Snowy morning
Woke up to a beautiful snowy morning in Maryland while parked at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick. As I walked around the campus I couldn’t help but feel the spirits around me–children playing on the slide, couples sitting on the benches, and faeries enjoying the labyrinth. It was spring on the calendar and spring in my mind, bringing me warm, fuzzy feelings as though I were truly not alone.
Maryland museums in photos
Maryland has been a blur of museums and battlefields so I thought I’d post a photo gallery here from some of the locations. We also got to spend a few nights in the campground at Joint Base Andrews (Andrews Air Force Base), home to Air Force One.
If you click on the individual pictures you can see the captions. You can also view any of the galleries on my blog as a slide-show.
Photos taken at the following locations:
Monocacy National Battlefield, Frederick, Maryland
National Electronics Museum, Linthicum, Maryland
National Wildlife Visitor Center, Laurel, Maryland
Patuxent Research Refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Laurel, Maryland
The District
Driving into Washington, D.C., is a daunting task at best, but when one is on a schedule it’s even more so for those not accustomed to the city. Luckily for us last Sunday, providence was on our side as we drove up to the historical All Souls Church, Unitarian, and easily slid into on-street parking directly across from the church’s side entrance–easily arriving on time and on point to our latest location.
Settled in the pews of the sanctuary, we all rose as the choir and Senior Minister, Rev. Dr. Robert M. Hardies, entered the current sanctuary with song–a sanctuary built in 1924, and the third location for this congregation founded over 190 years ago on November 11, 1821.
With an amazing history, and one that is dotted with famous patriots like President William Howard Taft, and founding members President (then Secretary of State) John Quincy Adams, and Vice President (then Secretary of War) John C. Calhoun, the three locations of All Souls Unitarian have been used for a multitude of community and social progress events from serving as a Civil War hospital, to the current Green Souls, and as part of the Washington Interfaith Network.
On this Sunday, Rev. Hardies’ sermon focused on resilience itself and our personal ability to find faith in those things that we may draw on in times of need. It is the act of finding beauty, beauty as the Reverend would jokingly describe for himself as “shiny objects,” but more seriously in what brought him to our faith, the ability of UU’ism in finding “human beauty at [the] intersection of our vulnerability and our strength.” A compassionate humanism and a faith that leads us to be able to continue to grow and exist, even after death and pain have altered our lives’ paths and thrown us into the turmoil of the unknown and self-dependence. It is the ability to draw on the flame within ourselves that keeps us moving forward, progressing and helping those in our community to also find and walk this path of resilience and beauty.
For more information on attending All Souls, visit: http://all-souls.org/
All Souls Archives and History: http://all-souls.org/archives
To learn more about the Washington Interfaith Network’s (WIN): http://www.windc-iaf.org/
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The Old Dominion State
Our second Sunday found us in the middle of America’s Historical Triangle and the birthplace of American Democracy, amongst Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown, Virginia. Deeply rooted in charm and nature, we spent our weekend at the home of the Williamsburg Unitarian Universalists.
Arriving on Saturday, we stumbled into a spring work day at the church. With our parking lot electrical outlet blocked by winter overgrowth, Austin took a lesson and a hand at the pruning shears, helping a church member to cut our way through the briars to the pole and thus securing our comfort for the stay.
Although I would have loved to meet the sitting minister, Rev. Jennifer Ryu, she was off sharing with another congregation while the Williamsburg UU hosted its own guest minister, the Rev. Barbara Gadon, a far distance from her home congregation at the First Unitarian Church of Chicago.
John 5:8 “Jesus said unto him, Rise, take up your bed, and walk.”
With this simple and short passage, Rev. Gadon spoke of how, when in need, it is then that we search out and find the church, find God, and find the community that we need in order to lift ourselves up and become healed of our ailments. In the passage above, the man lay waiting by the water for many years, waiting for it to be “troubled,” yet he never rose to its edge, always fearing that he would not be the first to reach the water and therefore would never be healed. But Jesus told the man to “rise,” to take that step beyond his doubts and do what was necessary to be healed. With this simple direction, the man found his strength and did what he felt had been previously impossible to him.
