He drew a circle that shut me out—
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But Love and I had the wit to win:
We drew a circle that took him in!
Edwin Markham, poet laureate of Oregon from 1923-1931
Gender pronouns notwithstanding, I love this quote. I think it often gets at the heart of why so many communities don’t expand to include those that are different. We draw circles about who is in and who is out. So many communities ask people who join to be a part of the community as it is. One of the things I love about our New Member ceremony is that we state that every time a person joins, this community changes. At least I hope it does! I hope that each person who comes here changes us for the better. Each person adds their uniqueness, ideas, and gifts.
It can be very easy to fall into the trap of tradition. The trap that says, “But we’ve al-ways done it that way.” Or the trap that says, “We tried that once and it didn’t work.” I’m a big believer that you go where the energy is. If someone is passionate about something, let them run with it and help us grow and change—even if tried before, even if it makes some people uncomfortable, even if…. That’s the only way growth happens. Embrace it. Love it. Love them for putting their hearts and soul into it!
I’m grateful for all the ways that people here have helped this church change—to grow and learn: from the anti-racism book groups, to the sermon discussion groups, to the finance council, to our Sunday morning volunteers and choir embracing hybrid. Heavens, that list could get really long!
Here’s what I know: when we embrace change with love, we grow in spirit. And that’s all we ever need to do.
With love,
Rev. Sian
Rev. Sian Wiltshire is Orange Coast Unitarian Universalist Church's minister. Please feel free to reach out and say hello! She can be reached by email, revsian@ocuuc.org, or by church phone at (714) 556-2882 (x302).