August Greetings,
It has been 153 days since we closed the church buildings and moved congregational life to an online presence. Each of us has experienced a long series of changes, many of them losses, coming at such a fast pace that it was hard to process them. As the U.S. surpasses the five million cases mark, we, your ministers, feel profound grief, mixed with rage, with smatterings of feeling disheartened. The statistics are deeply troubling. The prospect of schools re-opening has many on edge with fear and worry. The shortages of testing and the number of false results is bewildering. Millions are losing jobs, homes, health benefits…and too many lives have already been lost to this virus.
Our lives will never be the same. It’s ok to name this. In fact, it is important for our mental and spiritual health to name the truth of what is, even if it is hard. All the positivity in the world isn’t going to fix the mess we are. We name what is hard. We face it, not alone, but together. The whole world is experiencing a pandemic right now.
If we’re honest, there is no normal to go back to-not one that doesn’t include racism, sexism, heterosexism, transphobia, classism, and climate destruction. There is only what we bring into being moving forward. And we each and we together have the ability to make a real difference right now. Your spiritual well-being is just as important as your physical, mental, and emotional health. When you are feeling awful, let others be present to you by showing up to worship and other online church gatherings. When you are feeling a bit more grounded, centered, and strong, be present for others by showing up to worship and other online church gatherings. This religious home is still yours and it will only become whatever we all invest in its existence. Unitarian Universalism can bring comfort and healing and care to one another.
AND we don’t wallow. We don’t need to stay in that hard place. As UUs we make room for the waves of grief and rage and fear to well up-honor them, name them. Then we breathe and breathe again, knowing each breath is precious. We shake loose that which seeks to break our spirits, that which overwhelms us. And we turn our attention to the beauty of clouds, the flash of red as a hummingbird zips by, or the floating wonder as the monarchs begin to migrate through. We get inspired by local youth, organizing a march to call our attention to the economic and educational inequities between Niskayuna and Schenectady.
Unitarian Universalism is important for individuals yet it also can bring powerful transformation to the larger world. If we are practicing our faith, we are, right now, doing what we can to make sure that our actions are in alignment with our seven principles. Our very first principle is that we covenant to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person. Right now-this means wearing a mask when you go to public places. This means continuing to limit our contact with one another even though it is hard to not hug, to not provide physical comfort to those beyond our immediate circle. It means participating in the Movement for Black Lives in whatever ways your health, means, and abilities allow. Follow All of Us on Facebook. Consider how their 13 demands might be lived out in your life, in the congregation, and in the capital region. Read books and watch films and talk about anti-racism and more importantly, put what you are reading into practice. Become an anti-racist, anti-sexist, etc. And our fifth principle affirms and promotes the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large. Right now-this means participating in the #UUtheVOTE campaign, registering voters, holding democratically elected officials accountable for their actions/words/tweets and protecting the post office.
Your online presence matters. It matters to us. It matters to others in the congregation. We miss being with you under the dome. This is true. And we also see the gifts of expanding our circle to include those who couldn’t be in the building even if it was open, due to distance or condition. Take care of your spiritual health. Come to church on Sunday and be held by this religious community.
In faith,
Rev. Wendy and Rev. Lynn