At the end of January, Paula Cole Jones joined us over zoom to lead a workshop. She offered insights and led reflection on the 8th principle, which is shared below:

We covenant to affirm and promote journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.

Paula, one of the founders of the 8th principle movement, reminded us that the history of social hierarchy has prevented us from fully embracing one another and that it takes spiritual energy to come to terms with this reality.

While action is important to drive change, words can also inspire and direct us to do work that is necessary. The 8th principle forces us to examine how our UU values can expand in order to address the longstanding reality and legacies of oppression. This is not new for us as UUs, since our principles have not remained static over time. Just as feminism drove changes to the UU principles for more gender inclusion, UUs across the country are adding the 8th principle to their guiding values. The Unitarian Universalist Association committed to becoming an anti-racist organization nearly 25 years ago and the 8th principle movement began in 2013. Today, 233 congregations have adopted the 8th principle, with the majority of congregations coming after 2021, following the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement and the killing of George Floyd. 

The efforts across the US to adopt the 8th principle, along with denomination-wide review of our principles demonstrates a willingness to see a future of possibility of beloved community. Coming to terms with the reality of racism and oppression brings us to consider adding the 8th principle to the guiding values of our congregation. 

Paula highlighted 4 major shifts to help us think about building a culture of inclusion:

1. Moving from 7 UU principles to 8 UU principles
2. Moving from a dominant cultural paradigm to a multicultural paradigm
3. Thinking of church as a community of communities as compared to a family
4. Commiting to reconciliation as a leadership competency instead of being conflict avoidant

Embracing these shifts, she argued, can be the source of spiritual awakening and revitalization for Unitarian Universalism. For people seeking a liberal progressive faith, the 8th principle might serve as the welcoming they didn’t know they were looking for. In addition to reflecting on the 8th principle, we also discussed in small groups how our understanding of the existing 7 UU principles had changed in light of what we had discussed. 

At the upcoming annual meeting, the UUCW community will have the opportunity to add the 8th principle to our own UU values. The 8th principle offers us ongoing reminders of the need to put our faith into action. We invite you to continue your commitment to learning, reflection, and action in line with anti-racist and anti-oppressive values outlined in the 8th principle. 

See below for a range of opportunities here at UUCW:

• Film Screening & Discussion – Saturday, April 1st – 6:30-8:30pm @ UUCW, Fellowship Hall
  • Join us for film screening and discussion
  • Screening of the documentary film, “I, Too” which looks at the January 6th insurrection alongside other white supremacist insurrections in America’s history, calling us to reflect on our true understanding of the past, present, and future possibilities.
  • More information about the film can be found here

• Share your celebrations and commitments – Throughout the year, the 8th principle task force will host gatherings to learn, but also track our ongoing work towards our anti-racist and anti-oppressive commitment. Share your own work or that of a group at UUCW. 

• Interested in taking part in an anti-racist support group for white people at UUCW? Learn more and share your interest here

• Looking for tips and suggestions for you or your group at UUCW on how to incorporate the 8th principle into your work? Review UUCW’s 8th Principle Toolkit

~The UUCW 8th Principle Taskforce – Rachel Keyo, Mara Pentlarge, Dave Schowalter, Karen Stephenson, and Evan Wilson

The post Reflecting on the 8th Principle and Opportunities for Growth first appeared on Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester.

This month’s Soul Matters Theme is “vulnerability”.  For my nugget on the theme, I propose to use one of the exercises suggested in the small group material shared to prompt discussion on the subject as well as engage in the kind of discipline that our 8th Principle working group has demonstrated with the moments shared during services throughout the year.  Below is a description of an exercise in going deeper that I invite you to consider for this month.  Stay tuned to the newsletter for an announcement that invites us to gather virtually in a few weeks to discuss this material, a date yet to be determined.  You are also invited to share your thoughts on vulnerability in our UUCW Soul Matters Facebook Group.  If you’d like to talk privately about this material, please do not hesitate to contact me at  minister@uucworcester.org.  Blessings, Aaron

