The month of May has much to offer this year.
It begins with our beloved Affirmation Credo service, where the youth share their reflections on what it means for each of them to be a Unitarian Universalist at this time in their lives. They participate in this service after having spent over half a year reflecting on their own values and beliefs, including attending a weekend retreat at Murray Grove with other youth from five different congregations, including from as far away as Cleveland. Affirmation happens every other year here at TUS and it is not to be missed!
The second Sunday in May will have us, along with over five hundred other UU congregations across the continent, engaging in conversations about what white supremacy looks like in our lives and in our faith movement. This term is jarring, and that may very well be the point: what is keeping us from shedding the white-centered-ness of our faith movement? Is there anything we can do about it? This is no easy conversation. But it is necessary, and is taking place across our denomination and goes to the very heart of living into our values.
The third Sunday in May will be our Flower Festival, sometimes called “Flower Communion.” This delight-filled ritual that recognizes our diversity through the exchange of flowers has a long history – nearly a century! – and brings beauty into our midst. Along with that ceremony, we will be bridging TUS high school seniors into young adulthood. And to make things even better, our musical accompaniment that day will be Bunny Gittleman’s flute students, a tradition here at TUS that I look forward to encountering for the first time.
The fourth Sunday in May is one of our treasured monthly traditions: the pulpit is filled by the efforts of the Sunday Services Committee, honoring lay voices or guests from outside the congregation, ensuring and amplifying a multiplicity of perspectives. I am so thankful for this aspect of our shared ministry – I hold it to be one of our defining traits as Unitarian Universalism.
After the worship service on the 21st, we are holding a “General Membership” or congregational meeting. This meeting is open to all congregants, though only members who signed the book before April 9 can vote. It’s a great way to get a sense of what our congregation’s values and priorities are. At this time of the year, we gather together to receive the written report of the work of the congregation covering the past year — a copy of the annual report will go out electronically prior to the meeting, as well as have hard copies available the Sunday before. We also gather to vote on the coming year’s budget, which is another way to say we vote on the financial support for the vision of this congregation. Looking forward to seeing you there.
I am blessed to be on this journey with you,
Rev. Karen