of the ceremony.)

What follows is one is idea of how metaphor may be used to describe the beginning of the Universe’s Household, Earth and all She Is and Holds. This particular story is one I wrote last week.

The Dance of Life, the Drum of Existence

In the beginning, there was no-thingness. There was not nothingness.

No time, no space, but over all of what would be space and time, but there was no space, no time. Void.

In the beginning, there was infinitesimal no-thing-ness. So small the mind cannot comprehend it. A smallness so small our minds cannot compress to understand the multitude of universes our minds would be around it..

And then—Great Silence.

Vast Silence that was the tiny, compressed No-thing-ness and the unknowable expanse of Void. The Silence was all there was, though there was no being, so even the Great Silence was not.

And then, one pulse, one explosive, ringing sound like the sound of a great, dark bell, as a great, dark bell hammered with a great wooden hammer rang into the Silence. One atom. One eternal, atomic Mystery began. Being began to be.

Soon the one toll, the one ringing of the Great Bell became a pulse, a call. A call from beyond our knowing or our names, beyond our apprehension. And in response to that first Sound, the Cosmic Drum began to play. A cacophony of Being exploded into darkness with the beat of the Drum, for with Being came Dark and Light, the first separation of No-Thing, along with Time, Space, and eventually the Dance. But before the Dance was the Drum and before the Drum was the Pulse. The Pulse of the Bell that expanded into what became the universe, and the Pulse that called the Drum into being.

The Pulse of Existence called out an unknowable Be-ing. And Be-ing, the Dance, began. And soon the Cosmic Drummer and the Universe’s Dancer began to play with one another. One in sound, two in silence. One in sound, two in silence. The Drum and Dance began. And in their playing between attraction and repulsion, the in and out, began. And more and more things came into the Being-that-was.

As the Dance and the Drum began, so did particles and waves and stars begin to pulse and shine and dance a dance of attraction and Love. Love that is not the simple complexity of human love. Love that is the begetting of All Things. Love that emerged in the All-one, the Manyness-in-One who is All Genders, the great One who spun into the Dance and brought forth Being and Being and Being, all spilling forth like seeds on strings from the All-one, electric, fiery giving flying out into the Space-that-was.

Urge and urge and urge begat all Existence in the Ear of the Great One behind and beyond all Ones. The One beyond shape, or gender, or beingness. The One who both is and is not. Who saw Void and longed for Being. The One whose longing called out the Pulse, the ringing out of the Drum that brought the Dance into being.

And the Dance continued and grew faster and faster, until the Great Beat of the One became a heartbeat of existence, and the Dance of Being spun out the galaxies and the black holes and solar systems and planets and all the Being that is known and unknown.

Eventually in one great CRACK at the edge of the Drum, came lightning in the sky of one impossibly tiny ball of existence. And the Dance began to take shape through the thunder over the watery chaos that was existence in that place. CRACK the edge of the Drum played, over and over, lightning over the seas. Step and spin and turn and leap, the thunder over the deeps. CRACK, the edge of the Drum calling those eternal atoms into something new, the Storm of Life.

Life at last.

Life and division and union, attraction and repulsion, and the joining of the smaller drums of heartbeats and polyrhythms into the dance. And the Dance was joined by all the beings, all the ways life is, in its complexities that reflect the One Who is Many, Male, Female, All Genders, and that which is Beyond Gender, which needs no Gender to yet have longing, yearning, wanting, desire.

And in a moment, a moment that would seem immeasurably long to the beings who came but was not even long enough to be a beat in the Great Dance upheld by the Drum, perceived by the Great Witnesses of Creation–in that moment, all the beasts in the great seas were made, the rivers carved, the continents divided, and the polyrhythm of the Drums continued. Always and always with the Pulse, that which is the Heartbeat of Existence, of Life.

The heartbeat that pulses in your very own breast, strong and true and built of the Love that called and longed and yearned for Being. The heartbeat that fuels the knowledge of Beingness and Nothingness and No-thingness, that intuits the Universe, the Dance and the Drum.

The Pulse, repeating and repeating, always found on the One, the first beat of the first Drum call, the first call to the Great Community of Existence. The Pulse of Life.

***

What is a creation story that is meaningful to you? What activities, what images, what movements, what webs or looms, or seeds or saplings…what brings you closer to your place in the Dance?

We are blessed, and may we all be blessings –

~Catharine~

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No worship service May 30: Staff Time Off Notice

By: communication
May 14, 2021          

Dear FUUN Family,

I have requested and the Board of FUUN has approved a week of paid leave of absence for all the FUUN staff from Monday, May 24-Sunday, May 30.

The past 15 months have been a time of great challenge and uncertainty for everyone. Through it all, the FUUN staff has worked under extreme pressure to provide on-line programming and keep on top of other job responsibilities while the church campus has been closed. Though they have been remarkable in their commitment, creativity, and poise, the stress is starting to take its toll. Reopening the church campus and returning to some in-person services, while exciting, requires a good deal of advance planning as it will not be a return to business as usual. 

Given all of this and in keeping with our first and second UU principles: to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person and to affirm and promote justice, equity, and compassion in human relations, I asked the Board of Directors to grant one week of paid leave of absence for the FUUN staff.  This leave will allow the whole staff some of the rest and restoration needed to approach the new church year with the same commitment and creativity as the past 15 months.

For Sunday, May 30, as there will not be a FUUN worship service or social hour to give both staff and our Zoom volunteers a break, we encourage you to virtually attend another UU congregation’s service or to view one of the pre-recorded services available through the UUA. There are no Religious Education classes scheduled for that day. There will be no midweek email. (This means that any announcements submitted using the Getting the Word Out Form during this time will be posted online and in social media by volunteers, but held for the June 1 email).

We offer the following resources for your Sunday morning renewal:

  1. Enjoy a service from the UUA’s Worship Collection organized by themes. Click here for their current Covid-19 Collection. 
  2. Visit another congregation virtually. Congregations that are streaming services have posted their service links here.

I will remain on-call throughout that week and available for any emergencies that may arise. As I will not be checking email regularly, my phone number is available in Breeze for this purpose.

Why not stagger staff time off as we have always done? Staggering vacations requires extra work of our staff as they cover their co-workers’ tasks for any given week. We wanted to avoid that and give real renewal time for everyone. Our goal is to offer a start to full renewal for staff and volunteers who have worked tirelessly during the pandemic year.

Thank you for your patience and care during this much-needed break.

-Yours in shared ministry, 

Rev. Diane Dowgiert 
Developmental Lead Minister

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Survey for Newsletter’s New Name

By: communication

Please help decide what we should call our newsletter going forward (starting with the August/September edition).

New Name for Newsletter

Name
Suggested Options- First Choice(Required)
Which name best fits the newsletter's new purpose (of following our work and telling our stories to inspire others to join in our mission) for you? These were submitted by the Communication Team members so far. Please select your first choice or add another option if you wish.
Suggested Options - Second Choice
Please select a second choice if you have one.
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Seeking Religious Education Coordinator

By: communication

FUUN is seeking a 20-hour-a-week Religious Education Coordinator to provide support to Religious Education/Faith Development programs for children, youth, and adults with specific emphasis on Youth Programs and Our Whole Lives (OWL) classes for children and youth. For more information on the position please see: (link to pdf job description will be added shortly)

Applications will be accepted through June 30, 2021 or until the position is filled. Applicants are encouraged to submit early. All interviews will take place online. FUUN is highly committed to the principle of equal opportunity in employment. People with disabilities, people of color, and people from minority communities are encouraged to apply.

Please send a letter of interest, resume, and any supporting materials to Hiring@thefuun.org. If you have questions about the position, please email Marguerite Mills, CRE at MMills@firstuunash.org.

Position is Part-time, hourly, with a start date to begin as soon as position is filled.
The salary range is $15-$17/hour. FUUN provides benefits as per UUA recommendations.

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Giving Statements have gone out

By: communication

Giving statements were sent on Wednesday, May 12 to the email address in your Breeze account. If you have not yet received your statement, please check your Junk Mail or Spam folder. If it is not in there either or if you have questions, please email Bob Day, our Board Treasurer, at Treasurer@thefuun.org

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Mid-Week Message, 5-11-21

By: communication

Mid-week Message

from our Developmental Lead Minister

May 11, 2021

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” Helen Kellerdiane smaller

 

I always look forward to the arrival of the UU World magazine in my mailbox. The latest issue arrived on Friday and it did not disappoint. In fact, it may be one of the most important UU publications for this time in our history. Not an easy read, it looks at all we’ve been through during the COVID-19 pandemic and how all the fault lines of U.S. American society have been laid bare. In just 52 pages it covers the threat to democracy, the crisis in policing, the challenge of strengthening trans rights, what it means to be a citizen, the Black Lives Matter movement, Native American issues, a condemnation of anti-Asian violence, making meaning of the pandemic – and so much more.