“You can’t numb those hard feelings without numbing the other affects, our emotions. You cannot selectively numb. So when we numb those, we numb joy, we numb gratitude, we numb happiness. And then we are miserable, and we are looking for purpose and meaning, and then we feel vulnerable, so then we have a couple of beers and a banana nut muffin. And it becomes this dangerous cycle.”
― Brené Brown, The Power of Vulnerability: Teachings of Authenticity, Connections and Courage

Exercise: Led by the widely read and widely celebrated Brene Brown, “courage & vulnerability culture” has become the unquestioned frame of reference for vast swaths of the self-help, research and therapeutic communities. But maybe a bit of questioning is needed. Spend some time this month with some important questioners and their appeal for us to take another – and more careful – look. Here are three of the voices we suggest: 

●        The Dangers of Courage Culture and Why Brene Brown Isn’t for Black Folk, Dr. Carey Yazeed

 ●        Is vulnerability a privilege? Jeff Couillard

 ●        The Risks & Dangers of Brene Brown’s Vulnerability for People of Color – Different People Podcast

The post On Vulnerability – Going Deeper first appeared on Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester.

We continue our exploration of love which is the Soul Matters theme for this month.  To be honest, this meditation begins with thoughts of another tragedy and the heartache that it continues to foster in so many at Michigan State University, violence that comes on the heel of the devastation witnessed following earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.  The images in both instances show so many people fighting for their lives and fighting to save lives.  Like many, I’ve searched for words and ways to anchor me in this moment.  So I’ve taken this opportunity to share one such find.  

Reflecting on the book No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love by Valarie Kaur,  Skeena Rathor, the Vision Coordinator for Extinction Rebellion, writes,

“Kaur’s proposition is this: “Joy is the gift of love. Grief is the price of love. Anger protects that which is loved. And when we think we have reached our limit, wonder is the act that returns us to love.” This is how we see no stranger. We commit ourselves to wonder by dedicating time to listen with wonder to those we know least. We listen with a heart of surrender and seek to become easier when we speak to one another about what we don’t know. We respect our anger and act upon its wellspring of wisdom for the protection of life we love. We mourn and grieve in solidarity – we actively feel one another’s losses and show up in physical presence for this as activism in action, and we nourish ourselves with what brings us joy in body, heart and soul. This is Kaur’s manifesto and prescription for creating a durable future. It illuminates what we need as individuals and in community to be in the fight for life. Thank you, Valerie Kaur, for deciphering and sharing what is needed with such bright and blazing rage, grief and love.”

You can find the original article HERE.  

As we continue to watch communities recover from disaster and acts of violence, and find ways to reduce the potential for harm from such incidents in the future, may we all find ways to peacefully “fight for life.” 

To learn more about UU responses to the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria visit https://www.uusc.org/uusc-response-to-the-earthquake-impacting-turkey-and-syria/

To learn more about the ways support is being offered to the MSU community and families visit https://eastlansinginfo.news/community-urged-to-reach-out-for-support-during-this-time-of-tragedy/

Blessings,  Aaron

The post What Is Necessary for Love? first appeared on Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester.

Is it surprising to anyone that the Soul Matters theme for the month of February is. . .love?  February with the prospect of Valentine’s Day brings a creative moment to the depth of winter which unfortunately has been co-opted by an industry of card makers and chocolatiers, not that I’m opposed to either, both also bring a bit of brightness to winter.  But what if we took the opportunity this year to do something different?  Hear me out. . .see below.  Blessings, Aaron

A Few Love Letters… to Strangers

It was an effort born from empathy and loneliness. Hannah Brencher, new to New York City, found herself led to writing letters to strangers. At first, she secretly wrote them to people in her mind and left them tucked away for strangers to find. Then, using the internet, she invited anyone to ask her for a love letter. Requests flooded in. It’s now an organization called More Love Letters.

