This is what we do.

Each year, we the Worship Team creates a document with the theological grounding and themes for the upcoming church year. This year’s document opens with these words from Rev. Jen Crow: 

Founded in 1859, our mission has been clear for more than 166 years. We are a people of love and hope who believe that each and every person is born whole and holy and worthy, welcome and wanted exactly as they are, all with room to grow. We believe that the experience of unconditional love is the ground from which Beloved Community grows. We believe that a world of justice and joy is possible not only in the hereafter, but in the here and now, and our faith compels us to do everything we can to create it. 

When you join us, you will see people of all ages laughing and crying, singing and praying, learning and laughing. You will see us sharing meals and making friends across generations and across differences. You will see us comforting the sick and the grieving, welcoming the stranger and the outcast, and celebrating the milestones of life and faith. There is no secret about who we are and what we do. As has been true for generations, the church at its best holds up a moral mirror to the empire it finds itself within, and strives to make the largest love available to the most vulnerable among us. This is who we are. This is what we do. This is the work of the church.

The month of October’s focus is This is what we do. Last Sunday, Rev. Jen and I responded to questions of the congregation in a Question Box Service—where congregants write their questions down and ministers answer them during worship. (Our guest preacher tested positive for COVID on Wednesday night and we shifted quickly to pull together a meaningful Sunday service.) We wanted to show what it looks like to be a practicing congregation. Being open, taking risks, and being real with one another. 

I have to confess, I was nervous. We learned of the questions in real time, along with you who were in the congregation that morning. A series of anxious “what ifs” populated my mind in the days leading up to the service. I prepared by listening to other Question Box Sunday services. I realized I was not seeking answers to questions, but instead, witnessing colleague’s courage and joy as they responded to questions from the congregations they serve. Courage, as Rev. Jen said several weeks ago, is contagious. So is the willingness to risk. I ended up enjoying the service and reflecting on the questions you posed. 

This Sunday we will be exploring the practice of belonging. Maya Angelou wrote, “I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself.” Finding a home in a large congregation can be intimidating. Finding a home when we do not feel at home in our own being can be heartbreaking. Finding a home when “home” changes in ways that we did not choose and we have to adapt to can be challenging. 

How can we, as a Beloved Community, make the largest love available to all who are a part of the First Universalist community? We will always do this imperfectly, but together, we can practice being open and find ways to show up for one another. This too is the work of the church. 

See you on Sunday, 

Rev. Laura