Greetings, good friends:
I, like so many of you, am outraged that the Supreme Court has rolled back reproductive rights and forced women, many poor and people of color, into forced motherhood. Forced motherhood is human enslavement. Plain and simple. This outrage may be the leading edge of other regressive measures designed to force Americans into a cultural mold designed by a distinct minority of our country. While our nation’s founders worried about the tyranny of the majority, I fear a tyranny of a minority.
As UUs we will do all we can to fight for the rights of all who are marginalized further by this rogue element in our nation. Our UU the Vote team, ably led by our own Janet Luongo and so many others of you, is hard at work in letter-writing and other measures to get out the vote in states where we might elect leaders who represent the real United States of America. This effort will be combined with other efforts both within our congregation and within the larger Unitarian Universalist Association (www.uua.org). This is why we belong to a denomination: to join our voices together in protest and hope.
If you ever wondered what politics has to do with religion, this is your answer. As the Supreme Court was deftly and brazenly taken over by a political party, their decisions affect the moral state of our Union. The regression of rights and the further marginalization of those who are not like the rainbow nation we are, is a moral and religious concern. We cannot afford to let this stand unopposed.
That said and despite this, I do hope you will take some time to recharge over the summer! And while our life as a congregation slows in the summer, it does not come to a stop. Worship services will happen each Sunday morning at 10:00 AM. As you aware, we will not be live-streaming the summer services so please come in person (and bring your friends!) There will be seats outside if you wish to sit in fresh circulating air. And if you are not able to attend in person, the services will be recorded and put on our website, and posted via SOUNDINGS, as normal, as soon as possible.
This summer we will also be finishing some important renovations to the Meeting House which started in early June. With funding from individuals, budgeted lines from our operating funds, and some funding from our Children Are Our Future Fund, we have painted the inside, remodeled the kitchen and refinished all the floors. Our hope is that this renovation will encourage us to use the Meeting House to build community and bolster our Family Faith Formation programs in the fall. Thanks to the many who made this happen.
The ministerial staff has divided pastoral coverage for the entire summer. Please feel free to reach out to any of us by phoning the church and leaving a message. One of us will get back to you right away. I will be in England for the month of July working on several large writing projects. I will be in Maine in August and will return towards the end of that month. Feel free to contact me by email throughout the summer months and I will respond as soon as I can.
I will return to the pulpit on Sunday September 4 with my sermon “Longing for Belonging.” This will also be our Annual Water Communion wherein we blend some water representing our summer sojourns together again. Be sure to save a bit from your journeys, in spirit, time and space. Homecoming Sunday will be the following Sunday, September 11.
I look forward to a new year, filled with healing and vision, and wish you the very best for a restful, restorative and fun-filled summer.
Yours always, Rev. John