With this story as our inspiration, you’re invited this month to write at least 5 letters to a person you’ve never met. You will have to imagine them, their story and what they need to hear. Then place those letters in some place where eventually a stranger will find them. We encourage you to write this on the front of the envelope; “A love letter for a stranger, maybe even you. If you discover it’s not actually for you, pass it on to someone who needs it.”

It’s as simple – and challenging – as that!

Here’s the background:

●        The Origin Story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VopcuymgUCA

●        TED Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/hannah_brencher_love_letters_to_strangers?language=en

●        The Website: https://www.moreloveletters.com/get-involved-1

The post “Love” – A Few Love Letters to Strangers first appeared on Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester.

This month’s Soul Matters Theme is “Finding Our Center”.  As the new year dawns and many begin to take up resolutions for better and more meaningful living, I am considering the importance of one change – pausing.  In the midst of all that life throws at me, my resolution this year is to pause more often and consider what it is that I am not experiencing that others are.  For me the way back to my center is to consider that others have their own and the difference between mine and theirs is probably not that far off, if I pause to consider what another is experiencing.  To illustrate this point, consider the following African Folktale.  Blessings, Aaron

Once there were two boys who were great friends, and they were determined to remain that way forever. When they grew up and got married, they built their houses facing one another. There was a small path that formed a border between their farms.

One day, a trickster from the village decided to play a trick on them. He dressed himself in a two-color coat that was divided down the middle. So, one side of the coat was red, and the other side was blue.

The trickster wore this coat and walked along the narrow path between the houses of the two friends. They were each working opposite each other in their fields. The trickster made enough noise as he passed them to make sure that each of them would look up and see him passing.

At the end of the day, one friend said to the other, “Wasn’t that a beautiful red coat that man was wearing today?”

“No”, the other replied. “It was a blue coat.”

“I saw the man clearly as he walked between us!” said the first, “His coat was red.”

“You are wrong!” said the other man, “I saw it too, and it was blue.”

“I know what I saw!” insisted the first man. “The coat was red!”

“You don’t know anything,” the second man replied angrily. “It was blue!”

They kept arguing about this over and over, insulted each other, and eventually, they began to beat each other and roll around on the ground.

Just then, the trickster returned and faced the two men, who were punching and kicking each other and shouting, “Our friendship is OVER!”

The trickster walked directly in front of them, and showed them his coat. He laughed at their silly fight. The two friends saw this his coat was red on one side and blue on the other.

The two friends stopped fighting and screamed at the trickster saying, “We have lived side by side like brothers all our lives, and it is all your fault that we are fighting. You have started a war between us.”

“Don’t blame me for the battle,” replied the trickster. “I did not make you fight. Both of you are wrong, and both of you are right. Yes, what each one saw was true. You are fighting because you only looked at my coat from your own point of view.”

The post Finding Our Center first appeared on Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester.

For several years now we have delighted in and benefitted greatly from the Themed Ministry Program – Touchstones. Monthly Themes, worship, religious education, small group, and social media sources have helped us plan and guide our programming throughout the year.  A wealth of wisdom and reflection have enhanced our conversations and community dialogue as well as our individual and communal meditations and time in worth-ship.

This year we are going to try something different. After reviewing materials for the coming year we are trying out another Themed Ministry Program, Soul Matters. Combining monthly themes with resources for worship, religious exploration, and small group ministry this program invites congregations to walk with each other more than simply talk about what matters most.  To journey spiritually is to find companions that welcome and challenge us to be and become our best selves and love us just the way we are.  So stay-tuned for opportunities to gather and walk together this year as we begin our own soul matters journey together.

Blessings, Aaron & Robin

On Belonging

Somewhere, there are people to whom we can speak with passion
without having the words catch in our throats.
Somewhere a circle of hands will open to receive us,
eyes will light up as we enter, voices will celebrate with us
whenever we come into our own power.
Community means strength that joins our strength
to do the work that needs to be done.
Arms to hold us when we falter.
A circle of healing.
A circle of friends.
Someplace where we can be free.
(Starhawk)

The Soul Matters Theme for September 2022 is “Belonging,” which the poet John O’Donahue notes is a word that “holds together the two fundamental aspects of life: Being and Longing, the longing of our Being and the being of our Longing.” I know these words, this word, at the core of my being.  I experienced the “longing of my being” and the “being of my longing” as I traveled this summer to central New York state to attend two family weddings. 

