Homily from July 21st
by Rev. Andrew Clive Millard

Let me tell you a story.

Once upon a time, a child went to play at a neighbor’s house.  When the time came and went for her to return home, her parents began to wonder where she was.  They called the neighbor, who confirmed that the child had left already.  Just as her parents were about to go looking for her, she opened the front door.  Relieved, but concerned, they asked their daughter where she had been, why it had taken her so long to get home from the neighbor’s house.  The child explained that she had stopped to help another child who lived in the neighborhood, whose brand new bike had just broken.

“Help him?” said her parents.  “What do you mean?  Did you know how to fix his bike?”

“No,” answered the child.

“Then how did you help him?” they asked.

“Well,” she said, “he was so upset when his bike broke, that I stopped to help him cry.”

Sometimes what makes the biggest difference to someone with a problem is not, in fact, fixing their problem for them, but rather simply being with them as they face it, reminding them that they are not alone.

 Let me tell you another story.

Many years ago, I attended my first ministers’ retreat.  At such retreats, Unitarian Universalist ministers from all over the region gather for three or four days, to participate in some program of continuing education, to be sure, but really the primary purpose is to spend time with one another.
I remember this retreat because being there helped me to get through a very hard time.

It was a pretty large group of ministers, so at first all we could do to check in was go around the circle, give our names, and say where we were from.  A little later on, then, we broke into smaller groups and dispersed to different parts of where we were meeting for a deeper check-in.  And yes, we went deep.

I’m sure that some of my colleagues knew each other already.  I hadn’t met any of the others in my small group before then, though I knew a couple of them by name.  But as we took turns to share more deeply about what was going on in our lives — the joys and the sorrows, at work and at home — I immediately felt a sense of trust.  The fact that we were all willing to listen to one another — without interrupting or fixing or giving advice or correcting one another, just listening, as deeply and as compassionately as possible — made it possible to be vulnerable in a way that I had never experienced before.  And it made a huge difference to me.

I continue to rely on my colleagues, to have places where I can bare my soul about what’s going on for me, because I’ve realized it’s essential for me to have such places.  Yes, sometimes I want advice, but mostly I just want to be heard, to be reminded that, even though nobody else can fix my problems for me, I am not alone in facing them.

Let me tell you one more story.

Once upon a time, there was a congregation that had time at the end of the service for people to provide direct feedback on the sermon.  This time was called “talk back”, but it might have been better named “give the speaker a piece of your mind”.  A few people in the congregation would do just that, criticizing whatever had just been said and then leaving, rather than waiting to hear what anyone else had to say.  Perhaps it was good that they left, though, because when it came to the annual meeting, discussions would descend into bitter arguments.  There was even name-calling.

Then the congregation decided to try something new.  They began a program where, twice each month, members gathered in small groups to listen to one another.  Anyone in the group could say pretty much whatever they wanted to say, and everyone else would simply listen.  No interrupting, no fixing, no giving advice, no correcting one another.  Just listening, as deeply and as compassionately as possible.  Not every member of the congregation was in such a group, but over time most of them had participated in the program, and the congregation’s culture began to change.

When it came to someone speaking of personal matters, people were better at actually listening, rather than not really hearing the other person because they were too busy thinking of what they were going to say next.

When it came to someone expressing an opinion, people were better at truly hearing what that person had to say, not necessarily agreeing with them, but respecting that person’s ownership of their own position.

And when it came time for someone to finish speaking, people were better at allowing for silence before immediately rushing to fill the space with their own words.

Some of you know that, yes, the congregation in this story was this Fellowship.  And the program that was a big part of changing the congregation’s culture is our Fellowship Circles program, where small groups of people get together to practice listening to one another.  Something as simple as listening makes a big difference.

So this morning we’re going to hear from three participants in our Fellowship Circles — Lehni Lebert, Randy Phillips and Pam Luke — who will share with us the difference this has made to them personally.  We’ll hear what they get out of being in a Fellowship Circle, how has it challenged them, and what it means to them that the congregation offers this program.

A new round of Fellowship Circles starts at the end of September, and Gayle Phillips, to whom I am very grateful for coordinating this program for the last few years, will be pleased to talk to you after the service about registering for a circle.  I encourage you to give serious thought to joining a Fellowship Circle.  There are so few places in our lives where we can go to be heard, where others are truly listening to you, deeply and compassionately, without interrupting you or fixing you or giving you advice or correcting you.  It seems like such a simple thing, but it makes a big difference, both to us as individuals as well as to our community.

If the purpose of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Peninsula is to practice community as deeply and as thoroughly as we can, then Fellowship Circles and other spiritual development groups are a key part of that practice.  I like to imagine what a difference it would make to our wider society, how it would inform our sense of community, if enough people could learn to listen to one another.  If I had the ability to enroll all of the politicians in Washington in a UU program, well, okay, the first I’d have them all do is Our Whole Lives, our age-appropriate sexuality education program, but the second I’d have them do would be Fellowship Circles.  Being heard, being able to hear one another is that transformative.  I invite you to be a part of that.

We are now accepting registrations for the new cycle of Fellowship Circles.  You can register by printing out and completing this form or by visiting Gayle's table outside the Sanctuary on a Sunday morning.  For more information, you can also send an e-mail to fellowshipcircles@uufp.org.

August 4th: "Prison Religion: Holistic Life in an Unequal World"

Through respect for the interdependent web of all existence, we acknowledge connections between all things, including "religion" and "prisons".  The rise of "religion" (understood as separate from "politics" or "secular") coincided with the rise of modern prison systems.  Whatever we believe about "religion" not only connects to our beliefs about prison but may also imprison us and separate us from holistic life.  Together we take gradual steps to unravel the ties that blind us.

Anthony T. Fiscella, currently a member of the Church of the Larger Fellowship, has worked with social justice issues, underground music and formal research.  He now finds himself in the process of transitioning back to Virginia from Sweden and back to activism from academia.  This process has begun with the founding of EarthBond U, an organization dedicated to holistic sustainability and grassroots education.

