Hello Everyone –
Below is a message that went out during the Thanksgiving break, and I’m re-sending it in case you missed it!
I invite you to join me in donating generously to UUWestport this holiday season, and especially this Giving Tuesday.
As always,
Rev. Carlton
The Shakers believed that they received their arts as gifts from the spiritual world. Persons who strove to become receptive of songs, dances, paintings, and so forth were said to be “laboring for a gift,” and the works that they created circulated as gifts within the community. Shaker artists were known as “instruments”; we know only a few of their names, for in general it was forbidden that they be known to any but the church elders.
– a note from from The Gift: Imagination and the Erotic Life of Property by Lewis Hyde
Dear Members and Friends,
In his 1983 book The Gift, author Lewis Hyde considers the tension between the things we receive through the spirit of generosity and those that come to us through the marketplace. We buy fresh ingredients from the market, but through love and creativity, those ingredients get transformed into a delicious meal, which is a gift. This is why we customarily take price tags off of products before giving them away – They cease to be part of the market economy and become part of the gift economy.
The community that is the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Westport is one such gift. Yes, we contribute to it through our pledges, capital campaign contributions, and offerings of service, time, and money, but what it gives back to us – belonging, companionship, inspiration, hope, strength, purpose, love, and so much more – cannot be bought or sold. It can only be given and received.
On behalf of the institution that is UUWestport, I’m reaching out to you with a commitment to raising $30,000 during this year’s Winter Appeal so that the gift keeps moving … out to more communities and on to future generations who need and will need what we’ve already received here.
Some of you will recall that when I came here back in the late summer, I spoke of how UUWestport could retire stories of scarcity and embrace a culture of abundance. This year’s Winter Appeal is an opportunity to break from limiting thoughts and know yourselves in a new way.
This Thanksgiving Eve, I made a contribution to the Winter Appeal of $500. That’s a stretch for me, and the stretch feels good. Even in the short time that I’ve been here, I have been inspired by this community of faith and what it’s about.
I don’t know what amount will be that good, long stretch for you, but here are some numbers for you to consider that would get us to our goal:
- 10 members give $50 = $500
- 10 members give $100 = $1,000
- 20 members give $250 = $5,000
- 15 members give $500 = $7,500
- 8 members give $1,000 = $8,000
- 3 members give $2,000 = $6,000
Like the Shakers above, we are artists and instruments, creating beautiful community, music, and moments together. May the contributions we give this holiday season ensure that the gift of UUWestport continues to be passed from neighbor to neighbor deep into the future, after all our names have been forgotten.
Please make your gift today by check, Venmo (see original email for QR code HERE), or by visiting uuwestport.org. Contributions given by December 31 will especially help us stay financially sound through the winter.
Thank you in advance for stretching with me. May your generosity return to you in ways beyond your imagination.
With appreciation,
Rev. Carlton E. Smith
Transitional Senior Minister
