Moving Forward With New Sanctuary
On February 21, 2021 at a special congregational meeting, the OCUUC members present and voting overwhelming approved the motion to move forward with the proposed design and funding plans for the new sanctuary building. Hurray for all of us! This is a momentous step in the history of our congregation and one for which many people have carefully and diligently worked to reach this point and outline the path forward. So many people have given generously of their time, talent and…
Choir in These Times
In this edition of Music Notes, I want to call out and honor the choir for their hard work and perseverance during this quarantine period. As you probably have heard, singing is one of the superspreader activities, and singing will probably be the last thing to come back on board when we think about returning (someday…). The choir and I have been dealing with that sadness for almost a year now. Maybe you have too. Do you miss singing together…
Commitment
Tom Loughrey, one of the fabulous “patriarchs” (and I say that with admiration) of this congregation, once told me that 30+ years ago, he and his wife Nancy sat down to decide what commitments they were going to make in their lives – for themselves, their children and to better their community. I’m sure they had a lot of different option – clubs to join, nonprofits to support, etc. But together, they decided that they would make a commitment to…
Commitment
To what and to whom are you committed? This month we focus our attention on Commitment. I suppose if we put this in children’s language we would ask: What promises do you make? For me commitment is firmly linked with responsibility. I seem to have had a heavy dose of that in my life from an early age. Mostly, it has served me well, though stress is often responsibility’s close companion. Soul Matters, a UU religious professionals consortium, is the source…
And So It Begins…
Welcome to OCUUC’s newest blog! This past Sunday, February 21st, members attending the Special Congregational Meeting after the service voted almost unanimously to move forward with the proposed new sanctuary. Now that we’re on our way, we will be using this blog as one of our communications tools to provide you weekly updates on what is happening. Some weeks will be less action-packed than others as we hold meetings with our architect and other parties. But some will be full…
New Members and New Sanctuary
“We have made a huge difference this year in the lives of our neighbors, in the care and protection of our communities, and in the strength of our democracy. This remains to me a source of hope and strength and joy. We are resilient. We have everything we need. We are enough. Love will continue to guide us.” Rev. Dr. Susan Frederick-Gray, President UUA, January 2021 2021 is off to a big start at OCUUC. On January 31, 2021 we…
The Power of Music and Art
I am continually humbled and awed by the power of music and art. If you think of the recent joyous inauguration, imagine how it would’ve felt without any of the music or art. Take away Lady Gaga singing the National Anthem (problematic though its lyrics and origin may be), J. Lo singing a mash-up of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land” and “America the Beautiful,” and Garth Brooks’ simple a cappella version of “Amazing Grace.” Take away the amazing…
Random Kindness
Beloved Community is a special kind of community. Here we honor Black, Indigenous, people of color. We love each other into healing and we stay in relationship, even when things get tough or messy. Not to mention a place where we use our creativity, offer our unique gifts, have fun and grow. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave depth and meaning to the phrase beloved community. For him it was about dignity and respect for every person, equality and justice…
Beloved Community
When I, eight years ago, began my search for my first congregation to serve as a called minister, I was looking for one that wanted to be a beloved community. I wasn’t looking for perfection (no such thing), but rather, I was looking for a community that wanted to create it (something that is never ending). A congregation that knew that healthy boundaries were important, that also knew that mistakes happen; a congregation that trusted in its leadership and knew…
Grow Your Imagination
As many of you know, I’ve been learning how to paint and draw these last three years. And one thing I’ve learned is that there are skills… and then there is imagination. And the two don’t always go together. Which is frustrating as an artist. You can have a great imagination and think of wonderful ideas, but if you don’t have the skills, you cannot execute your vision. And vice versa. You can have great skills, but if you lack…
Put Imagination to Work
Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand. Albert Einstein Happy New Year! Imagination is our Soul Matters theme for January. Here we are with 365 brand new days. We get to envision all that a new year could hold. We can feel in our bodies all the hope and love we can put into…
Music and Light
After our busy holiday schedule, the musicians are back at it in January. We are looking forward to singing together again when it’s safe to do so, but until then, we will continue making video recordings for services and special events. Make sure to subscribe to the church’s YouTube channel if you haven’t already. There’s a Music Playlist there that you can play anytime. You can even shuffle the songs so each time you listen is a different experience. I…