August 11th: "No, You Can't Believe Whatever You Want"

Religion is not merely about belief — it's more about behavior and belonging — but belief matters to the extent that it determines how we behave and to whom we belong, whether we recognize that or not.  Unitarian Universalism upholds freedom of belief, not as passive "tolerance" but by actively helping us to understand and express what we already believe.

August 18th: "Life's Too Short to Sing the Melody"

We have a strong musical tradition, and ours is a singing congregation, too!  Let’s consider some of the more familiar hymns in our repertoire and learn to sing their harmonies, so that we’ll be able to enrich our time together as a congregation the next time we sing them!

We’ll be accompanied by members of the UUFP Winds!

August 25th: "Erring on the Side of Love"

Nobody’s perfect, and we all make mistakes.  Recognizing that, we both accept the imperfections of others by assuming their good intentions and hold ourselves accountable for the outcomes of our own actions.  The good news is, we know there will always be room to improve ourselves!

I realized, then, a possible essential difference between our faith and many others.  It is that, while some people may go to church for the purpose of finding God there, we go to learn how to make God find us where we live.

​theme: Journey

Unless otherwise noted, services include sermons preached by Rev. Andrew Clive Millard and take place at 9:30am and 11:15am on Sundays.

July 7th: “One Small Step”
July 14th: “One Giant Leap”

NASA’s Apollo 11 mission was launched from Kennedy Space Center on July 16th 1969 and, while Michael Collins stayed in lunar orbit, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the Moon on July 20th.  Armstrong became the first human to step foot on the Moon on July 21st, and all three astronauts returned safely to Earth on July 24th.  As we celebrate this month's momentous anniversary, let’s consider the small steps and the giant leaps that we can take in our own time.

July 21st: “Hearing One Another”

Fellowship Circles are small, supportive groups that offer an environment for spiritual and personal growth.  In these circles, we: practice listening to each other; learn to think deeply about our lives and beliefs; help each other by sharing difficult or joyous issues; strive to enhance our spiritual maturity; and nourish our inner-selves with the kind of personal sharing that seldom occurs in everyday life.

A number of participants from the 2017–19 round of Fellowship Circles will share their experience and the importance of this program in their lives.  New circles start this Fall!

July 28th: “Life’s Hardest Questions: Answered!”

In early cultures, elders would have been consulted on all difficult questions.  Modern society, with its emphasis on technology and popular culture, has diminished their role.  A Google search, however, can lead to more confusion than truth — almost any search will bear this out!  A traditional approach may bear more fruit.

Our Fellowship is fortunate to have many elders who are, to put it succinctly, wise.  Let’s gather together and ask some of our most experienced members our difficult questions.  Bob Smith, Pat Yaros, Richard Hudgins and Pat Sloane have graciously volunteered to tackle whatever you bring to the service.  Steve Farthing will facilitate.

​Good Morning,

My family has been a part of this church for about as long as I can remember.  As of lately, I’ve had less and less time to attend services, classes, and youth group, but it wasn’t until I was going through a bunch of old photos of when I was a counselor for summer camp, or hanging around a campfire at an old retreat, when I was reminded of how much of an impact this community has had on me.

I think everyone can agree that middle school was an awkward time, or I can at least prove it was awkward for me once you see my fashion decisions in my slideshow coming up, but a lot of the time it wasn’t easy to make close friends because 12-year-olds will be 12-year-olds.  So having such close friends in my classes in church gave me so much more confidence and trust in myself because I never had a doubt in my mind that they would humiliate me, unlike the social battleground we call public school.  Arik, Athena, and I, otherwise known as the A-Team, were undefeatable, and to this day I still miss when we would take the class to Starbucks and discuss things like why do bad things happen to good people.

This church has also broadened my understanding of how I see the world around me.  When I was young, all I wanted to do was listen to music and play video games.  Honestly, not much has changed.  But when I got to class with my friends, we were asked some pretty challenging questions that I hadn’t even come close to thinking about at that time, which really was the first time I started developing my own opinions and learning how to have meaningful discussion.
 
And with that I really want to thank all of the teachers I’ve had throughout my many classes, to name a few—Jeff, Ms. Kraft, my dad, Brownie lady, and Scott.  I also, of course, would like to thank Ms. Joanne for all she’s done for me and really every teenager at this church.  I’m still sorry for when I knocked over the chalice with a dodgeball; the sand poured onto the piano, and it took forever to clean up.  I hope we can leave that in the past.

As for future plans, right now I have decided to use the money I have been saving for about three years to purchase a van and move to Alaska.  I’m gonna live off of the land and the money I have, and last as long as I can.  Just kidding; I’m going to American University in DC to study audio technology, and after I get my diploma, I’m getting the van and moving to Alaska.  Sorry mixed those up.  And that’s about all I have.   Thank you for listening.

"For all that is our life" by Rev. Andrew

​Last year we celebrated the Fellowship’s sixtieth anniversary.  It was our diamond jubilee, sixty years since the congregation’s charter was issued by the American Unitarian Association in 1958.  We talked about the history of the Fellowship, how it was formed with the help of what was then the Unitarian Church of Norfolk and in close association with what was then the Hampton Institute.  The congregation was active in denominational matters and social justice issues right from the start.  In a state that was involved in “massive resistance” to school desegregation, it was, in fact, a racially integrated religious community.

One of the defining events in our history took place forty years ago, in May 1979, when the congregation’s building on Briarfield Road burned down.  Almost everything that the Fellowship owned was destroyed, and it was only thanks to a couple of bookcases falling over that a few important items were saved from the fire: one, the 1958 charter itself; two, the membership book; and three, the chalice we light every Sunday, given by teenager Keith Dixon when his family moved away.

