Beloved Community: It Includes Us ALL
Ponderings of the Spiritual Life Director
In a recent conversation I had with Connie Goodbread, one of the Co-Leads of our UUA Southern Region Congregational Life staff team, she reminded me that “we are in covenant with our children, too”. Yes, indeed! We are a community, a village, and it includes all of us.
When I transitioned from your Director of Religious Exploration to your Spiritual Life Director, I had no intentions of leaving the children behind. They are not a separate part of the church or “someone else’s problem” now. They are an integral part of the church. They are still included in the church’s ministry, in my ministry, and so are the people that care for and teach them. Everyone needs to be spiritually fed, and we can do that together.
The children are our future. I know you’ve heard that hundreds of times, but I’m asking you to go deeper with it, and take responsibility for it, so that we can take those steps towards the reality of the Beloved Community.
I spent years going to trainings in which I repeatedly heard complaints from UUs about youth leaving the church and not returning. Statistics back this up. And so there’s been much research and exploration of this problem. Why do our children grow up and leave the church? Mainly, it’s a lack of connection- to the minister, to the adults, to their own spiritual selves.
So, at the beginning of a worship service, when I state that “worship is meant to nourish ALL souls and it offers itself up to be loved by everyone”, I’m making a promise to every one of you, no matter how old or how young, that I have made a place for you in our worship service so that you can connect with me, each other, and your own spiritual selves.
Worship is not merely a place to receive information. It is a place to grow our spirits, our hearts, and our minds. It is a place to come together to honor that which is worthy- that is the actual meaning of the word. And I don’t know what is more worthy than love- of community, of each other, of our children, of our world and the universe that created it. All of it.
That being said, yes- I want you to love worship, too. And so if you are someone who has difficulty enjoying worship because you hear the sound of growth coming from the back corner, please read this article (and read it even if you don’t- it’s good stuff!):
And then come talk to me. We can create new solutions. Jenni and I are not stuck in the way things are and we realize that we are “experi-learning”. We promise to listen. We also promise that we will be moving forwards and not backwards.
I offer you quotes by some wise folks to help you further down the path of love, acceptance, patience, openness, compassion, and Beloved Community:
“A person’s a person, no matter how small.” — Dr. Seuss