Trust is core to social capital, the foundation of cooperation, networks, norms, and belonging.  Social capital anchors relationships and helps communities function by fostering a sense of shared purpose, mutual support, and accountability.  There is trust within groups, trust between groups, and trust in institutions and leaders.  Trust is the glue that holds it all … Continue reading Communities of Trust

Michael will offer a look at the culture and institutions of the United States from the perspective of a foreigner impressed by the diversity, inclusion, and pro-active wrestling with tough and ambitious questions of social justice.  

The number of visitors has soared.  Our “Exploring Membership Group” is larger than ever.  There is a longing for belonging, a desire for connection, an expectation of inclusion and sanctuary.  How do we make these aspirations real?  How do we move to making all of us feel at home, feel seen, feel that “sisi ni … Continue reading Can We Connect?

For 198 years, our congregation has evolved and morphed into the community we are today.  What are (some of) the stories that have brought us together, held us together, and will likely bind us together in the years to come?  And how are they related to the stories that bind us together as a larger … Continue reading Stories that Bind Us Together

The narratives we adopt to make sense of life’s vagaries and whims frame how we see ourselves and the world.  Whoever creates the narrative has tremendous influence on how we feel and what seems possible – at the personal level and for groups and peoples.  Claiming the power to tell our own stories can transform … Continue reading Owning and Shaping Your Story

“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten” (G.K. Chesterton).  We dive into our January theme of “story” by listening to tales of adventure and anguish, vulnerability and virtue, joy, jeopardy, longing, and love as expressed by the bards … Continue reading Ballads, Fables and Myths

As Unitarian Universalists we readily proclaim our commitment to valuing diversity, to accepting people with varied beliefs and backgrounds.  We see ourselves as welcoming people from a broad range of life experiences and as affirming diverse expressions of lifestyles.  Yet many of us struggle right now to be present to difference, to respect difference, and … Continue reading Being Present to Difference

Rabbi Sharon Brous, in her book “The Amen Effect,” makes the simple yet compelling case for our need to “show up for the celebration, and to show up for the funeral.  And to err on the side of presence.”  Grieving alone is no better than celebrating alone.  There is power and necessity in showing up … Continue reading Showing Up

Sometimes the scope of repair needed to mend what is broken feels overwhelming and out of reach.  Sometimes repair may need to focus on small steps, on finding the bandaid that allows us to keep functioning – despite the wound, despite the uncertainty about what healing might be possible – as a person, as a … Continue reading Finding Bandaids