Rev. Gadon shared this message with the introduction that by coming together, as a community, with each of us individually seeking what cannot be accomplished by one, we are aiding in our own personal healing and in the healing others within our group–and within society as we reach out to aid and support the struggles of others.
Stressing “Coming together and finding joy,” Rev. Gadon talked about how groups in society use this practice to bring about healing, such as with meetings by Alcoholics Anonymous where members meet, share, and find social cure through joint endeavor. A joy also found in those that are born again, using the event as a personal step to finding their own personal journey to both physical and spiritual healing within.
To learn more about the Williamsburg Unitarian Universalists: www.wuu.org, WUU is a Welcoming Congregation with active outreach programs within the community
For information on Alcoholics Anonymous: www.aa.org
Jamestown Settlement in photos
Monday we visited the Colonial National Historic Park, Jamestown, Virginia. The site is home to the first permanent English settlement in North America and was established on May 13, 1607.
To visit this National Park: http://www.nps.gov/jame/index.htm
The Tar Heel State
On planning our visit to North Carolina, I chose a community early in its roots yet bursting at the seams of the small meeting house it occupies. What I found was the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fayetteville, eager to grow and ripe with enthusiasm.
A lay led church, this week’s message was presented by UUC Fayetteville member COL (Ret.) Harvest A. Floyd, U.S. Amy, speaking on his personal “Free and Responsible Search for Truth and Meaning.” Within his talk, COL Floyd used a Power Point presentation to trace his logical and well researched history through the advent of “God” (by all names), from Abraham to the First Council of Nicaea and beyond.
In his search, it was ultimately The Jefferson Bible that led COL Floyd to UU’ism. Written by a fellow Unitarian, Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), the Bible is a counting of the life and morals of Jesus of Nazareth, extracted textually from the Gospels, and void of the additions made by the physical writers of the books of the New Testament.
COL Floyd found, through this search, a strength in morals and in the tests of reason, justice, and compassion with, at the forefront, his own understanding of who Jesus Christ was as man and prophet, and Floyd’s view of God (to all) as one Creator and one in being. With this, he chose the poetry of Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi (1207-1273) to illustrate:
“All religions, all this singing, one song. The differences are just illusion and vanity. The sun’s light looks a little different on this wall than it does on that wall, and a lot different on this other one, but it’s still one light.”
Of course, as Unitarian Universalists, it is this ongoing, lifelong personal search that grows and revives our beliefs as individuals in unison with one another. With this freedom, and the knowledge of those around us, we are able to find truth and compassion within ourselves and our world.
For information on attending the UUCF, visit: http://uucfay.org/home.html
The Palmetto State
On a cold and wet weekend, Austin and I settled in to a warm community spot with the Greenville Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, South Carolina. A church that is expanding in humankind and spirit alike, it is on the verge of a new building addition that will truly give its façade a welcoming face of UU’ism.
In the midst of its annual pledge drive and whilst also working on (might I say very successfully into) its new building fund, this Sunday service by the Rev. Pat Jobe examined “The Power of Shame.” Beginning with a video by Brené Brown and her focus on psychoeducational teaching surrounding shame, a clarification was stated on the difference between shame and guilt. Shame being one’s created thinking that “I am bad” as a person, and guilt being a feeling of, “I did something bad,” as a result of something actually accomplished. What we realize here is that shame is a form of self loathing, while guilt is actually healthy in that it is the little voice in our head telling us that we have committed a wrong.
The format of the sermon, unique for today’s talk, was representative of a radio talk show with Rev. Jobe and Ed Proulx in a back-and-forth conversation about their own thoughts and experiences with shame and guilt. In the conversation, Rev. Jobe was quite frank while admitting his “vulnerability” to the congregation and saying that he “still has secrets that [he] will take to [his] grave.” What would seem a difficult admittance among his own parishioners, he delivered it comfortably to those whom have accepted him as their minister–of course with the understanding that as humans we all have this truth within us. And although our individual reasons might vary from simple mistakes to those rattling the rafters, they are our own to sequester to the past where they belong.
Rev. Jobe spoke of learning a fitting metaphor for letting go of our shame. I share it here with you: Imagine a ball in front of you just hanging there in space and within arms’ reach. The ball represents the shame that you cannot let go of. Now, reach out and grab that ball. