Guest Preacher
This pandemic showed us many things: that we are all vulnerable, that we depend on each other for safety, and that we can change and adapt. And being restricted in where we could go, where was safe to go, reminded us of something important, that we need places, physical and virtual, to gather together, to…
Labor Day started as a way to honor those whose work made this country’s economy strong at the turn of the 19th century. Since then the labor force American labor force has changed. So how should we honor those who labor now?
How do we hold meaning when those we look to for inspiration let us down, and how do we become people who inspire others?
Thinking about How Lives Matter[1]
Michael S. Franch – Ethical Culture Leader / Affiliate Minister
First Unitarian Church (Universalist and Unitarian), Baltimore, Maryland
Copyright © Michael S. Franch, 2017
As people of faith, we must confront hatred, bigotry, and white nationalism as part of a long-term sustanined movement – not an every-now-and-again thing. Where can we find strength for ongoing resistance? And how can we remain resilient in the face of such renewed racism and systemic injustice?
Around Valentine’s Day, a time where Love is traditionally coated in sugar and hallmark cards, we take time to reflect on the depth and breadth of the diversity of the ‘Loves’ that fill our lives. Guest minister Rev. Dylan Doyle-Burke explored the transformative role that Love can play in our personal, professional, and prophetic lives and ask the question: how can a commitment to Love inform the building of our beloved community?
Reverend Doyle-Burke is a Unitarian Universalist Minister currently serving the Unitarian Society of Ridgewood in Ridgewood, New Jersey. He is a born and raised Unitarian Universalist who is especially passionate about Lifespan Faith Development and Social Justice, especially immigrant rights. Dylan is a published poet, essayist, and author and finds incredible power for healing and transformation in stories. His ministry is grounded in asking big questions and helping others connect with the mystery and awe that surrounds them.
The modern field of African American Biblical Interpretation approaches Jewish and Christian scriptures through the lens of the interpreter’s experience, rather than the author’s presumed mindset. This approach avoids Eurocentric and patriarchal tendencies and liberates scripture from being anchored in time. Delilah’s story exemplifies how dominant scriptural interpreters have marginalized and degraded women and cultural “others,” and how a fresh examination can reveal their heroism and courage. The still-developing African American interpretive enterprise offers itself as a model for rehabilitating our Fourth UU Source to address injustice today.
Bob Clegg is a UU seminarian at Wesley Theological Seminary and is working on a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Studies at American University. Next year he plans to open Justice Jobs, a nonprofit jobs office in Baltimore or Frederick, serving people who are reentering the workforce from incarceration, addiction, and chronic unemployment. Bob is a member of the UU Congregation of Frederick, MD, and he lives with his wife Connie in New Market, MD, with their three cats.
Risk and Brokenness are the themes we’ll be exploring this March. Rev. Dr. Robert Harvey, Rector of Church of Our Savior, just a couple of blocks down New Hampshire Ave from UUCSS, preached this Sunday. Part of the topic was the task of Tikkun Olam ‘repairing the world.’ He looked at that ideal and what it might…