It is time to dive into the holidays!
We will start with a Dia de los Muertos celebration. This has been a big topic of conversation. Can we engage in a cultural celebration that does not have Unitarian Universalist roots? It is a good question. And, I’m not finding any easy answers. After colonizing a culture can the dominant culture then celebrate the festivals of the indigenous one? It doesn’t seem right. On the other hand, does celebrating the holiday put us in touch with the culture and give us more respect and appreciation for a culture not our own? These are the questions of our time. We are growing mindful of the harm we have inflicted in the past that continues to this very day. And yet, the United States is a nation of many cultures and tradition and we live in the midst of so many here in Southern California. It behooves us to learn, honor and celebrate each other. But, let’s not start and stop with a single holiday. If we do this with an intention to learn, we can’t stop with sugar skulls. We need to go deeper and develop relationships, build alliances and structures that promote love and justice. Let’s celebrate with the people whose tradition it is. Let’s go to Santa Ana on Nov. 2. See you there. And then we will also celebrate Dia here on Sunday morning.
On Sundays, Nov. 3, 10 and 17 we will be collecting donations to buy First Aid kit supplies for our homeless neighbors. The Youth Group will be staffing a table and will gratefully accept your donations. Then, on Saturday, Nov. 23 we will meet at the church at 8:45AM and go to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse at 801 Dover Drive, Newport Beach 92660. There we will work with other communities of faith on a variety of projects. StitchWits will also be there. It’s fun. Come and join us!
On Nov. 6 I’m heading to Baltimore, MD for the Liberal Religious Educators Association (LREDA) Fall Conference. Our theme is Theologies of Suffering and Wholeness: Companions in Liberation. We have four illustrious presenters: Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt President of Starr King School for the Ministry, Dr. Elias Ortega-Aponte, President of Meadville Lombard Theological School, Rev. Sofia Betancourt, Assistant Professor of UU Theologies and Ethics at Starr King and Jennifer Hayman, Director of Music and Arts at All Souls Unitarian, Washington, DC. We will talk about and experience what it means to faithfully engage the realities of suffering and what that has to do with faith formation. It will be an intense few days. I hope to come back with new insights about dismantling white supremacy and what it means to have hope that we can begin to build a new culture of love, forgiveness and accountability. I’ll have lots to share!
In the Faith,
Rev. Judy
Director of Religious Education