Thanks to the recently increased insurance policy, there was money to build anew, and within a year the Fellowship had bought a lot on Young’s Mill Lane and broken ground for a new building, our Sanctuary building.  Of course, a congregation is not the same as its building: a congregation is made of people, and it only occupies a building in order for those people to have space to worship and learn and plan and enjoy potlucks together.  But the fire was a major test of the endurance, resilience and courage of the people in this congregation, who gathered what they could from the ashes and rose again.  The charter and the membership book and the chalice were important parts of that, each of them a reminder that buildings come and buildings go, but the congregation endures.

In April, we participated in the dedication of the new building of the Coastal Virginia Unitarian Universalists, what used to be the Unitarian Church of Norfolk before they moved to Virginia Beach.  They didn’t have anything like a fire to make them move out of their old building, but they did have regular flooding of their property that is only getting worse as sea levels rise.  Still, it took a long time and it was very difficult for them to make the decision to move, to sell their old building, to buy a new one, to renovate it.  They were talking about moving when I got here almost ten years ago, and they moved less than a year ago.  In between, they’ve had conflict, they’ve had loss, and they’ve had a number of ministers, including one, the Rev. Jennifer Slade, who died while she was with them.  They’ve had a hard journey, but they endured.  And now they’re thriving.  And growing: their RE program has gone from nine children to ninety children in less than a year.

As with most building dedications, it was a grand affair, with clergy and leaders from other congregations in attendance and, in this case, a combined choir, including members of our own ChorUUs.  The Rev. Jeanne Pupke, from First UU in Richmond, preached the sermon, and her text, which our former intern Walter Clark read, was the following by the late Rev. Peter Raible, who had been minister in Seattle.

     We build on foundations we did not lay.
     We warm ourselves by fires we did not light.
     We sit in the shade of trees we did not plant.
     We drink from wells we did not dig.
     We profit from persons we did not know.
     This is as it should be.

     Together we are more than any one person could be.
     Together we can build across the generations.
     Together we can renew our hope and faith in the life that is yet to unfold.
     Together we can heed the call to a ministry of care and justice.
     We are ever bound in community.
     May it always be so.

Jeanne’s message to the Coastal Virginia Unitarian Universalists was simple but powerful: celebrate this new building, yes, but then let go of it; remember that the building serves the congregation’s mission, not for the sake of the people who struggled so hard to obtain it, but for the sake of the people who are yet to come.

There is not only an abstract principle here — that just as we benefit from the people who came before us, so do we need to “pay it forward” to the people who will come after us — but the very practical matter that congregations that have been through some hardship can very easily fragment into the people who actually went through that hardship together and the people who didn’t.  Imagine if those of us who were here four years ago when the pipe in our kitchen burst and flooded the building, imagine if we took that not only as part of our history as a congregation, but as part of our identity as members: for those of us who were here when the building flooded, that would be part of who we are, and that means that anybody who came here after that wouldn’t be part of who we are, and never could be.

So for a congregation that has been through as much as the Coastal Virginia UUs have over the last decade, Jeanne’s message was spot-on, and I hope they’re taking it to heart.  But it got me thinking about our own future, here at the Fellowship, and the fact that we need to make a decision about our own buildings, whether to expand here or move to a bigger facility somewhere else.

We’ve been putting off that decision for longer than I’ve been here, but it’s increasingly clear that we’re constrained by our space.  There’s no doubt that we’d grow if we had the room.  (Not only are the Coastal Virginia UUs growing thanks to their move to a bigger building, by the way, but the Williamsburg UUs are growing thanks to expanding their building, so we have examples of both options.)  And the fact that we’ve been putting off that decision has hurt us in other ways.

Whenever someone suggests putting solar panels on the roof, to lower our environmental footprint and save us some money on our electricity bill, the conversation inevitably gets around to the fact that we don’t know if we’ll be in this building before the solar panels have paid for themselves or not.  When it comes to engaging with our neighborhood and our local community on social justice and other issues that matter to them, recognizing that it takes time to get to know people and to build relationships and to earn our neighbor’s trust, we have to admit that we can’t commit to doing that because we don’t know if we’ll be here for long enough.

So, recognizing that we need space to grow, that we’ve tried all of the technical tweaks of timing and building use that we can, we started doing our homework, to find out what it would take to make a decision. And in talking with various Unitarian Universalist Association staff and other experts, we were met with a simple question: Why?

Why do we want more space?  What is our purpose such that we need more space?

The answer, by the way, is not “to grow”.  Growth is an outcome, not a purpose.

This was something we talked about quite a bit last week, at the second retreat of my GreenFaith Fellowship this year.  We talked about POP, which stands for purpose, outcome and process.

Purpose is why you’re doing something.  Outcome is what you’re doing.  Process is how you’re doing it.  It’s very easy, when planning anything, to identify the outcome and the process, the what and the how, but most of the time the purpose is, at best, implicit, and yet everything else depends upon it.  It’s the purpose that gets other people on board.  It’s the purpose that inspires them to get involved and offer their support, that encourages them when times are hard, that helps them to see a better future.

So when someone asks why you want to do something and you can’t answer that question except in terms of what you want to do and how you want to do it, that’s a problem.

Two years ago, then, we started to work on answering that question.  More than a quarter of the congregation participated in a workshop to identify our essential core values, the qualities that lie at the heart of our identity as the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Peninsula and shape everything that we do, whether we realize it or not.  And those values, as we named them, are wonder, love, service and generosity.

Next we tried to articulate what we do with those values, matching them up with some verbs and trying them on to see if they fit what we’re already doing as a congregation.  We spent a year doing that and then, last June, we agreed that the mission of the UUFP is indeed to grow in wonder, connect in love, engage in service and inspire generosity.

Since then, we’ve started working on the next stage, which is to ask what it will take to get us from the congregation we are now to become a congregation that lives that mission fully and completely.  In other words, we’ve been thinking about our vision of ourselves as the congregation that our mission is asking us to become.  Over the next year, the next three years, the next five years, what more can we do to help one another grow in wonder?  How can we be better at connecting in love, with one another and with our neighbors?  What else can we do to help more members and friends to engage in service?  How can we be a better example to those beyond our walls and inspire generosity in the world?

