Sermons

“Mission and covenant are an antidote to individualism. They remind us of the responsibilities that come with an affirmation of interdependence.” ~ Susan Frederick-Gray

READING ~ “The Power of We” Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray, UUWorld, Spring 2019

We don’t create any real positive impact alone.

Community gives us strength. Love gives us courage. Remembering we are not alone— remembering the people, the family, the community, the ancestors we belong to—gives us resiliency and power to keep on loving, keep on acting, keep on working for the values and commitments we hold dear.   …

In movement and justice work, a shared commitment to a larger cause helps bond people together into a powerful “we.” It’s one of the reasons that mission is so important to the health and vitality of a congregation. In the absence of mission, we can easily see ourselves as

merely a collection of individuals. Purpose reminds us that we are in it together.

READING ~ The Rev. Dr. Janet Newman

“The practice of consistent giving from congregants’ pockets and checkbooks brings benefits beyond supporting the recipients. When members are made aware of the needs of others beyond the congregation and then provide for those needs, they live their UU ideal of making the world a better place for all.”

SERMON

At its worst, social justice work can divide a church. It can spark political battles, alienate members, and set a climate in which everyone is self-righteously pointing fingers at one another. At its best, social justice work can strengthen and enlarge a congregation. It can build community, nourish the spiritual life of members, and shape public opinion and policy. (UUA)

Our congregation has united around our commitment to justice as our specific calling and ministry in the world. I could not be more inspired by the sense of mission and ministry that I see working among us to do the specific things we can do to bring wholeness and well being to the world and ourselves.

Our UUA President, Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray, reminds us of the importance of our faith in these challenging times.

As a people of faith who say we are committed to justice, compassion, and equity in human relations; as a faith that says we are committed to the inherent worth and dignity of all people; as a faith that says we are committed to respect for the interdependent web of all life: we have a role to play. Our faith is calling more from us in this time.

And two things are absolutely clear to me right now. Number one, this is no time for a casual faith or a casual commitment to your values, your community, your congregation, your soul, and your faith. No time for casual faith. And number two, this is no time to go it alone or to think that we are in this alone.

Two things. No casual faith. No going alone.

The world in which we find ourselves today is full of reasons to despair, to be discouraged, to turn inward to our individualistic and protected safe space. Yet, we cannot. Such a response to the troubles that surround us would probably fail spectacularly, for try as we might, we cannot shut out the world. We are the world, we are the earth, we are our siblings’ fortunes for good and ill, and they are us.

We cannot turn away from the world because our faith does not permit us to turn away. We are called to turn toward our world and to embrace all that we find there, loving it entirely.

In congregations of all kinds, there is an abiding truth. Congregations that turn inward, protecting themselves and their precious resources for their own needs and uncertain future embark upon a path of slow, but quite certain, decline. Congregations that turn outward toward this world of both joy and pain with Love share a vision that brings them directly into the lived experience of their faith. These are congregations that tend to thrive. To turn toward the world means to pursue a ministry that serves those inside and outside the congregation.

We have chosen a ministry of community investment as our best most effective way to be in service to our world. Investments come in many forms. Hands. Hearts. Minds. Time. Talent. Treasure. You can easily notice the many ways in which you and your spiritual companions here are making these investments. To serve the broader community as our mission states – is our faith-full response to the world’s needs. None of us can do this life-affirming, yet sometimes spirit-crushing, work alone. Thanks be to the universe; we have each other and we are never alone.

Let me say something quite concrete about our ministry of community investment. We are serving the broader community by placing our most precious resources in the hands and trust of others. Such a ministry requires courage and a conviction that the principles, values and ethics that guide our faith are reliable and constant.

Here are some Examples:

• Our Hilton Scholarships provide modest financial awards to area students pursuing post-secondary education or training. It takes about five of us to keep this scholarship going.
• Our Pulliam Grants annually distribute a few individual grants totaling as much as $34,000 each year to area not-for-profit organizations who apply for and win a grant to accomplish a specific program or purpose that is in alignment with one or more of our seven UU Principles. It takes about five of us to keep this ministry going year after year.
• Our ministry of food has multiple layers:
  • No Neighbor Left Behind is a joint ministry with other area faith communities. Friday was our turn to provide 80 meals to people experiencing food insecurity in our area. Our friends at Our Lady of Holy Hope Roman Catholic Church provide the food for a complete sit-down dinner. It takes an enormous effort to calculate the exact ounces of food needed for each individual meal and to recruit and supervise a bunch of willing volunteers. There were about a dozen willing souls in the Parish House on Friday making this ministry work. Many more of us contribute to the cost of preparing and delivering these meals to our neighbors.
  • Hungry Sunday is the first Sunday of each month. Scores of us contribute food and money to the two food pantries in our area.
  • Our congregation provides summer lunch and year-round snacks for the children who use our Witherle Library as a safe place for gathering and learning. It takes about six of us to keep this program going and many more to provide the finances needed.
• We maintain a fuel and wood bank ministry to help people heat their homes throughout the cold months. This requires a financial commitment and it requires hour and hours of labor to find, cut, split and stack or deliver wood. I’m pretty sure we’ve got a solid ten people keeping this ministry of warmth going.
• Our Social Justice team makes occasional contributions to worthy programs, events, and organizations throughout the year.
• We are faithful financial supporters of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee and the Unitarian Universalist Office at the United Nations.
• Our ministry with our partner church in the Philippines is awesome. We provide much needed financial support to the congregation so they can keep a very part time minister among them and the church operating. We support over 40 students in k-12 grades with our Dollars for Scholars program that seeks sponsors to help pay the tuition and expenses for each child attending the public school (which is not free). $100 or $200 a year makes a huge difference in the lives and future of these youngsters. This year, our first college student graduated. It takes all of us to keep this program going.
• Our Opportunity Fund is the newest element in our ministry of community investment. Due to the health, size, and prudent management of our combined endowment fund, we are giving away substantial financial gifts on a periodic basis – to be determined by our Finance Committee and Governing Board with approval of the Congregation. It takes all of you and all our members near by and far away to maintain our own financial strength so we can be generous in our giving. Today, we see the Opportunity Fund in action as we prepare to make our second round of investments in organizations whose work and mission we want to support.

A congregation with a mission and ministry that reaches outward into our broken and hurting world is a vital congregation. We are a vital congregation. Our future is more assured through our ministry of community investment than it is through our internal ministries and activities – essential as these things are to supporting and sustaining the spiritual, ethical, intellectual and overall well being of our members while serving our broader communities.

Because of each of you and all of us, we can. Yes, we can.

I finish where I began, with wisdom from Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray:

We don’t create any real positive impact alone.

Community gives us strength. Love gives us courage. Remembering we are not alone— remembering the people, the family, the community, the ancestors we belong to—gives us resiliency and power to keep on loving, keep on acting, keep on working for the values and commitments we hold dear.  

Blessed Be.   I Love You.   Amen.

Let’s celebrate our Opportunity Fund recipients.
Here they are in alphabetical order.

Community Childhood Learning Place
Community Compass
Families First Community Center
H.O.M.E., Inc.
Open Door Recovery Center