There is a two-page spread of books recently published by Beacon Press. It gives a snapshot of matters of concern for Unitarian Universalists today. Beacon Press books are published under the auspices of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations.

The UU World magazine always reminds me of our collective power, how we can do so much more together than any one of us acting on our own. I am inspired by the stories of congregations around the country engaged in advocacy, witness, and service. It gives me hope for future possibilities for our country and our world.

Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane 
leadminister@firstuunash.org

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Your Journey with the 6 Sources of Unitarian Universalism

By: communication

Wed. May 19, 7 – 8:30 p.m.  http://bit.ly/6SourcesMay19 [Zoom link]

OR

Sat. June 5, 10:30 a.m. – Noon  http://bit.ly/6SourcesJune5 [Zoom link]

 

Would you like to

  • Consider becoming a member of First UU Nashville?*
  • Explore the Six Sources of our Unitarian Universalist tradition? (If you’ve never heard of these, they are adjacent to the UU Seven Principles that all UU congregations affirm. (Curious? Read them here.
  • Think about how your personal spiritual growth intersects with Unitarian Universalism and have fascinating conversations with others?
  • Have some fun with Rev. Denise Gyauch and Dir. of Lifespan Religious Education Marguerite Mills? Our Lead Developmental Minister, Rev. Diane Dowgiert will be there, too!
  • Relive a piece of the glory day that was the New Member Class you attended before you joined our church’s membership? (It was fun, right?) Or if you’re a longtime member, see just a bit of what you’ve missed?
  • Meet some folks interested in our congregation? (They are always interesting…)

If so, please plan to join us by Zoom for one of these upcoming opportunities to do all of the above. These conversation-based gatherings are especially designed for newcomers to our congregation, and participation in one of them is a prerequisite to joining the church at our New Member Signing in June (date TBA), but all are welcome! No registration required.

Questions: email Rev. Denise assistantminister@firstuunash.org

*If you are interested or think you might be interested in church membership, please fill out this form (if you haven’t already).

 

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Your Journey with the 6 Sources of Unitarian Universalism

By: communication

Wed. May 19, 7 – 8:30 p.m.  http://bit.ly/6SourcesMay19 [Zoom link]

OR

Sat. June 5, 10:30 a.m. – Noon  http://bit.ly/6SourcesJune5 [Zoom link]

 

Would you like to

  • Consider becoming a member of First UU Nashville?*
  • Explore the Six Sources of our Unitarian Universalist tradition? (If you’ve never heard of these, they are adjacent to the UU Seven Principles that all UU congregations affirm. (Curious? Read them here.
  • Think about how your personal spiritual growth intersects with Unitarian Universalism and have fascinating conversations with others?
  • Have some fun with Rev. Denise Gyauch and Dir. of Lifespan Religious Education Marguerite Mills? Our Lead Developmental Minister, Rev. Diane Dowgiert will be there, too!
  • Relive a piece of the glory day that was the New Member Class you attended before you joined our church’s membership? (It was fun, right?) Or if you’re a longtime member, see just a bit of what you’ve missed?
  • Meet some folks interested in our congregation? (They are always interesting…)

If so, please plan to join us by Zoom for one of these upcoming opportunities to do all of the above. These conversation-based gatherings are especially designed for newcomers to our congregation, and participation in one of them is a prerequisite to joining the church at our New Member Signing in June (date TBA), but all are welcome! No registration required.

Questions: email Rev. Denise assistantminister@firstuunash.org

*If you are interested or think you might be interested in church membership, please fill out this form (if you haven’t already).

 

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Newcomers and Prospective Members

By: communication

If you are new here and would like to know more about our congregation, or if you are interested in church membership, please fill out our online Prospective Member form below. We are making plans to welcome new members next month, and we will be in touch.

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Mid-Week Message, 5-4-21

By: communication
from our Developmental Lead Minister

May 4, 2021

“When someone you haven’t seen in ten years
appears at your door
don’t start singing him all your new songs
you will never catch up.”

-Naomi Shihab Nye

I’ve read a great many articles and had at least as many conversations about what it will be like to come back together for in-person church after all these months in semi-quarantine. The thing that sticks with me the most is a line from an Alban Institute article. “When we return, we will all be newcomers.”

The Alban Institute is considered to be one of the country’s leading experts in congregational life. I have found their work to be invaluable in understanding how congregations work. Across denominations, congregations share more commonalities than differences.

That we will all be newcomers gives an opportunity to practice radical hospitality in all that we do. Also known as welcoming the stranger, radical hospitality means going the extra mile to offer the best of who we are to each other and all who are seeking a spiritual home.

 Robert Schnase, who serves as Bishop of the Rio Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church, put it this way:
“To become a vibrant, fruitful, growing congregation requires a change of attitudes, practices, and values. Good intentions are not enough. Too many churches want more young people as long as they act like old people, more newcomers as long as they act like old-timers, more children as long as they are as quiet as adults, more ethnic families as long as they act like the majority in the congregation.”

Your worship committee and I have decided on Radical Hospitality as the theme for the 2021-22 church year. We can use this opportunity to examine all our practices through the lens of radical welcome; meeting each person openly and without judgement, with reverence and awe for the unique individual they are, seeking to understand each person’s needs as we come back together. 

Not a one of us is the same as we were 15 months ago when the pandemic first began. We’re all newcomers. There’s so much to learn about each other and how we live out our principles together now.

Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane
leadminister@firstuunash.org

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Re-opening Information

By: communication

Dear FUUN Family,

As the Board of FUUN, we are very eager to get back to in-person services and activities at our church, as likely you are, too. We wanted to let you know some of our tentative plans to return to the facilities. What follows is a brief summary of recommendations made by our Reopening Task Force. The Task Force is comprised of the Reverend Dowgiert, our office administrator, and several members of FUUN, including two physicians. They have met several times and made these recommendations based on guidance from the UUA, our current understanding of public health policy, and Nashville’s particular situation. Please be aware that any plans or recommendations may be modified, as the Covid-19 environment can rapidly change. Briefly, our goal is to open the campus to small groups in August, resume some in the sanctuary worship services in September, and then have weekly services in the sanctuary in January.

The Task Force is recommending that FUUN aim to reopen the physical campus to small groups in or around May. In September, we would like to resume in-person services in the sanctuary every other week, with the opposite weeks continuing to be live-streamed only. This is a precaution that will allow better contract tracing in the event someone contracts the virus. For those who choose not to or are unable to attend, services will also continue to be live-streamed. Unfortunately, music will be pre-recorded as we reopen, as singing has been shown to be a mechanism for transmission. Services will be all ages and socially distanced. We hope to offer supervised play for younger children.

In January, we hope to resume weekly services with live music in the sanctuary. This is, of course, dependent on the latest science.

In order to resume in-person activities, we need you! We will need small groups of people willing to come and “spiff up” areas of the campus. We will likely need more volunteers than in the recent past. We will also need volunteers to serve our children in supervised play and eventually religious education classes.

To see the full report, click here.

Finally, our plans to return to in-person community are informed not only by science, but also our Principles. As our Seventh Principle reminds us that we are all part of the interdependent web of existence, we are cognizant that our physical and emotional health are intertwined. We strongly encourage those who return to our physical community, and who are able, to be vaccinated against Covid-19.

We intend to update you as soon as plans are firmed up or change.

If you have questions, please see the Reopening Task Force Board Report here. You may also direct questions to reopening-questions@thefuun.org.

We have missed you dearly, and we are eager to see you “in the flesh” very soon.

Your Board of Directors

Doug Pasto-Crosby, President
Mike Bolds, Vice President
Allison Thompson, R & D Council
Bob Day, Treasurer
Brenna Hanson, Program Council
Chelsea Henry, Ministry Council 
Dan Hiller, Operations
Melinda Fish, Secretary
Phyllis Salter
Scott Weaver
Sharon Ruiz
Steve Haruch
Hal Potts,
Ex-president

Our campus is currently closed due to Covid-19. Staff are working remotely.