This is not, I would note, vision in any ultimate sense, like the kingdom of heaven or the Beloved Community.  Rather it’s a short-term vision, helping us to see what we need to do next to get from where we are now to where we need to be.  And it’s this vision that will help us answer questions of purpose.  After all, if our purpose is to offer community services to the hungry and the homeless, then we need a large kitchen, places where people can sleep and a location near to those people.  If our purpose is to organize social justice events and work with decision-makers, when we need offices where people can meet and plan.  If our purpose is to offer learning opportunities and promote spiritual development, then we need classrooms and workshop spaces.  If our purpose is to promote music and develop new worship arts, then we need performance spaces and practice rooms.  And so on.

Oh, and you’re not allowed to say “All of the above.”  Sorry!  When a congregation can’t name the primary purpose for which it needs facilities, it’s very easy to end up with space that doesn’t suit any purpose very well.

First UU in Richmond recently completed a massive renovation of its building, making it a lot more usable to the congregation, because it turns out it had never been designed as a church but as an art gallery.  Yes, they’re a church all year ‘round, but in the Fall they host a huge art show that is also a major fundraiser for the congregation, and it was the purpose of the gallery, rather than any particular purpose as a church, that determined the design of the building.  And it took them decades to fix that.

So this Summer, you can be part of articulating our vision of ourselves over the next few years.  Committees and ministries and the Board have all been thinking about their own goals, but on July 13th we’re going to put it all together and put into words what we want to do next to get from where we are now to where we need to be.  On Saturday July 13th, the Planning Committee and I will offer a workshop, for as many of you as can attend, to distill down our understanding of ourselves and the work that we are called to do, and on that understanding we’ll build our strategic plan.  Since that will also let us answer the question of purpose, this plan will include finally making our long-delayed decision about whether we expand our facilities where we are now or move to a bigger location.  So please save the date of Saturday July 13th so that you can be a part of this crucial next step.

Knowing our history is important, because it helps us understand where we came from and how we came to be who we are.  But the paradox is that even as we embrace our past, we must also let go of it.  We need to remember it, even honor it, but we cannot be bound by it.  For what we do today, the church we build, is not for us, but for the people who are not even here yet.  We commit our strength, we offer our devotion, we give of ourselves, not for what any one of us will get out of doing this, but for how we will change the world by doing it.  As Peter Raible put it,

     Together we are more than any one person could be.
     Together we can build across the generations.
     Together we can renew our hope and faith in the life that is yet to unfold.
     Together we can heed the call to a ministry of care and justice.
     We are ever bound in community.
     May it always be so.

theme: Evangelizing

Unless otherwise noted, services include sermons preached by Rev. Andrew Clive Millard and take place at 9:30am and 11:15am on Sundays.

June 2nd: “You Are Beautiful”

Unitarian ministers Norbert and Maja Čapek created the Flower Communion in 1920s Prague as a spiritual celebration of the beauty of each person.  As World War II began, they defied fascism and continued to preach the inherent worth and dignity of all people.  In our time, when some people profit from sowing division, our affirmation of beauty is central to our good news.

For our Flower Communion, please bring a flower (preferably with a long stem) with you.  Flowers are collected in vases and then distributed during the service.  We’ll also celebrate the Bridging of one of our Youth.

June 9th: “You Can Choose Your Own Name”

We Unitarian Universalists have come to be known as the people of the words.  How many of us have spent hours in passionate discussion seeking the perfect way to word a resolution or mission statement or bylaw amendment?  Yes, we love our words.  But words also have the power to harm, to disenfranchise.  Can we move from a love of language to a language of love?

Rev. Justine Sullivan hails from Northborough MA where she was ordained into Unitarian Universalist ministry in 2017.  Prior to that she served as a congregational consultant and facilitator throughout New England and served as district president and president of the district presidents’ association.  Justine is currently serving as interim minister of the Coastal Virginia Unitarian Universalists (CVUU) in Virginia Beach.  Justine and her spouse Dale and their dog Callie divide their time between Virginia and Massachusetts.  We welcome her to the Fellowship in her first pulpit swap with Rev. Andrew!

June 16th: “You Are Not Alone”

One of the central truths of Unitarian Universalism is that we’re all in this together.  Whatever our trials and challenges, in fair weather and in foul, the good news is that we do not need to face the world by ourselves.  And when it comes to making the world a better place, by easing suffering and dismantling oppression, we know we can make a difference by working together.

We’ll also recognize the ministry of our Religious Educators.

June 23rd: “You Are the Melody”

Ever wanted to find out what it’s really like to be a singer or musician?  Please join us for personal reflections from some of our accomplished vocalists and instrumentalists.  We will explore and celebrate the role of music in our lives and recognize everyone who has contributed to our musical offerings this past year.

This service is offered by the Sunday Services Committee.  Special music will be provided by the UUFP’s ChorUUs!  We’ll also recognize the ministry of our Musicians.

June 30th: “You Have the Power”

Power is the ability to make change, and agency is the choice we have to use our power to oppose what’s bad and make good happen instead.  Our culture teaches us to be afraid of power and to ignore our own agency because that supports the status quo and serves the interests of those who benefit from it.  Let’s remind ourselves of our own power and reclaim our agency!

"For all that is our life" by Rev. Andrew

(Read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.)

​We began our last day at Stony Point with a further discussion about GreenFaith itself, which is currently reorganizing on a global scale in order to more effectively address the climate crisis.  Specifically, since we're completing our first year as Fellows, we talked about how GreenFaith can continue to support us and re-engage with previous classes of Fellows and activate environmentalists across the United States and around the world.  With eleven years for us to make the systemic changes needed to get climate change under control and avoid catastrophe, there is a sense of urgency that needs to translate into widespread and forceful action.

