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Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Sunnyvale, California
Comments, Essays, and Sermons (Collection 2) |
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2007-10 Minister’s Musings
by the Rev. Vicky Combs
UUFS Interim Minister
At our worship on 9/16 Janus, the Roman God of beginnings and the guardian of the portals of time, asked those assembled (via yours truly), “Why are you here? What did you come seeking?” Janus invited people to look into the faces of those around them and ask themselves if they were here for the friendship. Did they see the faces of those with whom they had shared life’s joys and sorrows? Those they could count on to hold them when they wept and laugh with them when they rejoiced? Perhaps, Janus wondered, if they were there in order to serve a grand vision, to feel a part of something greater than themselves. “Or do you come,” he asked, “so that your children can be raised in an atmosphere of tolerance as they learn about their world and conduct their own search for meaning?” It occurs to me that there are many worthy and valuable ways to spend one’s time on Sunday mornings and the fact that many of you choose to come to the UUFS worship services and participate in its many other activities is of no small significance. As you progress through this sacred transition time between settled ministers and as you seek to re-imagine who you are as a spiritual community, how you answer Janus’s questions will be an important guide.
The question can be paraphrased this way:
“What feeds your soul? And to what extent do you find that at UUFS? ” Perhaps you attend the Thursday morning meditation group or the men’s group. Perhaps you nurture your soul with the intimate sharing that happens in the Covenant Groups. Or maybe you feed your soul precisely by feeding others, either literally by taking unused fruit from your trees to Cupertino or Sunnyvale Community Services, or figuratively by lobbying for health care reform, protesting the Iraq war, or the myriad ways UUFS’s Social Concerns committee offers. Maybe you’re a regular attendee at the Family Friendly dinners at Fresh Choice.
Or perhaps the problem is, you haven’t yet found what you need at UUFS . Were you one of those who fed your soul by sharing in the ministry of music and once the choir folded found you had no outlet? Or have you found yourself lately overwhelmed with caring for small children or aging parents or coping with illness and now can’t get to church events? This time in the interim between settled ministers offers a congregation the opportunity to ask itself if its programs and ministry meet the needs of its members. As some wise sage once quipped, “People don’t come to church to serve on committees.” You come for something else and discerning that something is in part what this transition time is all about. Not to do so is a recipe for burnout or withdrawing altogether, especially for those of you who do serve on the committees and give so very much of yourselves to UUFS.
So, Janus asks again, what feeds your soul? Do you have ideas for programming at UUFS? Evening yoga? A women’s spirituality group? Parents’ Night Out? Ongoing classes on holistic health or sustainable living? Or maybe you need those purely social outings like our upcoming Beasts on the Beach, when we take our pooches to the ocean for a little run in the surf. Whatever it is that you envision for the future of UUFS, share your ideas with your Board champions for adult programming, Janna Mitchell and Karen Hopkins. They’re waiting to hear from you. Blessings, Vicky
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Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Sunnyvale, California
Comments, Essays, and Sermons (Collection 2) |
Back to index |
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