Last week I joined music program participants at an end of year celebration that was joyful and delicious. Sunday, we celebrated our diversity and pluralism through a Flower Communion. As you may have noticed, we have experienced a near-miraculous financial re-bound as so many of you have stepped up to increase your pledge, make new donations, and recommit to our shared ministry here at Valley UU.
What we have experienced together this last month has been an intense and beautiful recognition of the importance of this community in our lives and its role in connecting us to something bigger than ourselves. I am deeply grateful for the ways in which this has unfolded–from individual insights, to deep listening, to shared responsibility and a willingness to be vulnerable and courageous. We are learning to build our capacity for difficult conversations and to recognize when we each need to ground ourselves and to orient ourselves in ways that allow us to stay in relationship with each other. I have re-learned the truth that being in relationship often means letting go of my own certainty–my own sense of righteousness and need to be right in order to be present to people I want to be in relationship with. We don’t have to agree with each other to see each other and listen, to understand how someone else might experience the same situation differently than we do and to not make them wrong.
Thanks to each of you that had the courage to participate in and learn from the work we’ve done with Rev. Sam. Your vulnerability and commitment have made a huge difference for so many others, and I am clear that we are only beginning to see the beautiful future we are creating together.
New Participant Make up Class! Saturday, June 8, 9:30-12:00 in the Board room.
RSVP minister@vuu.org Join Rev. Sarah on Saturday June 8 for a new participant class. Technically, this will be Part II of the set we didn’t finish last month. But…if you haven’t done part I, you can still come! We’ll make it work. The important thing is to bring your questions and meet each other. If you need to join us as an online participant, let me know that, too, in your RSVP.
-Rev. Sarah