Before heading our separate ways, we finished with an activity that I have heard of some Unitarian Universalist congregations doing.  The Climate Ribbon is an art-based ritual, launched at the conclusion of the 2014 People's Climate March in New York, "to grieve what each of us stands to lose to climate chaos and affirm our solidarity as we unite to fight against it."  GreenFaith's organizers had brought a piece of the Climate Ribbon installation from the 2015 UN Climate Summit in Paris, and we were invited to add to it.  Each of us wrote on a length of ribbon the name of a place or a people at risk, as well as our own name, and then exchanged it with another ribbon so that we'd carry someone else's hope with us.  I wrote "Newport News VA" on my ribbon, both for the health impacts of the coal held in the Southeast Community and for the effects of sea-level rise resulting from global warming thanks to the burning of that coal in Asia.

"For all that is our life" by Rev. Andrew

(Read Part 1 and Part 2.)

​After a starting our day outdoors with Surya Namaskār (Salute to the Sun) led by our Hindu Fellows, we continued working on our leadership projects, refining them in small groups so that we can present them clearly and concisely.  Many of our projects parallel one another in some way, which isn’t too surprising given that we share in GreenFaith’s larger purpose of working through and across religion to respond to the climate crisis.  That was even more pronounced in my small group, with one Fellow developing a process for congregations to evaluate and improve their facilities and another developing a web site as a hub for green building resources and information.  My GreenFaith cohort is a great resource for my own project of a Zoom-based green living and congregational sustainability workshop!

This afternoon we broke into pairs for an envisioning exercise.  Specifically, we imagined that we were writing a magazine article in the year 2030 regarding some significant difference that GreenFaith has made in response to the climate crisis.  Another Fellow and I imagined an article entitled “Last Coal-Fired Power Plant in the World Decommissioned”, building on the successful divestment of all North American religious organizations from fossil fuels and the and the development of GreenFaith India to put pressure on governments and industries world-wide.  Since this would be a magazine article, it would include such pictures as a shuttered coal plant, a field of solar panels and the Koch brothers crying.

This evening was focused on GreenFaith’s growing international work.  We had heard from an organizer with a partner interfaith organization in Brazil, which is facing new challenges following recent elections, and now had a presentation by a partner from Indonesia, a Muslim-majority country where there as been some success with edicts against the hunting of endangered species and the destruction of natural habitats, as well as a Zoom call from a gathering in Chile where one of this year’s Fellows lives.  A Quaker, a member of a Unity Church and I closed the day’s program with an embodied meditation on interdependence, using a Unitarian Universalist youth activity using a ball of thread to build a web that connected us all together.

(Read Part 4 here.)

"For all that is our life" by Rev. Andrew

(Read Part 1 here.)

Today began with a POP — a way of talking about our work that focuses on purpose (the “why” we’re doing something) as the foundation distinct from both outcomes (the “what” we’re doing) and processes (the “how” we’re doing it).  When it comes to purpose, the question is, What are we trying to change?  There's no purpose in doing a project just for the sake of doing a project.  It’s also important to ask, What is our theory of change?

As part of my GreenFaith Fellowship, my project comes from the Fellowship’s action plan to become a Green Sanctuary, originally submitted to the Unitarian Universalist Association in 2013.  Namely, we proposed to host a Green Living and Congregational Sustainability Workshop, bringing together congregations and others from across the region.  Thanks to today’s technology, we can resolve the contradiction of asking people to spend time in cars in order to drive to a workshop about about green!  Using a videoconferencing platform such as Zoom, we can offer a one-day remote-access workshop for congregational groups and individuals, as well as offering an example for other organizers of green events to follow.  However, these, as our discussion of POP explained, are outcomes.  The purpose is to help congregations and households to reduce their ecological footprints — hence both the focus of the workshop as well as the method of convening it.  (Stay tuned for more information about this workshop, which will likely take place in late August.)

Next we heard an update about GreenFaith itself from its Executive Director, the Rev. Fletcher Harper.  Founded in 1992, and inspired in part by the Rio Earth Summit, GreenFaith is refocusing on its core purpose in order to more effectively and powerfully respond to the climate crisis from religious and moral perspectives.  With a renewed international emphasis, including the launch of a Fellowship program in India, priorities include love, compassion, equity and justice, and concern for the vulnerable: ethnic minorities, women and workers.

We also heard from Martin Kopp, Director of GreenFaith’s Living the Change project.  This is a program promoting green living — particularly in the areas of transportation, diet and energy use — that complements other necessary paths to environmental sustainability and renewal such as policy actions and cultural change.  Individual action with supporting companionship to embrace climate-friendly lifestyles is a way of leading by example.  Look for events this Fall, September 1st through November 3rd, under the banner of “Time for Living the Change”.

Returning to our POP discussion, we considered “The Four Rs” as (complementary) ways of bringing about change:

• Reforming is the slow but steady way of making change.  Reformers work on policy changes, such as passing new legislation on clear air or emissions reductions or enacting company-wide sustainability plans.  This change works from inside the system.
• Resisting is the grassroots social change by saying “no” to systems that are ruining our world.  This method may involve direct actions of resistance, including marches, on-line campaigns and non-violent civil disobedience, or it could involve publicly boycotting certain products.
• Recreating is demonstrating the new ways that will be needed when the old systems die.  This involves innovation and social entrepreneurship, the testing of new technologies that are more regenerative and better for the world and all peoples.  This includes the production and distribution of renewable energies, permaculture and reforestation projects.
• Reimagining is the big picture envisioning that is required.  The “reimaginers” are those with the long view, predicting and forecasting what needs to happen in order for the system to embody a possible future beyond the current reality.  They are the philosophers, authors, theologians and systems thinkers.

(Read Part 3 here.)

"For all that is our life" by Rev. Andrew

This week, I am at the second retreat of my GreenFaith Fellowship this year.  This time, we are just north of New York City at the Stony Point Center, a conference facility of the Presbyterian Church USA that is home to a multifaith community committed to radical hospitality, and we began by meeting Will and Amara, two of the community members who grow food served in the cafeteria.  As well as describing their farming work here, they talked about their efforts to support local Native American communities and the ​Coalition of Immokalee Workers.