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What’s Happening at NOAH? 4-49-21

By: communication

.The FUUN NOAH Core team members (Our A-Team) met on April 28 for their monthly meeting, and each member shared recent activity updates from the Task Forces as follows:
The Affordable Housing Task Force recently hosted an action requesting the public write letters to the Mayor asking that 30 million dollars be added to the Barnes Fund and requesting that a permanent Department of Affordable Housing be created.
The Economic and Equity and Jobs Task Force is focusing on the “Get it Right” Bill to those using good practices (wages and safety) and award contracts.
The Integrated Voter Engagement Group is preparing the 2022 elections by using Listening Campaigns.
The Criminal Justice Task Force has met and plans to meet again with the Mayor about an intervention model that uses counselors rather than police for people experiencing mental health issues.
The Young Adults Group is planning to be involved with more one-on-ones
The Education Task Force had an action asking that Social Emotional learning models be fully funded and implemented in the schools

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Eliminate the School to Prison Pipeline

By: communication
The NOAH Education Task Force held a rally on the Metro Courthouse steps on April 28 asking the Mayor, the Metro Nashville School Board, and the Council members to fund and support Social Emotional Learning and stop the School to Prison Pipeline. Our children have experienced isolation from COVID 19 and disruption of their learning. They need to feel safe and supported in their learning environments. Too many children have disruptions related to systemic racism and poverty. Too often schools have relied on harsh disciplinary measures that have a racial impact. For example, three times as many African American children were suspended in the 2019-2020 school year than white children. The press conference was an opportunity to share the facts and to press our schools to implement Social Emotional Learning in our schools.
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Mid-Week Message, April 27, 21

By: communication

Mid-week Message

from our Developmental Lead Minister

April 27, 2021
diane smaller
Everything I know about church leadership I learned on a houseboat on Lake Powell. Well, maybe not everything, but some important lessons have stuck with me, lessons relevant to the time we are in.

One summer, A.J. and I were invited to join a group of friends to share a houseboat for a week-long adventure on Lake Powell, an expansive human-made lake that spans the border between Utah and Arizona. We loaded the houseboat with food and camping gear, tethered two speed boats to the back, and headed towards open water.

No sooner had we made it into the main channel of the lake when one of those late afternoon thunderstorms that you get in the desert let loose. The wind and lightning were fierce, the rainfall torrential. The speedboats were filling with water. Their owners dove into the lake, swam to the boats, untethered them, turned, and sped away back toward the marina. 

Those of us left on the houseboat debated what to do. The obvious choice was to turn around and follow the speed boats back to the marina to wait out the storm. The thing about big boats, though, is that they don’t turn as quickly and easily as their smaller, more nimble counterparts. Getting crossways with the wind didn’t seem wise, either. So we decided to keep moving forward. A map of the lake showed a small cove a few miles ahead where we could shelter until the storm passed.

Another thing about big boats is that they only move so fast. By the time we reached the cove, the storm had subsided and our friends with the speedboats had come along side. We made camp in the cove even though our planned destination for that first night was still several miles away.

In my years of ministry, I have learned that things move at the speed of church. I often hear myself telling people that the wheels of church may move slowly, but they do move.

Expecting a houseboat to behave like a speedboat is a set-up for failure, maybe even disaster. The well-being of everyone on board is at stake. And so it is with this thing we call church.

We’ve been thrown off course by a storm we did not anticipate. There’s no turning around because this boat is just too big – and – there are limits to how fast we can move ahead. The well-being of everyone who makes their religious home with us is at stake.

As we move into the uncertain waters ahead, may we move mindfully and patiently, knowing that the speed of church is what it is.

I am grateful to be on this journey with you.

Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane 
leadminister@firstuunash.org

 

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Someone Needs to Hear Your Story

By: Catharine Catharine Clarenbach

I still have room in my small groups – two of them – for folks who think they might be interested in getting some clarity with “more hearts in the room.” If your curiosity is piqued, feel free to reply to this email, send me a contact page note, or email !

Dearest –

I have an 8 ½ by 11 piece of paper on the side of my desk that says some important things about why I do the work I do. Some reminders that I read when I’m scared to do what I’m doing. Some things that keep me going when I’m not sure that anything I do has any value or anything helpful for anyone else.

There are, of course, also the three post-its on my shelf:

Just because I’m anxious doesn’t mean anything is wrong.

Forgive yourself for everything every day.

Ten mistakes a day, and

Your heart is trustworthy. (That last, given to me by Rev. DeAnna Vandiver.)

But the page I’m talking about is a list of why I do my work, and how I can bring myself to the work, to the page, to the truth. And one of the most important things it says is this: Someone, somewhere, needs to hear your story. You may not know how, and you may not know why, but they need to hear it.

The fact of the matter is that most of the time, I don’t know why or how or who I am helping. Someone reads something and maybe they even pass it on to someone else. I learn this very rarely, but I know it’s out there happening. Some of you write to me and tell me what has helped, what you disagree with, or what has landed.

This is not only truly for me. It’s true for you too.

Everyone has a story. An important story. It’s just that some of us aren’t sure how to tell it.

I have tattoos, and they are part of my story. They are a narrative of where I have been, what I have thought and believed at different times in my life.

I have paintings that are similar to my tattoos. They are visual reminders of where and who I have been and what has been important to me. And then there’s that one that was so beautiful and so important that I painted over in a fit of pique. Ugh. Such regret.

I have sermons. And sermons, like other kinds of liturgical languages (workings, we call them in Stone Circle Wicca), require really thinking about what I perceive the community needs. But they, too, are signposts.

I have these Reflections and the blog on The Way of the River () which, like sermons, are often affected by the conversations I have with you—those of you I see in individual spiritual accompaniment and those I see in small groups.

Finally, there are the letters I send and the poems that emerge from them. Words that may end up being letters for the recipient and poems for me, or poems for both of us, or even poems for you, me, and the who-knows-who out in the world.

Oh, and I almost forgot. There’s my journal. The book into which I put the daily thoughts and ruminations. The things that may lead to other things or might not. The things that will be a record. “How did I ever think that?” I’ll wonder sometimes. Or “I’d forgotten about that thing.”

Or the magic times when journals remind you of something essential. Like the time one fell out of a bookshelf—it was a journal/planner I had in 2001—and I had written about how in love with Julie I was and how I didn’t think she felt the same about me. She went back into her journals of that same year, and they said the same thing. Funny, no?

So what is your story? Be daring. At least write to yourself. Be daring. Ask the Divine what you have to say. Be daring. Write something and show it to five other people. Be daring. Make a poem. Be daring. Paint something. Sculpt something. Be daring. Dance something in your living room. Be daring. Sign up for that improv class that your friend keeps going on about.

Tell your story however you can. I guarantee it will change you, and I guarantee it will help someone else.

As my dear friend Rev. E. Eldritch wrote in his song, “Blessed Crossroads,”

Blessed Crossroad (Revised 2018)

Where I’ve been is…Where I’ve been is…
Where I’ve been is information for the places I will go
Blessed Crossroads, Blessed Crossroads
Who I’ve met is…Who I’ve met is…
Who I’ve met is inspiration for the people I will know
Blessed Crossroads, Blessed Crossroads
What I’ve learned is…What I’ve learned is…
What I’ve learned is education for the knowledge I bestow
Blessed Crossroads, Blessed Crossroads
How I feel is…How I feel is…
How I feel is preparation for the power I will show
Blessed Crossroads, Blessed Crossroads

May you find the daring that will let you show your power in the story so many need to hear.

Blessings of love—

~Catharine~

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Take the Kids’ Guest At Your Table Challenge

By: communication

FUUN kids are challenging the adults! They are raising money for the Guest at Your Table Program, a fundraiser of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee helping people around the world facing displacement, economic change, and other struggles. If we can raise $150, it will be matched by the UU Congregation at Shelter Rock of New York.

You can answer their challenge by sending your check to the church with “GAYT adult contribution” in the memo line. More info about Guest at Your Table is at uusc.org/resources/congregations/guest-at-your-table (But for our contribution to be matched, it needs to come from the church, so please send your donation to FUUN.)

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Mid-Week Message, 4/20/21

By: communication

Mid-week Message

from our Developmental Lead Minister

April 20, 2021
diane smaller
“You who have an eye for miracles regard the bud now appearing on the bare branch of the fragile young tree. It’s a mere dot, a nothing. But already it’s a flower, already a fruit, already it’s own death and resurrection.” Diego Valeri

The theme for April is transformation and the theme for May is transcendence. Transformation is about changing from one state of being to another. Transcendence is about being lifted from our individual circumstances and knowing that we are part of a greater whole. The Flower Communion Service taking place on Sunday, April 25 bridges these two perfectly.

