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I yearn for the life of a monastic. Doing chores and studying religions and UU literature and being in community with fellow monastics, engaging in social justice work day in and day out. Leaving behind the worldly life. I don't know what to do with this yearning. It would be my dream to build the first UU Monastery but I don't know if this is an idea that would find acceptance in UU circles. I found the Unseen Monastery but that's not really a monastery, it's more an online community and that's not what I'm after. Any thoughts? Do you think a UU monastery is possible? How should I go about creating it, where to even start?
"Show Tunes and Tee-Shirts"
Sunday, June 1, 2025
A story (maybe two) of life on its own terms, bold, joyful, and that left the world better than they found it. Come, and be ready to smile and sing.
Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Dennis Adams, Worship Associate; Emma Wakeling, Membership and Young Adult Manager; Judith Stoddard, Membership; Reiko Oda Lane, organist; UUSF Choir; Mark Sumner, director; Wm. García Ganz, pianist
Eli Boshears, Camera Operator; Jonathan Silk, Communications Director; Kelvin Jones, Jose Matias Pineda, and Francisco Castellanos, Sextons; Judy Payne, Flowers; Linda Messner, Head Usher
Hey all I grew up mormon, I now attend a non-denominational bible based Christian church where I’ve found SUCH a great community. However, I am feeling a similar feeling as to why I left them Mormon church, and now I’m questioning everything.
I’ve never been much of an organized religion person in general, but love Christian music (I love to sing) and love the sense of community/friends so I’ve always gravitated towards a religious community. My non-denom Christian church I go to is very biblical and history based, but I’ve always thought of the Bible not as a history book but rather a fictional book telling stories of God and Christ to teach a lesson/provoke deeper levels of thinking. I do not believe in the trinity, however this church doesn’t really preach the trinity heavily, even thought they are “Christian”. I believe more that God and Jesus are separate, with God being “Father” and Jesus being His Son. The Holy Spirit is an entity that is more or less a conductor of their energy and love.
I ultimately let the Mormon church because I didn’t want to be apart of a religion I didn’t believe in, and am feeling like I’m going down the same path with this non-denom Christian church now—hence my issue with organized religion. Not one is going to be perfect. BUT I love the community that religion can bring, if done right.
With all that said, would universalism be a religion I may like? I’m not much of an activist and have always been apolitical…and that aspect of what I’ve read is making me weary of looking into this religion. Thoughts?
P.S. I came across this entire religion literally today as my therapist shared a quote to me. When I went to look it up again I realized it was said by Jenkin Lloyd Jones, a Unitarian Minister and Civil War vet. I loved his quote and can share it if y’all want :)
Beloveds,
Pride 2025 arrives at a time of deep reckoning and urgent resistance.
Across the country, we are witnessing a coordinated escalation of political attacks on LGBTQIA+ people—particularly targeting trans and nonbinary youth, families, and communities. These attacks are not isolated; they are deeply connected to intersecting systems of oppression—white supremacy, Christian nationalism, anti-Blackness, misogyny, and ableism—that threaten all of us. (See our curated resource list Preparing for Pride for workshops, toolkits, and resources on how to offer solidarity and support this Pride season).
This moment demands more than celebration—it calls us into bold solidarity. Pride was born from protest, from defiance, from the sacred truth that LGBTQIA+ lives are worthy, joyful, and powerful. Today, we carry that legacy forward—not just in words, but in our actions, relationships, and commitments.
As Unitarian Universalists, our faith calls us to keep love at the center. And love, in this moment, moves like this:
Join The Gathering: A virtual event celebrating LGBTQIA+ pride and preparing for upcoming Supreme Court decisions. Nicole Pressley from Side With Love will discuss building power through campaigns. Rev. Kentina Washington-Leapheart from SACReD will address challenges to reproductive justice and bodily autonomy. UU trans/non-binary musician Shana Aisenberg will also perform. Connect, find inspiration, and take action.
RSVP for The Gathering on June 9th at 8 ET: Register here
Congregational staff and board members, join Now What: The Gathering on June 11th at 1pm ET: Register here
Join UPLIFT Action: a Side With Love campaign advocating for bodily autonomy, Because Every Body is Sacred. Subscribe to the UPLIFT Action Newsletter to receive advocacy updates, educational tools, and actions to support LGBTQIA+ rights all year, not just during Pride. We offer guidance to help congregations and communities stay safe during Pride and year-round while showing up as public witnesses for LGBTQIA+ dignity and liberation. Subscribe today.
Renew Your Welcome: We invite congregations to participate in the Five Practices of Welcome Renewal, a powerful path to recommit to LGBTQIA+ inclusion and become ever more spiritually nourishing spaces for all.
Supporting UU Trans Religious Professionals: We encourage you to support TRUUsT — an organization of trans Unitarian Universalists who are living out a call to ministry within Unitarian Universalism. Email truust@transuu.org to learn how you might support their work.
LGBTQIA+ Resources: Visit www.uua.org/lgbtq/resources for a growing library of resources to support LGBTQIA+ people in your congregation, community, and beyond.
Dear friends, let me be honest—for me, Pride is complicated. All throughout June, I vacillate from rolling my eyes and sissying that walk. I release a sigh of frustration when I see rainbow flags go up in storefronts while legislation strips away our rights. I feel exhausted by the commercialization of a movement that was born in the streets—by transwomen of color, by Black and brown queer people, and by people dying of AIDS who dared to fight back. It’s hard to know where the celebration ends and the co-optation begins. And still, I feel joy.
There’s a deep, abiding joy in being Black and queer. It’s in our music, our style, our stories, our survival. It’s in our capacity to love expansively, to grieve collectively, to laugh even when the world tells us not to exist. That joy is not naive—it’s a refusal to be diminished.
So this Pride, I’m holding space for contradiction. For fatigue and celebration. For grief and resistance. For the love that lives in chosen family, in congregational care, and in each courageous act of showing up for one another.
Wherever you are this month—angry, joyful, numb, overwhelmed—you are beautiful, you belong, and you are welcome here.
Much Love,
Michael
Rev. Michael J. Crumpler
UUA LGBTQ and Multicultural Programs Director
Pride 2025: June update from UPLIFT Action
WWUUD stream