Next the Fellows and GreenFaith staff took some time to reintroduce ourselves to one another, since, although we meet virtually each month for a Zoom webinar, we have not met in person since November.  Fellows arrived here today from the US along the East Coast as well as Texas and Colorado, with international Fellows coming from Rwanda and Zambia.  Then we developed a covenant, outlining some of the ways we intend to be with one another this week.  Some of the Fellows are Muslim, and they are observing the practices (including fasting) of Ramadan, so we engaged in a helpful cross-cultural conversation around what that means for our community and how we can support one another.

After dinner — for the non-Muslims; our Muslim friends would break their fast with Iftar at sunset — we spent some time in small groups sharing climate change stories.  The idea behind such stories is that talking about personal experiences is more impactful than describing events in remote places.  (Not everyone can relate to a hungry polar bear on a disintegrating ice floe!)  For my story, I spoke of Hurricane Florence last Summer, which had for a while been headed directly for Hampton Roads, resulting in a mandatory evacuation of the first of our flood zones, before it shifted slightly south.  As we witnessed the devastation of coastal communities in North Carolina, we realized how that could have been us, and we knew that — this time —​ we had been lucky.

After breaking for Iftar — including the traditional (and delicious!) dates — and organizing small groups to offer short reflections on faith and nature for each morning and evening of the retreat, we finished up with conversations reflecting on our day together, each of us offering a word that expressed our reflection.  I offered “potential”, given my conversation with a Fellow from Colorado who recently testified before the state legislature on a bill to regulate carbon emissions and decided to address his comments to those who still needed to be convinced: “treat your opponents as unlikely allies,” he said!

(Read Part 2 here.)

According to Connie, Ubaka taught her that learning to drum gives people a powerful voice to express to the world.  Connie remains inspired by this teacher’s belief that if we could learn cooperation, we would be amazed at what we could accomplish together.  Ubaka says, “If the drum is a woman, do not beat your drum, help her find her voice.”

Connie had never done drumming before, but after that weekend, she not only found her voice but also heard the call to help other women find theirs.
Connie started with other UUs as they founded a women’s drumming group in Norfolk. The core group often performed on stage at local events, but Connie realized the value of drumming for non-performers, as well.  She learned the power of drumming with women as a way to promote healing from past struggles, abuses and illnesses.

Connie started a Women’s Drumming Circle at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Peninsula (UUFP) that meets every month.  It is open to those who identify as women, of all ages, and all religious backgrounds.

A former minister at UUFP held a course on Native American Spirituality—that curriculum and her connection to Earthrising (UUFP’s CUUPS group) added to her experiences in her UU faith.

“One of the most UU experiences I ever had was participating in several yearly Peace Vigils at the foot of the Washington Monument in D.C.  Each weekend was filled with songs and music and round-the-clock ceremony with folks from the world’s religions.”  She signed up to drum to keep the sacred fire going all night long.  Being able to speak up for peace in the Nation’s capital and bring water to the Elders were very meaningful ways to walk her faith.

As a child, Connie had polio and spent two long stints hospitalized.  Knowing firsthand how powerless patients can feel, she decided to create her own business that brings drums to residents in care facilities.  She watches as the simple act of drumming makes them feel empowered.  Through her work with the Living Interfaith Network (LINK) LINK of Hampton Roads, she has also drummed with people without homes, people who suffer from mental illnesses, and people going through 12-step programs.  Leading rhythms and chants gives people from all different places and stages in life a chance to find their voice again.

theme: Edifying

Unless otherwise noted, services include sermons preached by Rev. Andrew Clive Millard and take place at 9:30am and 11:15am on Sundays.

May 5th: “Ever Since Baltimore”

On May 5th 1819, the Rev. William Ellery Channing preached a sermon at the ordination of Jared Sparks by the First Independent Church in Baltimore.  Though hardly anybody heard the sermon, thanks to the new church’s poor acoustics and Channing’s soft speech, tens of thousands of copies of it were sold, with an impact that forever changed the nature of our religion.

May 12th: “Seeing Mom Through Adult Eyes”

Edification is the instruction or improvement of a person morally or intellectually.  One may expect that mothers will work on the edification of their children, but one may find the most edification comes when those children gain enough maturity to begin to critically assess their mothers.

Rev. Cynthia Snavely is a Unitarian Universalist minister who has served congregations in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina.  She currently lives in Hayes with her daughter, son-in-law and four grandsons.

May 19th: “Temperance. Suffrage. Equality?”

One hundred years ago, Congress passed the Nineteenth Amendment: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”  Women’s suffrage was part of a longer justice effort in which Universalists and Unitarians were involved, from the temperance movement to the prohibition of racial discrimination in voting in 1965, and it continues in the fight for full equality under the law.

May 26th: “The Memories We Share”

Our faith rightly celebrates “a freedom that reveres the past but trusts the dawning future more”.  Last May, we celebrated our sixtieth anniversary as a congregation, sharing with one another the stories of the Fellowship’s journey.  A year later, how is our vision of the UUFP’s future taking shape?  How do we imagine ourselves living more deeply into our mission to grow in wonder, connect in love, engage in service and inspire generosity?

Special music will be provided by the UUFP’s ChorUUs!

​We accept:

• Your plants (it may be time to divide those iris, daylilies and other perennials)
• Tools, lawn and garden items, pet items
• Books, games/entertainment items, electronics and accessories (e.g., MP3 players, computers, DVDs, CDs, etc.)
• Sporting goods, luggage/backpacks, beach and camping gear, bicycles
• Home decor and kitchen household items (e.g., curtains, rugs, lamps, kitchen appliances, dishes, etc.)
• Linens (please note size, i.e., twin, queen, etc.)  
• Adult and Children's (all ages) toys, games, crafts, educational items
• Baby clothes only; NO adult clothing (as they do not sell); shoes and boots (all sizes) acceptable
• Jewelry (please place in small zip lock bags)
• Seasonal items

Remember...events, such as these, are great ways to fellowship with each other and our community, while raising funds for good works (Green is Good!) in our congregation, on the Peninsula and in the world!
​
Feel free to contact yardsale@uufp.org or 757-369-1098.  We greatly appreciate your helping hands in all areas to carry out this event!  So join us...donate, volunteer, shop!
 