I took the trips alone and found, as I traversed the winding county roads through villages and farmland, that something awoke in me again, something that awakened the excitement from my childhood when my family made this trip in the summer.  Now, the excitement, was tinged with the melancholy of a sojourn that would include visiting my parent’s graves as well as those of my grandparents and aunts and uncles now past. Along with it came the sorrow of families now changed by divorce as well as the exuberance of families just beginning.  All of this, was met with a feeling that somehow this landscape and the smell of field and pine called me home.  Which is interesting since I never lived there year around.  I had spent most of my childhood summers there.  Over the past few years, conversations with cousins had surfaced the query “When are you coming home?” I understand what they meant.  When was I coming back to my origins.

I understand this longing in somewhat of the way that Bel Hooks describes growing up in the hills of Kentucky in her book Belonging.

In the country our class had no importance. In our home we were surrounded by hills. Only the front windows of our house looked out on a solitary road constructed for the men seeking to find oil; all other windows faced hills. In our childhood, the rarely traveled road held no interest. The hills in the back of our house were the place of magic and possibility, a lush green frontier, where nothing manmade could run us down, where we could freely seek adventure.

When we left the hills to settle in town where the schools were supposedly better, where we could attend the big important church, Virginia Street Baptist (all things we were told would make us better, would make it possible for us to be somebody), I experienced my first devastating loss, my first deep grief. I wanted to stay in the solitude of those hills. I longed for freedom. That longing was imprinted on my consciousness in the hills that seemed to declare that all sweetness in life would come when we seek freedom. Folks living in the Kentucky hills prized independence and self-reliance above all traits.

In retrospect I suspect if I had lived there year-long I might have felt differently about central New York.  What wouldn’t have changed I believe is the sense that the very place emanates a sense of belonging to me.  I think I caught a glimpse of this as my beloved and I traveled to visit her brother and his wife in Pennsylvania later this summer.   There is something about finding that place where one can be themselves, find the love of family (both blood and chosen) and be nurtured and healed by the scent, the scenery, and the sense of belonging.

For many here at UUCW, the church carries with it a similar sense.  A place where the freedom to be one’s authentic self, to believe because you intuit, reason, or sense what is true; a place where one is met with a smile, an embrace, and a genuine sense that friendship.  To feel accepted and invited to share one’s passions and sense of purpose. 

We come having experienced the world differently.  We come aware of the hurting nature of many, including ourselves, and of the tremendous challenges we face.  Which is why the experience of sanctuary, both the place and the essence, becomes so very important. It is not that we leave all of this behind when we arrive again.  This isn’t the case for me in central New York or Bel Hooks in Kentucky. What does happen is the chance for one to gain perspective and an appreciation for all that is possible, despite the struggles of our daily living. Here is the hope that is born of belonging. 

So here’s my invitation.  Come. . .come home again.  Let yourself be enlivened and awakened to all that is possible and the joy of all that comes with belonging here.  I hope to see you in the coming days and weeks.  We gather this Sunday, September 11, for a multi-generational ingathering service including our Annual Water Communion.  Remember to bring a bit of water from your summer sojourn.  Let us begin again!

Blessings,
Aaron

The post Trying Something New This Year – Soul Matters first appeared on Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester.

For those who attended the Annual Meeting last Sunday, the budget outlined included money to be raised by fundraising as well as a significant amount from investments.  In order to reduced our dependency on invested funds for operating expenses we are looking for ways to expand our fundraising, building usage, and pledge base, as well as reducing costs associated with operating the building.  All of this has begun in earnest and we are now looking at the Summer and Fall seasons for opportunities to raise funds. 

