Smorgasboard: January 23, 2026

At First Universalist we strive to build beloved community, one rooted in a Universalist vision of love that sees everyone as welcome and wanted. In other words, a beloved community where all can belong. As I’ve noted previously, guided by input from a congregational survey, the board has a goal this year of deepening our understanding of belonging here. As part of that work, we are convening a series of small group discussion sessions. Among the questions we are exploring:

1. What helps you feel like you belong at First Universalist?
2. What are the barriers to belonging at First Universalist?
3. What ideas do you have to promote greater belonging among the church
   community?

We’ve now had the first three of those sessions, with more to come in the next few months. The conversations have been rich and informative. One consistent theme has been the importance of interpersonal relationships in helping people feel welcomed and belonging. People connect with other people, which is the basis for their connection to the community. We’ve heard this from people who have been members for 50 years as well as those who have only recently discovered First Universalist and are not yet members. The ways people build and maintain those connections and relationships are varied: it may be in worship, or in small groups, or in activities. And it may change over time as people change and grow. What works for us at one phase of our life may not work as well in another.

As we meet with more people, representing the breadth and diversity of our church community, we look forward to gleaning additional insights into how we can further strengthen these connections and deepen our sense of belonging. Please look for announcements about additional small group discussion, or feel free to reach out to any board members to share your thoughts and suggestions.

Marc Gorelick, President