Thanks to you all!

"I love animals and I wanted to help cats because I have two of my own.  I wanted to do a project where I made something.  I liked the idea of using old socks that would just get thrown away if they weren’t donated to the animal shelter.

So far I have made over 300 socks!  My goal is 500 or more if I have the supplies.  I have also visited the Peninsula Regional Animal Shelter to deliver the toys and learn more about their cat programs.
​
I am making a difference because Peninsula Regional Animal Shelter is a government owned shelter so they don’t get a lot of funds.  They depend a lot on donations from the public.  Also, the toys make the cats really happy and excited!  A happier cat is more likely to get adopted because they aren’t depressed and shy when people come to look for a pet to adopt.  It’s a small way to help but it feels good to be making a difference.”

The mission of UUFP is "Grow in Wonder, Connect in Love, Engage in Service and Inspire Generosity."

​In this interactive workshop, you will learn communication techniques which may significantly improve your relationships, even those with whom you may have differences.  Compassionate Communication, also known as Nonviolent Communication, teaches how to connect to others with empathy. 
Compassionate Communication skills help us embrace the beauty of understanding others and being understood in return.  They provide a way to speak peace in this world of conflict.

I believe the elements of our mission statement identifies qualities most of us already possess, and therefore, help to focus our path into the future.
 ​
Here at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Peninsula (UUFP), I am your past—just about everything—past finance chair, past canvas leader, past long-term planning chair, past treasurer, and past president (five or six times).  I am currently finance co-chair, the piano tuner, and one of the grounds crew.  So, let's put that “engage in service” thing to bed right now.

​And “inspire generosity”?  As finance chair I've given a couple of pleas that brought tears to my eyes, and some of you may have cried too (albeit maybe for a different reason).

I know.  The question is why have I done all of those things.  The answer is not just my stock response that Michelle was nominating committee chair.  I could have just said, “No thanks, Hon, I'm too busy.”

The real answer is in here, in the heart.  

A story.

Forty years ago I became a Unitarian Universalist (UU).  About 45 years ago, I became a backpacker.  Many of my initial outings were on the Appalachian Trail.  Although you could, and still can, walk the trail for free, I joined the Appalachian Trail Conference (ATC) to help support something I valued, the Trail.  At some point, I had the opportunity to purchase a lifetime membership for $200.  Although I knew I would be a lifetime member, I did not take the offer for two reasons.  First, I wanted to continually support the trail, and second, $200 wasn't in the budget of a second year teacher.
I believe it was good old Pennsylvania, middle class work ethic, practiced and taught by my parents and their parents before them, that was the reason behind my actions.  That ethic has been magnified by my becoming a UU and is now written in the mission statement of the UUFP. 
 
Fast forward to now.  I've probably paid in the vicinity of $2,000 dues to the ATC.  Some would say that I've wasted $1,800.  Some would say I've wasted $2,000.  I, however, feel that I've done my part, helped support that footpath, and I've helped to make it what it is today.

Now, a different type of path, not a footpath but a path through life . . . a way of living.  I harbor the same attitude toward this path as toward the Appalachian Trail.  I became a UU in 1979.  I signed the book in Wilmington, Delaware, and I have been an active UU ever since.  Michelle and I signed the book here in 1999.

Though we here at the UUFP are a very diverse group, at this moment, in this place, we share the same path through existence.  Not that we all came from the same place, not that we’ll necessarily continue from here as a unit, not that we share any dogma, but at this instant, our paths have come together . . . here.

So at this instant you can look back on the path you have taken, the route that brought you here.  And you can look forward.  Perhaps your future is becoming defined, and you can look around.

Some of those you see will use their time with this community as a stepping stone to their future.  Some will refresh here and continue their journey.  Some will stay for a while, and then move on.  Some will stay.
 
I feel this time, this place, this community is an important part of my journey in life.  I suggest, maybe it is for you too.  We have this opportunity because people, like Richard Hudgins, came together and shared a similar moment some years back.  They had the foresight to create the UUFP.  They formed a society strong enough to endure to this day.
 
I submit that we owe future UU's and society the same opportunity.  This is the challenge going forward.

In closing, let me share the benediction of the late Rev. Dr. Robert Doss, minister emeritus of the First Unitarian Church of Wilmington—words that I've heard many times, by the way, as they constitute #700 in our Singing the Living Tradition hymnal. 
​
“For all those who see God, may God go with you.  For all who embrace life, may life return your affection.  For all who seek a right path, may a way be found . . . and the courage to take it, step by step.”

The issue is racism.  Dr. Seuss expressed his racist views against Black, Japanese, Arab and African people in his depictions of characters.  Before starting his career as a children’s author, he had many hateful cartoons published in newspapers and magazines.  Once he started writing for children, his racist views continued in the lives of his drawings, often changing them slightly so that they were not as obvious.

For some of you, this may come as a shock.  How could the much beloved Dr. Seuss be a racist?

You may want to find a way to justify or defend his actions.  You may be feeling personal distress, loss, confusion, anger.  After all, you may have spent countless hours joyfully reading these stories to your kids.  You may have sewn red and white striped hats for them, made oobleck with them, welcomed Christmas with Fah Who Foraze, Dah Who Doraze.

If you have loved these stories as so many of us have, it may take some time to process this new information.

You may want to go back and read some of these stories with a new lens.  What about "The Sneetches" with stars upon thars?  Isn’t that a story about everyone being equal?  Or is it a story about erasing identity?

How about "Horton Hears a Who!"?  A person’s a person no matter how small?  Isn’t that promoting tolerance?  Or is it segregation, and the use of a savior swooping in to keep them from experiencing genocide?

Or "The Lorax" trying to save the earth?