This fall, we have an opportunity to make some good money on the silent auction which is part of our Holiday Craft Fair in early December.  Last year, on our first try, we raised $3600 from this venture. This year, we hope to at least double that amount. To do so, we need to add more of the hot items that people wanted to bid on!

This week, we’d like to establish a team of people to work on populating our auction offerings during the summer. It’s a time-bound project and with an energized group working together,  we will be in great shape to offer an excellent online auction experience at the end of November/first week of December.

Here are the things that we would like to focus on….can you help to gather these items??

~ Get-aways, Vacation homes, Timeshares!!

~Experiences:  lead a hike, a museum tour, a pub crawl, a ski trip, a boating experience, Tanglewood, Sporting Tickets, a class (painting, voice lesson, craft)!!

~Services- oil change, car detailing, knife sharpening, photography, babysitting, landscaping, garden design, yoga, meditation.

~Art- Fine art

~Gift Certificates packages: Shrewsbury St restaurants, dinner, and a movie, wine certificates, dinner out for friends.

~Unique and quality handmade items- knit, pottery, quilt, woodworking, baked goods, sewing.

Please let us know if you can be a part of this team this summer by emailing auction@uucworcester.org

Thank you!

Aaron & Robin

The post SOLD! Online Auction Seeking Help! We Could More Than Double Our Goal This Year! first appeared on Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester.

Starhawk writes:

We are all longing to go home to some place
we have never been—a place half-remembered and half-envisioned
we can only catch glimpses of from time to time.
Community.
Somewhere, there are people to whom we can speak with passion
without having the words catch in our throats.
Somewhere a circle of hands
will open to receive us, eyes will light up as we enter,
voices will celebrate with us whenever we come into our own power.
Community means strength
that joins our strength to do the work that needs to be done.
Arms to hold us when we falter.
A circle of healing.
A circle of friends.
Someplace where we can be free.

These words which describe the essence of our community are foremost in my heart and mind as we plan to gather for our Annual Congregational Meeting on Sunday, June 5 following morning worship.  We come to this moment having weathered the tumultuous storm of the pandemic and continue to reflect on its aftermath as cases rise and fall.  Like all congregations, we are a bit smaller in membership than we have been.  And our families are all dealing with the effects of economic recession.  Some have lost jobs and many have moved to more meaningful employment.  We all continue to mourn the loss of loved ones who died during the tumult.  And yet, we have also witnessed the birth of new life in a variety of ways.  New beings who have blessed us with their arrival; new ways of gathering which have allowed us to traverse the distance between home and sanctuary, school, and the office.  We have continued to offer support to those made most vulnerable to the tides of change and dis-ease.  Our congregation has reached out to families whose lives have been forever transformed by war, homelessness, and hunger. 

Through all of this, we have remained and grown in our generosity and capacity to give what we have to make our community and country a better place. We have given what we have to support this congregation, and so many other efforts to help sustain our community.  We have nurtured our teens and children.  We have cared for the infirmed.  So many relationships have been started and strengthened through small groups, and opportunities to socialize and learn more deeply about the ways we can continue to “inspire people to take on the challenges of a changing world.”  

To be sure there is much more work to be done.  We continue to struggle to fund our mission and ministries in ways that do not deplete our invested resources.  Our membership is smaller than it was a few years ago, which is what most faith communities are facing. And yet we have benefited from a generosity that has not been diminished by our numbers. In the coming year, we must begin in earnest a conversation about how we plan to meet these challenges in ways that make for more growth, vitality, resources, and stability.  Throughout our history, as a congregation, there are many times when this kind of work has been necessary.  And in all those moments the congregation rose to the occasion and made decisions that ultimately propelled us into a future that was more expansive and life-giving than anyone imagined at the moment.  

In all of this, I am most mindful of the fact that we are living in a historical era in which the message of our faith tradition is imperative. This month’s Touchstone Ministry theme is the “prophetic imperative” taken from the work of my friend and colleague, Richard Gilbert whose writings have outlined the connection between living in a community of moral discourse that embodies a sense of urgency to live out the ethical implications of religious faith.