The Flower Communion was brought to this country by Maja Capek while her husband Norbert Capek was imprisoned at Dachau where he was later killed. Maja and Norbert were both ordained Unitarian ministers. They established the Unitarian Church in Prague. The Flower Ceremony, as Norbert called it, was created for the church in Prague. Each member of the congregation brought a flower to church. The flowers were placed in a central vase. The assembled bouquet represented the uniqueness of each individual and the coming together in community to share that uniqueness. At the end of the service, each person took a different flower home.

Flowers are in a continual state of transformation, from seed to bud to blossom to fruit to seed again. When individual flowers are brought together, a transformation of another kind takes place. Together they make a bouquet, each flower transcending its individuality to become part of something greater than it could be on its own.

The Flower Communion has become an enduring ritual in Unitarian Universalist congregations, here and in Prague. Each part of the ceremony is important – the bringing of a flower, the creation of a bouquet, and the receiving of a flower different from the one brought.

When we come together in community, each person brings something unique. Together, we become something greater than the sum of our individual parts. We are made stronger by the bonds of relationship that develop among us, relationships that change us. The flower we take represents how the community changes, even transforms our lives. It is also serves as a connection to the community, a tangible reminder that we do not journey through this life alone.

The Flower Communion connects us to the church of today and it also connects us to a history of all those who came before. While we may not be able to physically exchange flowers this year, we can draw on the spirit the Capeks intended, the spirit of friendship and comradeship that unites us in the cause of bringing more love and justice into the world.

Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane 
leadminister@firstuunash.org

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Ware Lecture with Stacey Abrams and Desmonde Meade

By: communication

UUA General Assembly

Please join us Saturday, June 26 at 7:00 p.m. EDT/6:00 p.m. CDT/5:00 pm MDT/4:00 p.m. PDT for the 2021 GA Ware Lecture. 

 Stacey Abrams is the New York Times bestselling author of Our Time Is Now and Lead from the Outside, an entrepreneur and a political leader. She served as Democratic Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives for 7 years prior to running for Governor of Georgia, where she won more votes than any other Democrat in the state’s history. She launched Fair Fight Action after the 2018 gubernatorial election to ensure every American has a voice in our election system, Fair Count to ensure accuracy in the 2020 Census and the Southern Economic Advancement Project, a public policy initiative to broaden economic power and build equity in the South. Abrams received degrees from Spelman College, the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, and Yale Law School. Born in Madison, Wisconsin, she and her five siblings grew up in Gulfport, Mississippi and were raised in Georgia.

Desmond Meade is a formerly homeless returning citizen who overcame many obstacles to eventually become the President of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC), Chair of Floridians for a Fair Democracy, a graduate of Florida International University College of Law, and a Ford Global Fellow. Recognized by Time Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2019, Desmond presently leads efforts to empower and civically re-engage local communities across the state, and to reshape local, state, and national criminal justice policies. His work has resulted in being named Floridian and Central Floridian of the Year 2019. President and Executive Director of FRRC, which is recognized for its work on voting and criminal justice reform issues, Desmond led the FRRC to a historic victory in 2018 with the successful passage of Amendment 4, a grassroots citizen’s initiative which restored voting rights to over 1.4 million Floridians with past felony convictions. Amendment 4 represented the single largest expansion of voting rights in the United States in half a century and brought an end to 150 years of a Jim Crow-era law in Florida.

Enjoy your event!

support@whova.com

www.whova.com

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Flower Communion, April 25

By: communication

Sunday, April 25 is Flower Communion–the annual celebration of our UU community. And while we’re still virtual, our love and appreciation of each other is real. Join us in the ritual of sharing flowers. During next week’s service you’ll be invited to turn your camera on, bring a flower or two and be part of the bouquet of faces that make our congregation what it is–faces we haven’t seen for over a year now. Folks on YouTube and Facebook will be able to view our ritual later, and families may decide whether or not to include children in our bouquet. We look forward to seeing everyone!

☐ ☆ ✇ WWUUD?

Flower Communion, April 25

By: communication

Sunday, April 25 is Flower Communion–the annual celebration of our UU community. And while we’re still virtual, our love and appreciation of each other is real. Join us in the ritual of sharing flowers. During next week’s service you’ll be invited to turn your camera on, bring a flower or two and be part of the bouquet of faces that make our congregation what it is–faces we haven’t seen for over a year now. Folks on YouTube and Facebook will be able to view our ritual later, and families may decide whether or not to include children in our bouquet. We look forward to seeing everyone!

☐ ☆ ✇ WWUUD?

Superhero Month – It’s Autism Acceptance!

By: Catharine Catharine Clarenbach

Hello, Beloved –

April is Autism Acceptance month, and as I have many autistic friends (one of whom reminded me of the significance of the month, thank you!), it seems the perfect time to write about autism.

As I was writing in my journal this morning, I was thinking of various stereotypes I grew up with about autistic people (or autistics, as some folks like to be called):

  • They are less intelligent than others and are developmentally delayed;
  • They are non-verbal;
  • Being non-verbal is a sign of low intelligence;
  • There is nothing beneficial about being autistic;
  • Being autistic is a mental illness (or, as I said above, deficiency);
  • Autistic people don’t experience feelings – they have a flat affect that shows that they’re not feeling anything.

 

It’s almost embarrassing to write this list now. Laughable, even. Let’s take them one at a time.

Four of the autistic people I know are autistic (that is to say, they have come out to me about it) have advanced degrees and are or are becoming religious professionals.

All these people are excellent communicators, especially in writing, but also in speaking, especially when they’re not being put on the spot;

As for being non-verbal being wrong or bad or showing low intelligence, I would like to point out that there are many ways to communicate. If an autistic child wants an apple, and holds her hand out for the apple, but one pushes and pushes for the child to ask for it verbally, violence is being done to that child’s feelings. The intensity with which autistic people, and particularly autistic children feel, can make looking someone in the eye or speaking out loud to ask for something extremely stressful – it’s not about low intelligence, as far as I can tell. As far as I can tell, it’s about stress and strain on their emotional system;

We’ll come back to this. Autistic people deserve fucking CAPES for all the superpowers they have;

Autism is not a mental illness. It is, like attention deficient hyperactivity “disorder,” a neurodivergence. Neurodivergence is a word coined by autistic people to describe mental difference that is not an illness. There is a whole constellation of ways of being in the world. There is a fairly narrow band we have, as a culture, defined as “normal,” or neurotypical. Identifying some ways as neurodivergent just describes them without ascribing value or some kind of score to that person’s experience or way of moving through the world;

This last point is one that when I learned it, I learned it HARD. It’s not that autistic people have no feelings, nor even that they have a less developed range of emotional motion than neurotypical people do. On the contrary, autistic people are highly sensitive, and especially sensitive to the fact that the rules that govern interactions among neurotypical people are opaque to them.

Now for other important things for neurotypical people to know about autistic people.

Don’t take anything for granted. Don’t assume that you know what a particular facial expression does or doesn’t mean. Don’t assume that an autistic person is ignoring you because they’re knitting, drawing, flapping their hands, or rubbing fabric. These behaviors are called stimming, and many of us who are (more or less) neurotypical do them too; we just don’t do them as often or as obviously. For example, I rub velvet and like to feel other textured things. Petting my cat helps me calm down if I am upset. That action, that petting of Maddie’s soft fur, is a kind of stimming.

Autistic people just need to know what the rules are. Most of them have spent a lifetime trying to figure out what the rules of interaction are, not knowing, and just knowing that they’re probably “doing them wrong.” They don’t know why or how, just that it’s wrong. (Compare this to people with ADHD. We understand the rules, but we just know that we fuck them up all the time. Ahem.)

Being clear and direct with an autistic person is something that 90% of the time, they will really appreciate. “Midwestern Nice” is not something that will help your autistic friend. Just tell them, “Hey, I’ve really enjoyed this conversation, but I have to go do this other thing.” I’ve been in situations where I was trying to get off a chat interaction, gently but clearly, and it wasn’t until I said, “Darlin’, I just have to go. I’m hanging on by a thread here, I’m so tired. Take care, and we’ll talk tomorrow.” My friend was glad that I had told faer, and I was glad to get off the phone.

