We begin this New Year with hope in our hearts and worry on our brows. There is much to fear. Regardless of circumstances, all of us are struggling with some part of our lives. If your personal world is not in turmoil, our outer world most surely is.
We are embarking on a new course as a congregation this year, a course that we hope will be centered in appreciation for our gifts as a community and our willingness to practice a radical welcome. If you have been in church these last few Sundays you can feel the energy that is building. We are stronger together, all together, than we will ever be in our parts. Families joining us tell me they desire a community that is willing to grow spiritually while acting for others in need. We are doing both.
Part of our efforts this winter and spring will be to involve the congregation in the work of “appreciative inquiry.” As the name implies, this program begins with discovering our gifts and strengths in order to build upon those gifts towards a culture of love and resilience. For the next thirty days we are joining with our sister UU congregations in 30 Days of Love as a means to building resilience.
Resilience means many things, but most of all it is the means by which we carry on with hope in spite of the struggles we encounter. We are more resilient than we realize. As we grow into our emerging identity as a congregation, I invite you to join in the workshops and classes we are offering. I invite you to invite your friends and their families to learn more about the power of love and hope that lies at the center of all of us. I leave you with this powerful video from the duo Rising Appalachia, I Am Resilient.
I am resilient
I trust the movement
I negate the chaos
Uplift the negative
I’ll show up at the table, again and again and again
I’ll close my mouth and learn to listen
These times are poignant
The winds have shifted
It’s all we can do
To stay uplifted
Pipelines through backyards
Wolves howlin out front
Yeah, I got my crew but truth is what I want
Realigned and on point
Power to the peaceful
Prayers to the waters
Women at the center
All vessels open to give and receive
Let’s see the system brought down to it’s knees
I’m made of thunder
I’m made of lightning
I’m made of dirt (yeah)
Made of the fine things
My father taught me that I’m a speck of dust
And this world was made for me
So let’s go and try our luck
I got my roots down, down, down, down
Down, down, down, down, down, deep
I got my roots down, down, down, down
Down, down, down, down, down, deep
So what are we doing here? What has been done?
What are you gonna do about it when the world comes undone?
My voice feels tiny and I’m sure so does yours
But put us all together we make a mighty roar
I am resilient
I trust the movement
I negate the chaos
Uplift the negative
I’ll show up at the table, again and again and again
I’ll close my mouth and learn to listen