Like many of you, I feel a sense of urgency in so much that we are called to do and witness at this moment.  The world needs a community like ours to reflect the values, ideals, and visions of what it means to be a beloved community.  As we emerge from our time in self-imposed pandemic isolation, expanding the reach and widening our circle of members and friends to join us in the many causes and efforts to grow both individually and as a faith community are goals worth achieving and excelling.  My hope is that we take up this effort with fresh energy, vision, and exuberance!

Blessings,

Aaron

The post We Are a Prophetic Imperative first appeared on Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester.

Like many of you, I too have been horrified to learn of the shooting deaths of children and teachers yesterday at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.  It is another in a growing line of such tragedies that have plagued this country, bringing to mind the tragic incidents in Parkland, Newtown, and Columbine among many others.  

In the wake of such horror, it is a natural human response to grasp for any measure of response that is meaningful.  Conversations about gun control, policing in schools, red flag laws, and mental health, all gain fever pitch as communities grapple with the anxiety that such terrible events evoke.  Which is, to my mind, a creative form of human bargaining in the face of such tragedies.  The innate desire to find a way to contextualize the past by striving to control the future. This isn’t to say that common sense measures related to gun control, increasing measures of community mental health support, and reasonable protections of our most vulnerable populations aren’t worthy of consideration and adoption.  Indeed all of these are far past due in our country. 

What concerns me more, however, in these first few days after such a tragedy is how we respond to our children and youth, who identify most closely with the environment in which this violence occurred.  How do we speak to their anxiety and the potential of their resiliency at this moment?

As one who has spent the past 30 years working in communities and contexts where such violence has occurred and in which many other tragic circumstances have challenged the sense of safety and well-being of children and their families, I would have us pause at this moment to consider the ways we as a community can provide comfort and healing contexts for those impacted most by such situations.

First, I would suggest that we pause and consider ourselves.  Become aware that adults in communities often feel more anxious than children do in such contexts.  This is a developmental reality.  Children learn the most from the way in which the adults in their lives respond to such circumstances.  Recognize your own anxiety and find ways to talk about it with other adults. 

Second, when in the presence of children who may be affected by the news of such tragedies, begin by asking how they are feeling and what they think about what happened.  With younger children answer their questions with simple responses.  

Third, ask children what helps them feel safe at school and at home?  Remind them of their capacity to respond to difficult circumstances by listening to the adults who care for them.  And remind them of their own capacity to act when necessary.

I’m reminded here of another circumstance that taught me about children’s capacity to be resilient.  When I was serving in Ohio and was part of a response to devastating flooding that had occurred along one of the estuaries leading to the Ohio River, I was invited to talk with a 4-year old who, on his father’s shoulders had to wade through chest-deep water to escape their home and move to a hill opposite their house for safety.  The child had been fixated on the creek below the house and hadn’t moved for hours.  His mom was worried.  I asked him what he was looking at.  “The creek,” he said.    “What about the creek?” I asked.  I’m waiting for the water to rise again.  “Oh.” said I.   “What happened the last time the water rose?”  “My dad carried me to the hill across the street.”  “So you were safe then?” “Yes.”  “So you know what to do if the water rises?”  “I do!”  He said with excited awareness.   And for the first time in hours, he left the spot from which he’d monitored the river.”

Like the concept of hope, I’ve talked about many times.  This kind of conversation was less about predicting the future and assuring that all will be well and more about the ability to help children in particular and people, in general, realize their capacity to respond, even in the most trying and tragic of circumstances.  

I’m also aware that there are those for whom the anxiety related to the latest shooting brings up histories of violence and trauma.  Here is where providing the resources for people to access longer-term therapeutic responses is essential.  Unfortunately, the system of public mental health is, and has been for a long while, in overwhelm.  So providing community spaces where those who need to talk can find a compassionate ear and be reminded of their capacity for resilience is essential as well. 