And what about Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss) himself?  Wasn’t he just a product of his time?  Didn’t he change and evolve out of his racist past? 
And what about this solution; aren’t you just sweeping the issue under the rug by not reading these stories?  Couldn’t they be teachable moments?  Couldn’t they teach kids that there is good and bad in everyone?

I ended the children’s focus by asking, if you know that these stories are hurtful and harmful to many groups of people, and you also know that there are millions of other books out there that do not contain harmful images and words, why would you knowingly choose the books that hurt people?

I also talked to some parents afterwards because we have a choice.  I do think you can use these stories as teachable moments, to really help your kids understand what racism looks like, how subservience dehumanization, stereotyping, caricature, and exotification are used to oppress groups of people.  But I would caution you to wait until you know your child is old enough to understand these concepts and decide what you will do about the fact that they may be getting mixed messages.  At school their beloved teacher didn’t say anything about these stories hurting people; so, why are you being such a Grinch?

Here are some links to articles that can help you decide for yourself how and if you will continue to share the works of Dr. Seuss with your children.
   
​"Rethinking and Examining Dr. Seuss' Racism"  –Pragmatic Mom
​
​"The Cat is Out of the Bag: Orientalism, Anti-Blackness, and White Supremacy in Dr. Seuss's Children's Books" –the conscious kid
 
“Research on Diversity in Youth Literature” –St. Catherine University

“It’s time to talk about Dr. Seuss”  –Gabriel Smith

“Dr. Seuss’ racial history draws controversy”  –John Wilkins

Scott Kasmire who so deftly led us in last month’s exploration of the "Spirit of Life" - “Sing in My Heart” phrase, has agreed to do an encore performance.  He will facilitate the third workshop on March 20, 2019, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m., in the UUFP Sanctuary.  As part of our Beloved Community Wednesdays, a potluck supper begins at 6:30 p.m., followed by this workshop and other programs.  

All workshops are “stand alone” so we hope you will join us for one, several or for the remaining seven (of nine) sessions.

We warmly invite you to share this time with us to grow, connect, engage and to inspire one another. 

How has the fellowship helped me to grow in wonder?
 
Like many parents, I sought out a Unitarian Universalist (UU) fellowship when my kids became old enough for Sunday School.  I attended Lutheran Sunday school as a child, and while I am no longer Christian, I appreciated learning the messages of showing love and kindness in the world, as well as gaining some knowledge of Christianity and the bible.  The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Peninsula (UUFP) is a place where my children can grow in their religious knowledge and develop their own spiritual beliefs.  While I started attending church again for my children, I never realized the benefits I would gain from being a part of worship services.  I continue to grow in wonder here because of the sermons and workshops, often challenging me to think of my spirituality in new ways.  I love coming into the sanctuary a few minutes before services start and listen to the beautiful music.  Singing hymns together brings back fond memories of singing in church as a child.  Of course, now that I'm a UU, I have to scan the lyrics to see if I want to sing them or not!
 
How have I seen UUFP members connect in love?
 
From the moment my family and I first stepped into the fellowship, we felt the love of this congregation.  We just moved to Virginia and were still staying in a hotel getting settled.  Everyone was so welcoming and genuinely interested in getting to know us.  We soon found ourselves at potlucks, picnics, and even camping with the UUFP.  I feel like there is a truly authentic community here, with so many opportunities to reach out and connect with one another.  Soup Socials, potlucks, book club, yoga, game nights, women's drumming, and knitting are just some of the ways that allow a time for members to connect in love and get to know each other on a personal level. 
 
How have I been encouraged to engage in service, both within and beyond the fellowship?
 
As a busy parent, I appreciate that the fellowship offers both small and large roles to serve.  I may not have the time right now for larger roles, but it is true that many hands make light work.  I have found my time volunteering with the hospitality team to be an easy way to help Sunday services run smoothly.  Whether it's washing coffee mugs, taking attendance, ushering, or staying after service to vacuum, there are so many opportunities to help here in simple ways.  I believe that every person here has a talent to serve the UUFP.  I am also a member of the Planning Committee.  It's an exciting time in our fellowship as we grow and look for new ways to be a positive impact in our community.  
 
I have found ways to engage in service outside of the fellowship, as well.   I am an assistant girl scout troop leader, where I hope I can encourage girls to be good citizens and leaders.  They will be leading us sooner than we think!  Since settling in Virginia after moving around with the army,  I have participated in several political campaigns.  The Fifth UU principal, "The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large," has encouraged me to participate in "get out the vote" events and canvass for candidates whom I feel represent my UU values in the past several elections.  It's not easy for me to knock on doors and talk to people face to face.  I'm a classic introvert, but I feel it is essential to work toward a healthy democracy in our country.  The mission of the UUFP inspires me to step out of my comfort zone, and to do what I can  to make the world better. 
 
How does the UUFP inspire generosity in support of our own congregation, but also in advancement of our UU values in the world?
 
I have always appreciated how much the UUFP does in our own community.  Programs that have immediate impact, like feeding people at PORT and Good Fridays at St. Paul's, are an expression of our UU principal of the inherent worth and dignity of every person.  Our share the basket contributions to the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank, Living Interfaith Network (LINK), and the Virginia League of Planned Parenthood show we are committed to economic justice in our community.  Steve and I knew right away that the UUFP was the right community for us and our girls.  This fellowship belongs to all of us, and we thrive when each member brings their time, talents, and treasures to it.

The advent of computerized book printing has greatly changed the way publishers market new books, leaving much of book promotion up to the individual author.  The new Meet the Author (MTA) series is intended to help area authors to promote their work, while establishing a stronger presence for UUFP within the Hampton Roads community.

Following Brad's presentation, there will be a reception at which copies of his book will be available for purchase, the author will sign autographs, and complimentary wine will be served.

UUFP members are urged to support this launch of Brad's book, as well as the MTA program, by planning to attend, and possibly bring a non-member friend.  We hope to make this a classy kick-off for both Brad's book and the series.