From Your Minister

Dear Ones,

Ralph Ellison wrote: “Some people are your relatives, but others are your ancestors, and you choose the ones you want to have as ancestors. You create yourself out of those values.”

As I write this, the winds are whipping up, carrying leaves that are quickly turning marvelous shades of yellow, orange, red, and brown past my window. This morning, walking my dog, the tumultuous fall weather granted me the sight of a faith rainbow high up in sky. And it is with all these changes that my mind turns to our November theme of Heritage and how we as Unitarian Universalists, “draw from our heritages of freedom, reason, hope, and courage, building on the foundation of love.” (You can read the draft UU values, which this phrase comes from here https://www.uua.org/files/2023-06/Article%202%20Package.pdf).

I’m excited about our November worship services and special events, which will be helping us reflect on our heritage and how it informs our lives. After a special October 29 worship service where we’ll be honoring our ancestors of body and of spirit, as well as reflecting on how we are working to be good ancestors for those who come after us, we’ll spend November learning from many of our Unitarian Universalist ancestors of spirit. These will include amazing folks like Michael Servetus, Francis David, Augusta Chapin, William Ellery Channing, James Luther Adams, Theodore Parker, and some modern-day UUs I’m still deciding on. We’ll also be learning about and reflecting on our local environmental heritage.

In addition, on November 12 we’ll be celebrating the passage of our first grade aged children into the Age of Confidence with a special ceremony during the worship service, after which we’ll celebrate our current congregation’s birthdays. On November 16 we have the privilege of having Rev. Denis McCarty visiting to perform Servetus: The Radical Reformed Musical. This original musical has received rave reviews for its tuneful journey to the shadow side of the Protestant Reformation. On November 19 we are working on having the Suchona Community back to share Diwali celebrations with us. And, of course, our covenant groups and religious education classes will be exploring what Heritage means in their lives.

This month, as we explore our heritage together, I look forward to hearing what you’re learning about who you’re choosing as your ancestors and where that’s taking you.

Love and Blessings,

Rev. Diana