In the coming days and weeks, might we consider this primary work of community healing, building resilience, and being mindful of those made most vulnerable by tragedy as our work.  In the coming months and years, let us then also take up the work of policy revision, legal reform, and community capacity so that we might stem the tide of mass shootings and other forms of violence in our community, country, and world. 

Blessings,
Aaron

The post When Violence Happens first appeared on Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about our children.  Of late our news outlets and community conversations have in so many ways turned to the welfare of our children whether it be by opening up vaccinations to a wider array of our young, ongoing conversation about comprehensive sex education in our public schools, or ways to curb the pandemic of violence that continues to plague the lives of so many.  All of this now sits front and center as I consider this month’s touchstone ministry theme on “Non-Violence”.  And that introduced me to a story which has taken up the core of my reflections, first told by my friend and colleague Patrick O’Neall and again adapted by another friend, Pat Hoertdoerfer.

     Among the most accomplished and fabled tribes of Africa, no tribe was considered to have warriors more fearsome or more intelligent than the mighty Maasai. It is perhaps surprising then to learn the traditional greeting that passed between Maasai warriors. “Kasserian ingera” one would always say to another. It means “and how are the children?”

     It is still the traditional greeting among the Maasai, acknowledging the high value that the Maasai always place on their children’s well-being. Even warriors with no children of their own would always give the traditional answer, “all the children are well.” Meaning, of course, that peace and safety prevail, that the priorities of protecting the young, the powerless, are in place, that Maasai society has not forgotten its reasons for being, its proper functions and responsibilities. “All the children are well” means that life is good. It means that the daily struggles of existence do not preclude proper caring for their young.

      I wonder how it might affect our consciousness of our own children’s welfare if in our culture we took to greeting each other with this daily question: “and how are the children?” I wonder if we heard that question and passed it along to each other a dozen times a day, if it would begin to make a difference in the reality of how children are thought of or cared for in our own country?

     I wonder if every adult among us, parent and non-parent alike, an equal weight for the daily care and protection of all the children in our community, in our town and state, in our country. I wonder if we could truly say without any hesitation, “the children are well, yes, all the children are well.”

     What would it be like … if religious leaders began every worship service by answering the question: “and how are the children?” If teachers began every class by answering the question: “and how are the children?” If every town leader had to answer the same question at the beginning of every meeting: “and how are the children? are they all well?” If every business leader and corporate executive had to answer the same question at the beginning of every workday: “and how are the children? Are they all well?” Wouldn’t it be interesting to hear their answers? What would it be like? I wonder . . . I wonder . . ..

     Let’s begin here and greet members and friends in our Unitarian Universalist Congregation with and how are the children? And before we can respond to one another “all the children are well”, what actions must we take in this congregation? In our community? In our state? In our Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations? In our country?

     And how are the children? Working together, may all our children be well. (Adapted by Pat Hoertdoerfer from an excerpt of a speech by Rev. Dr. Patrick T. O’Neill Source: https://www.uua.org/worship/words/service/look-to-the-children)

This has given me a new understanding of the ritual we began during the pandemic of offering an “RE Moment” during worship.  More than simply being an opportunity to reflect on the programming we offer for children, I have come to understand that at its very core, this “moment” really begins with the question at the heart of Maasai culture.  It also reflects the mission of this congregation to provide so many important opportunities for our children and youth here at UUCW, which culminate in our Our Whole Lives (OWL) and Coming of Age Programs. It is the spirit of service and solidarity, play and fellowship of our youth programming.  It is at the heart of our Service of Dedication when we pledge our support and responsibility to children and families.  It is witnessed to every week by volunteers, teachers, mentors, advisors, and our staff.  And I believe that it is the source of hope and memory that resides in those who are raised within this congregation, as they venture into their own lives beyond this community. 

This all helps me remember that the basis of working for a more peaceful, hopeful, loving and just world begins with the question “How are the children?”.  It is the beginning of non-violence and the heart of community.

As we continue to bear witness to this in what we do in this congregation, may we carry this consciousness into all of the corners of our common living.  May it too be a source of inspiration for all you do in the days, months and years before us.

Blessings,

Aaron  

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