Similarly, letting autistic people know what to expect in given circumstances is SUPER DUPER EXTRA DOABLE PLUS HELPFUL. And in as much detail as you can give them. No, more detail than that. ? One of my friends got this piece of advice: When you’re on a Zoom call job interview, it’s especially important to look at the camera when you are talking and look “around the room” when other people are talking. The neurotypical people in the room will interpret that as engagement. My friend who received this advice was SO grateful, and fae wanted to know how neurotypical people just know this stuff.

Autistic people have had, and generally still have to do what is called “masking” most of the time. It is basically trying to figure out the rules and live them out without actually understanding what they are. It is SUPER draining and tiring, and feels fake. Faking is something that autistic people hate often more than anything else. Why? Because for them it is lying. It is being someone they’re not, acting in ways that aren’t natural to them. The more you can make it safe for autistic people not to mask, the closer your relationship can be.

You may have noticed that rather than saying, “people with autism,” I have said, “autistic people.” Why? This word choice has been suggested by autistic people because they don’t experience autism as separate from them; it’s not a disability, it’s not something they have outside themselves. It is literally who and how they are and how they move through the world. And so out of respect for that description, I describe people as I have heard them ask to be described, just as I try to use the pronouns that are appropriate to them.

Autistic people have superpowers directly related to autism. They are great at seeing patterns (something I can’t do in a million years). They are phenomenal, not only at noticing problems, but having potential solutions at hand. One thing, in fact, that I have found difficult about my autistic friends, and something I’ve sometimes had to put boundaries around, is that there is a certain insistence that can come along with thinking that you have the answer, the answer is the best, and that other people should just get out of the way and let you work to fix the problem. So brainstorming, for example, can be really difficult for autistic people. Just generating ideas can feel frustrating and counterproductive if they believe they have this answer.

But this, too, is a superpower. What do I mean? I give you, Greta Thunberg, the environmental activist. One of my dearest autistic friends has called Ms. Thunberg, a “tiny autistic prophet.” And that is the greatest superpower of all – being able to see what can happen if things don’t go well, how to fix them, and not being afraid to say so.

So I give you some of what I know, my friends. And please, autistic friends, feel free to write back, tell me what I’ve missed and what you wish I’d said. I’m here for you. I’m here for all of us, but autistic lives matter. Autistic experience matters. Autistic children matter.

All the love.

~Catharine~

PS – By the way, the organization known as Autism Speaks has no single autistic person on their board, and they are NOT supported by any autistic person I know. In fact, the name is often written, “Auti$m $peaks.” Autistic people, kids or adults, are not missing a puzzle piece. They are whole people.

PPS – If you, neurotypical or neurodivergent, are interested in one-on-one spiritual accompaniment, or working within the confines of a safe and tender small group, please do let me know. Just reply to this email.

☐ ☆ ✇ WWUUD?

Dining Out/In For Life

By: communication

Dining Out for Life: Our restaurant this year is the Frothy Monkey in the Nations (1400 51st Ave N).  They are donating 25% of all dinner proceeds to Nashville CARES – whether you order take-out, pickup curbside, dine inside, or eat outside.  (Sorry, but delivery isn’t included.)  Check out their menu, including special family dinners to go.
 
Head over to our Frothy Monkey/FUUN page too.  If you plan to join us, feel free to click the Join Team button.  You can also make an extra-special, much appreciated donation.  Nashville CARES offers people living with HIV/AIDS and their families a unique combination of services, resources and referrals to help with the challenges of the disease. All services are based upon need regardless of ability to pay.
 
For a list of all restaurants participating (so you can also select a restaurant for breakfast and lunch or if The Nations is just a little too far), go to diningoutforlife.com/city/nashville/.
 
We hope to see you on April 20 – even if it’s just in your car.
 
Your hosts,
Richard Bird and Victoria Harris

☐ ☆ ✇ WWUUD?

Mid-Week Message, 4-13-21

By: communication

Mid-week Message

from our Developmental Lead Minister

April 13, 2021
diane smaller
Today I came across these words written by Orlanda Brugnola, a UU minister, now deceased. Throughout her 30-year ministry, Orlanda worked tirelessly to dismantle racism and oppression within the world. I hear in her words a gentle invitation to humility and compassion as we continue the journey toward wholeness.
 

            As We Move
As we move through life
finding ourselves,
always newly wise and newly foolish,
we ask that our mistakes be small
and not hurtful.
We ask that as we gain experience
we do not forget our innocence,
for they are both part of the whole.
                          -Orlanda Brugnola 

I believe the use of the word innocent refers not to a lack of guilt, but a lack of knowledge and awareness, the privilege of being sheltered from the harsher realities of life.

With the trial of the killer of George Floyd happening and with the most recent police killing of Duante Wright, the Black community is in deep pain right now. Mindful of this pain, let us move through our days with compassion and humility. May the commitment to dismantle racism and build the beloved community be reaffirmed.

Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane 
leadminister@firstuunash.org

☐ ☆ ✇ WWUUD?

The Grace of Ten Mistakes A Day

By: Catharine Catharine Clarenbach

Dear hearts –

You have read and read and read – if you read Reflections with any regularity – me write about perfectionism. That insidious, pernicious, persistent characteristic that stops so many of us in our tracks. Okun and Smith identify perfectionism as a quality of white supremacy culture. I don’t know whether I agree or not; I’m steeped in white culture that has given me countless unearned benefits, as well as things that suck. It reminds me of how cissexism is bad for cisgender men, not just for everyone else.

Okun and Smith identify perfectionism in white supremacy culture as having some of the following characteristics:

  • little appreciation expressed among people for the work that others are doing; appreciation that is expressed usually directed to those who get most of the credit anyway
  • mistakes are seen as personal, i.e. they reflect badly on the person making them as opposed to being seen for what they are – mistakes
  • making a mistake is confused with being a mistake, doing wrong with being wrong
  • little time, energy, or money put into reflection or identifying lessons learned that can improve practice, in other words little or no learning from mistakes
  • tendency to identify what’s wrong; little ability to identify, name, and appreciate what’s right
  • often internally felt, in other words the perfectionist fails to appreciate her own good work, more often pointing out his faults or ‘failures,’ focusing on rather than learning from them; the person works with a harsh and constant inner critic.

These are only some points of their list, but these are some of the ones I really identify with. Which ones in particular?

Well, there are a couple that I hadn’t identified with perfectionism before, but which are essential to the experience. Those items about reflection, learning, treating mistakes as mistakes from which we can glean knowledge. I remember having a supervisor – whom I loved – who had a sign on her door that said, “Never make the same mistake twice.” This sign – every time I saw it – worried me. I knew that I have habits that led to making similar mistakes over and over. What did she think of me? What did it mean about me as an employee? Why was I not learning?

The more familiar ones, for me at least, are the ones about being a mistake, instead of having made a mistake. Feeling as though I am a bad person, a screw-up, essentially wrong because I have made a mistake. The idea of learning from my mistakes was alien to me. I thought it was just something people said to make you feel better when you messed up.

So I’ve been working with perfectionism, even just last week in “The Joy of Inefficient Ministry.” Today, though, I share with you one of the greatest therapeutic tools ever given to me, particularly as an antidote to perfectionism. Yes, there is gentle, gentle, gentle persistence. And yes, there is persistent gentleness. Yes. Self-compassion is essential.

How does one develop self-compassion, where mistakes are concerned?

Well. My fabulous therapist of many years, Miriam, gave me an exercise that has transformed my relationship to mistakes when I remember it. It is simply called, “Ten Mistakes A Day.”

What?

Yeah, you get ten mistakes a day, free and clear, no judgment, maybe some learning, but nothing punitive, nothing mean, nothing but compassion for your human self.

And I’m not talking about accidentally knocking a cup off the counter. I’m talking about genuine mistakes. Not treating someone with the care they deserve. Doing an experiment that doesn’t work out as the result of a mistake you made along the way. Eating more than makes your body feel comfortable. Giving yourself a terrible pandemic haircut. (Oh, if you could only see me.)

You get ten before you even start questioning them or interrogating them, at least at the time.

