Where your joy meets your power: Spiritual growth programs at church

Beloveds,

Where do your joy and your power meet the needs of our communities right now?

It’s a question many of us at First Universalist are quietly holding—especially as so many in our congregation are showing up again and again in resistance to state violence, surveillance, and occupation. The work is urgent. The stakes are real. And the exhaustion is, too.

AND as we say every week, “You are not alone. We are holding it together.” What keeps me from mumbling “barely” at the end of that sentence is practicing joy. Together. 

For me, there is joy in the nerdy. There is joy in witnessing congregant leaders tell us the story of ourselves again in the language of workplans, budgets and the nitty gritty of the church. This will happen this Sunday after the second service (and online) when we hold our annual mid-year congregational meeting. 

Joy looks like sitting down at a Community Dinner and remembering that your body needs food and laughter. It looks like walking the labyrinth under a full moon. It looks like crafting in community, singing with others, moving your body, praying, grieving together, or finding a circle where you can say, honestly, “This is how I am.”

Joy also looks like connection across generations—youth leading a talent show, elders sharing stories, families grounding themselves with honest conversations about parenting under fascism together, newcomers finding a place to belong. These moments don’t distract us from the work of justice. They fuel it.

That’s why we’re inviting you to take a look at our newly released Winter/Spring Program Guide. These offerings are not “extra.” They are part of how we take care of ourselves and of one another so we can keep showing up—for our neighbors, for our city, for the long haul.

Maybe your joy meets your power in faithful action—building homes with Habitat, organizing for environmental justice, or reducing waste together. Maybe it meets your power in pastoral care—Resistance Reflection Circles, grief groups, caregiver support. Maybe it’s art, music, movement, study, or shared meals. Maybe it’s finally saying yes to a group that’s been tugging at you.

You don’t have to do everything. You just have to choose something that nourishes you—and trust that your presence matters.

In a time of tyranny that tells us to harden, isolate, and burn ourselves out, choosing joy in community is an act of resistance. It is how we remember who we are and why this work is worth doing. 

Where does your joy meet your power right now? And how might this community help hold you there?

You’re invited. Take a look. Sign up.

Throughout this Winter/Spring season at church, you can stay up-to-date with what’s happening in three ways:

1. Subscribe to the weekly newsletter. You’ll see what’s coming up at church, including updates as new gatherings are scheduled and if others have schedule changes.
2. Check the Spiritual Growth Page where the Program Guide will be regularly updated and available for you to check out.
3. Visit our home page any time and scroll to the “Coming up at First Universalist” calendar—browse the opportunities for connection at church. (Note that sometimes RSVP links in that calendar don’t work properly. If you look just below the calendar, you’ll see a link to the Program Guide, where all of our program registration forms are.)