What I learned from this exercise are a couple of things:

  1. My life is not one big mistake. I am not a mistake. I am not a failure. I may not accomplish everything I’d like to, but I am not a mistake. I could offer myself compassion and just let the mistakes go. Not that I wasn’t accountable for their consequences, but I could let the punitive, angry, critical voices go.
  2. I never got to ten. I don’t know that I ever got to 5. I just didn’t. I never got to ten. I never got to the place where I was “allowed” to feel bad about myself. When Miriam told me about this practice, I thought, “Oh only ten?! This is NOT going to go well.” In fact, it was a practice of offering myself grace and recognizing my humanity.

So give it a shot. Ten Mistakes A Day. Let me know how it works out, and I’ll keep it up too.

Blessings, and joy in our erring!

~Catharine~

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The Joy of Inefficient Ministry

By: Catharine Catharine Clarenbach

Small groups still have just a couple of slots. Reply to this email if your interest is piqued by the idea of a circle of care, tenderness, seeking, and witnessing.

Oh, my friends, you are so wise!

First, for those of you who celebrate the day, blessing of Easter to you. Pesach and Ramadan are both upon us or nearly so. Ostara is past. Spring is here, and the spring holidays of remembrance bring us closer, one hopes, to what we most value, what is our sense of deepest good, however we conceive of the Holy.


In Tema Okun and Kenneth Jones’s great work on what the hell white supremacy culture values are (and much of late-stage capitalism’s, as well, by the way), they identify several values. The values are perfectionism, false sense of urgency, defensiveness, quantity over quality, worship of the written word, only one right way, paternalism, individualism and the belief that “I need to go it alone, either/or thinking, power hoarding, fear of open conflict, individualism, progress meaning bigger/more, objectivity, and right to comfort.

Don’t misunderstand me; I’m not sure what I think about all these. I’m not sure what “white supremacy culture” means in terms of other cultural ways of moving and thinking. I’m not sure what is my own defensiveness, and what is critical thinking and experience-checking. I’m just not sure. I put the list above as the work of one pair of scholars as a list of things to explore, not as gospel or as something to rest unquestioned.

I do have the sense that one of the pieces that goes along with a sense of urgency and possibly individualism (not individuality, mind you, but individualism) is efficiency.

I wrote last week about saying no, both for oneself, and also for the benefit of others. About how giving a no and receiving a no can both be blessings. Both ends of “no” can identify divine timing, energy, inclination, joy, guidance, and love. No is GREAT! (Someone please teach me this, would you? Ahem. Nothing to see here, nothing to see. Moving on.)

I began this missive with an exclamation about your wisdom. And wow, have I seen it over the past week! Just wow.

Let me say before I go on, that when I say the word “ministry,” yes, I mean the actions of religious professionals and people who are involved in congregational life in whatever denomination or religion. But that’s not all. I also mean the gifts all of us bring to others in kindness, care, gentleness, and most of all, generosity.

Last week, one of you identified a kind of ministry that is radical, rascally, and roguish. Radical – changed at the root. Rascally – wily and creative as that trickster icon, Bugs Bunny. Roguish – something wrapped in allure, seduction, even. You spoke about your ministry, what your hopes are, what you believe you bring, and what you hope to bring.

After listening to you for a bit, the phrase, “inefficient ministry” surfaced between us.

Nap ministry, slow ministry, inefficient ministry. What does it mean when we allow ourselves these things? What might it mean for us to abandon perfectionism, individualism, a constant sense of urgency? For most of us, there is no blood on the floor. The color of the carpet in the Sanctuary is not a decision that needs to be made quickly, though it may be a decision that requires conflict, given people’s strong feelings about what a sanctuary should evoke.

When I say, “no blood on the floor,” I mean that those of us who spend our days, as I do, thinking and writing and reading and responding and listening and trying to bring beauty into the world, are not dealing with life-and-death situations. Some of us are. Some of us, as I mentioned in my last love letter, ARE dealing with clear life-and-death circumstances. Blessed chaplains, especially hospice chaplains and musical therapy chaplains, I am looking at you. You may have a sense of urgency, or at least a sense of the shortness of time we have on Earth, and the importance of relationship in our last moments; you may have a kind of urgency sometimes that others of us don’t. Still, Mark Silver reminds me of an EMT maxim: There’s always time to take your own pulse.

There’s always time to take your own pulse. What pulse do you need to take?

What if we prayed each day to be faithful, not rushed? What if we prayed each day to do our best, and not put ourselves “on the hook” for everything? What if there were no hooks? I mean, what would we do without hooks?! What if we insisted, from the very beginning, those of us who are in congregational ministry, that this is how we intend to work, to model, to be an example? What might happen, both frustrating and beautiful?

Martin Luther said, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” Wait, what? He had so much to do that he knew he had to add to his spiritual practice, not take away from it. It is our practice that makes our ministry deep and rich and responsive. But be persistently gentle, eh? If your practice is not speedy or consistent or persevering, remember Belleruth Naperstek’s admonition that each breath is a new beginning, as well as Ralph Waldo Emerson’s reminder that into each day a little absurdity creeps.

Let yesterday go. Let today be the day in which you live. Be here now. Be here now. Be here now. I cannot say it enough times. Be here now. There is no other time. There is no other place. There is no “there” that is not “here.” The desire for “there,” in any condition, is a recipe for grasping, wishing, demanding, and ultimately, suffering. I am sitting in my chair with my feet on the floor thinking of you. I am here, now, with you.

I have many things to do, it’s true. But what would happen if I practiced them inefficiently, without rush, without perfectionism, and maybe without worry? What might happen? Might I disappoint people? Almost certainly, and then I have the opportunity to turn to the Nap Ministry quotation I wrote to you last week. Might I feel strange in my own skin? Almost certainly, and then I have the chance to integrate new ways of being.

But might I also be more authentic? Might I also be honest with my people, and say what I am and am not willing, not only not able, to do? Often, and I bow to my congregational minister friends, we push and push because we are pushed, both by our own patterns and by other people.

Then, feeling pushed, we do everything we can to avoid failure in front of other people, disappointing those people, and ultimately, shame because we have not lived up to their or our expectations. But what if we risked those things, sure, but also knew that we were watering our own garden so that we could bring new flowers to our people? Flowers they’d never seen before.

I’m just wondering, what does “inefficient ministry” bring up for you? Inefficient ministry that cares more for people than for clocks. Inefficient ministry that spends time staring out the window and knowing that window time is essential to writing, thinking, bringing what people need. Bring us a Word, pastor, people say sometimes in the Black church. Bring us a Word.

Let us spend time being still, no matter what our responsibilities may be, attending, resting in order to find the Word to bring, the responsiveness to share.

Can you help me? Can I help you be more inefficient?

Many thanks to the client who brought this together today. You are a wise, wise one, as are each of you who are reading this correspondence. Let us seek our wisdom, compassion, integrity, and authenticity in stillness and silence and time. And then, only then, bring ourselves to the work.

With love always,

~Catharine~

PS – One way to slow down is to bring yourself into communion with others who are also on the spiritual journey. One way to embed practice into your day is to schedule it, to make time in your schedule that says, “practice,” and ideally to do that practice with another or others. I still have a couple of spots available in my morning/lunchtime (depending what time zone you’re in), and I’d love to talk to you about them. Just reply to this email, and let’s see whether there is a way we might help one another breathe, one another slow down, one another be inefficient.

☐ ☆ ✇ WWUUD?

Mid-Week Message, 3-30-21

By: communication

Mid-week Message

from our Developmental Lead Minister

March 30, 2021

The exodus from Egypt occurs in every human being, in every era, in every year, and in every day.” Rabbi Nachman of Breslov

diane smallerThis is a holy week, holy days for Jews who celebrate Passover and for Christians who observe Easter. The themes of these holy days are being lived out in our lives right now. After a year of plagues, the rule of empire, with all its addictions, isms, and phobias, still reigns. COVID-19 has not yet released its grip. Passover’s promise of freedom has yet to come. The stone has yet to be rolled away from the Easter tomb. New life has yet to be resurrected from the old. Still, we dare to strive for liberation, dare to hope for a rebirth of the spirit. The release we yearn for is close at hand, the dawn of a new beginning is on the horizon.

In this season, reopening is foremost in our minds. Just as the buds of spring open in their own time, so  it will be with reopening the church for in-person worship and other programming. Your Reopening Task Force is hard at work and plans to have recommendations for your Board of Directors to consider at their April meeting.

The Unitarian Universalist Association has released new guidance and resources for congregations which you can find here: uua.org/pressroom/press-releases/between-time.

May these holy days of spring unfold and open new ways of being and thinking, ways that will lead us into ever greater freedom and a new understanding of the promise that life renews itself again and again.

Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane 
leadminister@firstuunash.org

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Celebration of Life for Tamara Price, May 1

By: communication

Dear Ones,

I am sad to let you know that Tamara Price died Sunday night after a long struggle with cancer.

A Celebration of Life has been scheduled for May 1, 3 p.m. on Zoom. 

Memorial Service pre-registration

Funeral home obituary

Let us all keep Lex, Maya, and all Tamara’s family and friends in our warm thoughts and loving prayers.

With care,
Rev. Diane

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Bereavement Notice: Tamara Price

By: communication

Dear Ones,

I am sad to let you know that Tamara Price died Sunday night after a long struggle with cancer. A Celebration of Life has yet to be scheduled. We will let you know as soon as a date has been set. In the meantime, let us all keep Lex, Maya, and all Tamara’s family in our warm thoughts and loving prayers.

With care,
Rev. Diane

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The Powerful Gifts of Disappointment and Saying No

By: Catharine Catharine Clarenbach

Might you want to connect with some other people on their spiritual journey, receive some coaching on your own path, and have the opportunity to witness and learn from others? I am offering two small groups at two different times, one that meets twice a month, and the other once a month. There is room for two people in one group and three in the other. Please just hit reply to this email if you’re curious, want to talk about the possibilities, consider whether such a thing might be for you, or just to check in!

Beloveds –

I have a dear mentor who I haven’t seen in years, but who has given me many gems of knowledge, understanding, and wisdom that have stayed with me. She knows a lot about being really sick. Having breast cancer, a life-threatening case of E. coli, and another potentially fatal infection that led to a hysterectomy, all within ten years, she learned a lot. Like, a lot about how to get through being really sick and being a minister at a large Unitarian Universalist congregation.

One of the things she realized was that she had to disappoint people. She just had to. She couldn’t live into the life that she’d had before she’d gotten sick. She couldn’t do All the Things. She couldn’t go to All the Places. And she couldn’t see All the People, as much as she loved them. I remember hearing the senior minister say that she welcomed receiving cards, but that phone calls and visits were not welcome at that time.

“What good boundaries,” I thought. “How clear that is!” I don’t know why it struck me as so revolutionary at the time, but it did.

Later, she told me that she had to make a spiritual practice of risking disappointing someone every day. Of dealing with the emotional fallout that could come from someone who didn’t want to hear her “no,” who came by the house with food. (This was long before dropping things off with no notice, and just letting someone know afterward was a practice as it is now. Ah, COVID, how you have changed us.)

She knew that she had a finite pool of energy, and that it was small. She knew all she could really do in a day was maybe shower and take herself back to bed and talk to her partner when she came home from work. That was it.

It reminds me of the No Ministry I’ve written about here before. Let me see whether I can find the wonderful quotation I’ve loved so much. <<rummage, rummage>> Ah, found it!

The writer speaks about the joy she gets from saying, “no,” and how liberating it is, but she goes further: “I also love when folks tell me no. It’s a blessing to get a NO. It means the divine timing is not there….Start saying no and praising when you get a rejection, and watch stuff shift for you.” From The Nap Ministry.

Saying “no” risks disappointing someone. But it also opens a door for both the giver and the receiver. It makes space. It makes room for love and Divine timing to enter into the equation between the two interlocutors. It can be a loving action between the two of you. It can even be a way to express deep love and care for another person – I love you, and I can’t do this thing you’re asking of me because I think it would make me resentful and damage our relationship as a result. Or I love you and I know you love me, and you will respect that I am not saying no willy-nilly. I am saying no because I need to.

The thing is, you/one/I don’t have to express that justification. We don’t have to justify why we’re disappointing someone. How’s about them apples?! Just typing the words, I feel a little anxious inside. But, but, but what if someone gets angry with me? It’s important to ask yourself, first of all, whose wrath are you risking incurring. It’s also important to remember that if someone needs more information and if you are in a close enough relationship that such a conversation will be helpful, they can ask and you can answer. And finally, remember that, as Rabbi Hillel is said to have said, “If you don’t take care of yourself, who will?”

Saying no, as well as risking the disappointment of others, are a spiritual practices for many of us, especially for those of us—and I mean no dog whistling here—who were socialized as girls. Or in any way socialized to believe that “nice” was the highest good. Nice, modest, humble, accommodating…you can do the math.

Now the Nap Ministry writer says that she says “no” 90% of the time. I need to be honest here: I cannot imagine getting to that place. 90% of the time, wow. I think for now, my practice is going to be noticing when I can say no. When the opportunity for “no” presents itself. When I have had the chance, whether I’ve taken it up or not. Whether I’ve risked disappointing someone or not.

And when I do, when someone pushes back and says, “I’m really disappointed,” I can practice attending to how that feels. Do I feel pushed to change my answer, or do I attend to the wisdom of the Nap Ministry? Do I actually change my answer? When I am accommodating other people’s needs at the expense of my own?

How can you say no today? How can you make room for your own self by allowing the yes that opens up when you say no? Because of course, that is what happens. Every time I say yes when it’s pressured out of me, one way or another, I am saying no to myself in some other regard.

So let’s practice saying no, shall we? Let me know how it goes, and we’ll see what happens!

Blessings, as ever,

~Catharine~

PS – Don’t forget about the small Spirit Groups! I’d love to have a conversation with you about them. Just hit reply, and we’ll make a time to chat about whether one might be right for you!

☐ ☆ ✇ WWUUD?

The April/May 2021 Newsletter is Published

By: communication

Visit our Newsletter page for the current and past newsletters.

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NOAH Mtg. Press Release, 3-18-21

By: communication

FUUN’s Susie Wilcox attended and is pictured above.

MEDIA RELEASE
DATE OF EVENT: Thursday, March 18th – 2:00 PM
PLACE: MNPD East Precinct; 936 E Trinity Ln, Nashville, TN 37207
CONTACT: Jerome Moore 615-397-6468

“Metropolitan Nashville Police Must Stop Shooting and Killing our Community Members!
NOAH believes it is unacceptable for Metro police to shoot two women, one fatally. These preventable shootings point to larger, systemic issues within the police force and their approach to providing public safety to the Nashville community. The Metro police have a long history of behavior that makes this unsurprising and we are calling for police accountability in each case with an investigation by the District Attorney’s office.  In the instance of Nika Nicole Holbert, we have the history of behavior and practices that led to the data reported in the Driving While Black in Nashville report. Would Nika have been pulled over if she had been white? Would the officer have proceeded with a search if Nika had been white?  What we see in the footage released by the department is a vehicle being pulled over because the officer believed a wanted suspect was in the vehicle. We further see the officer continue the stop even after he learned the suspect was neither the driver or a passenger in the vehicle. Instead of terminating the stop, he decided to search for evidence without consent, a violation of the 4th Amendment. This choice led to Officer Baker being critically injured and the preventable death of Ms. Holbert.

In the second shooting, a woman with a mental illness and in crisis, Melissa Wooden requested the police help her commit suicide: NOAH believes that when mental health crisis calls are received, a civilian team consisting of an EMT and a crisis response counselor should respond, not the police. We call this model HEALS (Health Engagement and Liaison Services) and it provides a medical response to a medical problem.  The patient’s needs are met by the responding health professionals.  They are experts in de-escalation techniques and would determine if probable violence necessitates a call to Metro police. The HEALS team makes that decision once they have interacted with the patient.  There is no need for police involvement to a medical problem unless summoned by the HEALS staff.

NOAH is calling MNPD and District Attorney General Funk to answer these questions:
Police Policies, Protocols, and Procedures with respect to Nika Nicole Holbert:

  • From the footage released to the public the officer never asked consent or said Ms. Holbert was under arrest, was the search legal?
  • Was the MNPD de-escalation protocol followed?

NOAH is calling on MNPD and the Mayor to take this ACTION:

  • Implement a community-based behavioral health crisis intervention program staffed by a Nashville-based non-profit community mental health center already licensed for a wide array of services, including outpatient treatment and crisis services to be first responders to persons who call MNPD in mental crisis.

 

About Nashville Organized for Action and Hope (NOAH)

Nashville Organized for Action and Hope (NOAH) is an anti-racist faith-based coalition made up of 62 congregations, labor unions, and other groups, working to combat systemic injustices through community engagement, training, and direct public action.

 

MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES

  • NOAH community members addressing shootings and calling out MNPD
  • New proposal on how to best address a mental health crisis
☐ ☆ ✇ WWUUD?

NOAH Action: Affordable Housing Task Force discusses Metro Budget needs

By: communication

What do we want in this year’s metro budget for affordable housing?

$20-30 million to the Barnes Fund and a separate Metro Office of Affordable Housing to maintain this work even when there is a change in Mayors. At NOAH’s Affordable Housing Task Force Meeting on March 28 at 2:30 pm, we will be explaining the need for more affordable housing, hearing testimonies from people needing that housing, and outlining how we can influence the Metro Budget process.

Kwansay Toombs, Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee and Zulfat Surara Chair of the Affordable Housing Committee of the Metro Council will answer questions about what should be in the budget. Pre-register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwsduGurTgrGNZ3s5rPqNeXxGTRkBKpLgxS

☐ ☆ ✇ WWUUD?

Mid-Week Message March 16, 2021

By: communication

Mid-week Message

from our Developmental Lead Minister

March 16, 2021

diane smallerFriends,
I have two updates for you this week. First, I have decided to learn to live with my backyard moles. Majority opinion is that traps, poisons, repellents, underground sound emitting devices – even eliminating the grubs the moles feed on – all these are temporary fixes at best. Moles are a fact of life here in middle Tennessee, endemic you might say.

The second update I have has to do with the reopening plans for FUUN. Your Board of Directors appointed a Reopening Task Force. The members are Jacob Hathaway, Mary Lindsay, Barbara Snook, Scott Weaver, and me. The Reopening Task Force is hard at work and early indicators are that the soonest possible reopening would be the end of May, but more likely August or September. Not what any of us want to hear, I know.

I wish I could tell you in a sentence or two just how complicated it is figuring out when and how to safely reopen. The Reopening Task Force is developing a phased reopening plan along with guidelines for the limitation of risk and recommendations for the use of space and the scheduling of programs.

While the Reopening Task Force is not ready to put forth a plan just yet, I did want to at least let you know that progress is being made. I also want us all to have some realistic expectations. The reality is that while the pandemic may end, the virus is most likely here to stay – endemic – part of life. There will always be a risk, so the tricky part of all this is figuring out when it is safe enough to reopen and how we can mitigate risk to the most vulnerable among us.

Finally, thank you to those who have responded thus far about your year of pandemic – what you’ve lost, what’s given you hope, what you’ve learned, and how you’ve grown. To date, I’ve only received 3 names of people known to you who died from COVID. My guess is there are more. If you would like the name of someone you knew who lost their life to COVID shared in this Sunday’s service, get their name to me by noon on Friday – leadminister@firstuunash.org.

I do hope you plan to partake of Sunday’s worship service, either live via Zoom at 9 am or when it is rebroadcast on Facebook and Youtube. Taking the time to commemorate the year we’ve all been through is important for our individual and collective healing.

What I know for sure is that there is a resiliency to life. We are all part of an interdependent web of being. Life calls us on.

Yours in shared ministry,
Rev. Diane 

☐ ☆ ✇ WWUUD?

Faithful Risk

By: Catharine Catharine Clarenbach

My cherished siblings –

I’ve spoken to some very wise comrades this week. People who are near to or part of the Way of the River and have been with me for some time. I feel privileged to work with them, whether 1:1 or in small groups—or both! These folks – you folks – have reminded me of some very important pieces of work that I haven’t thought of in a long time or haven’t thought of in the ways you’ve brought out.

And now that I think about it, much of what I’ve learned about the growth of The Way of the River since 2016 has come from you. My spiritual accompaniment practice grew love letters because you suggested that I might have more to share than only with one person at a time. And my accompaniment practice grew again when you asked whether I would coach and mentor you through the MFC preparation process. And then you asked for season classes and workshops. And then you thought it would be great if I offered a class on discernment, since it’s a topic so close to my heart and something I come back to again and again.

You, dear comrade, are the human manifestations of the wellsprings of love that nourish and feed this particular river. Thank you.

I have had conversations this week about “inefficient ministry” and how luscious and important it is. How subversive and roguish and rascally it feels to say no, I want a ministry of smallness and slowness and peace and time to find clarity. We have spoken about the glory of the discipline of “ten mistakes a day” and the practice of disappointment. So there’s plenty for me to be thinking about, and I hope to bring some more thought-out words to you on those subjects soon.

So that’s the (wo)man behind the curtain, pulling levels and ringing bells and blowing smoke, all the while realizing that the whole thing only exists because you exist. We all need all the rest of us to survive, which is a paraphrase (I always get it wrong) of an important manifestino of our comrade Rev. Theresa Soto.

Today, though, I am thinking of those of you who have been or are in search for a congregational ministry, as well as the rest of us who are trying to live our lives faithfully in response to the movements of the Spirit of the Universe Who is male, female, both and beyond gender. Who is One and Many. Who is known and unknowable. Who concerns Themselves in human affairs and would never concern Itself in human affairs, but who in any case is the miraculous system/process/be-ing that allows love to come into the world. The Love, as the Sufis call Allah, the Real, the One, the only perfection.

One of my clients and I this week were talking about search and all its difficulties and brutalities. All the ways one can be subjected to microagressions (and macroagressions) for being a person of color, whether you are indigenous, Black, or inhabit another racial identity. For being fat, in whatever way the eyes of the beholder are beholding your size and shape. For being Appalachian in a tradition that is hung up on the Boston roots of some of our tradition. (As much as we love to deny that we have anything to do with Calvinism, good Mother of all the gods, we surely are puritanical.) For having a gender…I almost want to stop there, at “for having a gender,” but it’s more appropriate to say, for having a gender other than the one the people selecting a candidate are looking for. For being working class. For having disabilities that show and are known. So much.

And is it our job to fight all our own battles? Of course not. As I’ve already said, we all need all the rest of us to survive. What do we do? How do we make it through these slings and arrows of outrageous, late-stage capitalism and white supremacy and cissexist, heteropatriarchal bullshit? How do we do it?

Many, many people have explained it, the most famous of whom in English is probably Shakespeare, in Polonius’s speech to Laertes:

This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man (sic).

What our comrade called it in our talk, though, was “faithful risk.” The risks one takes out of a commitment to fidelity.

Many of us, simply by virtue of being who we are in the world, who we are seen to be, at whose mercy we are, cannot help taking risks. For all the reasons I said above, many of us are at risk.

So what is faithful risk?

Faithful risk is a decision borne out of a sense of connection to that “self” that old Will mentions above. The one who takes the faithful risk moves out into the unknown, following the headlights of the self into the dark, fifteen feet at a time across a continent.

Taking faithful risks demands that we ask ourselves to whom or what are we accountable. With whom and with what do we keep faith, and so risk breaking faith? Surely one of those needs to be ourselves. Another might be Love itself. Another might be a given congregation. Another might be the Spirit that inspires us, moves us forward, to Which we pray when we sing, “Sing in my heart / all the stirrings of compassion.”

And the risk part, well, some of it isn’t optional, if we’re going to be in deep relationship with anyone. It’s risk that makes us vulnerable. But some of us don’t have a choice about being vulnerable. We just are. Our bodies, the way we look. Our voices, the way we talk. The ways we are on the outside bring physical danger or oppression, even though they may also connect us to communities of support.

But choosing to risk even more is another matter.

Choosing to tell the truth when the truth is not comfortable or what you think the person with the power wants to hear can be faithful risk. Knowing that if you don’t tell the search committee, don’t tell the prospective candidate for your congregation, the truth about some ugly background, everyone will suffer.

That truth telling is faithful risk.

Admitting our own fallibility, ffs, can be faithful risk. I don’t think it should have to be risky. I wish we were tender with one another, listened closely to one another, treated one another well and with challenge and support. But we aren’t. A lot of the time, we just aren’t. And so any truth telling that opens up our humanness to be sliced and diced and judged can be faithful risk.

This risk is not just the one we take because we’re thrill-seeking goofballs. It’s because we’re working to be true to ourselves. And the One/s for Whom we give our lives. Faithful.

So let this rumble around in your hearts and minds today. What faithful risks are you being invited to take? How can you keep faith with “any man” by being true to your own deepest, wisest self? How can you show up to that today?

Blessings as you consider your risks, my loves, blessings –

~Catharine~

PS – Still considering the possibility of joining one of my small groups? There is still room for you! Just go to and set up a free half hour for us to discuss whether one of the groups might be a fit for you. I look forward to hearing from you!

❌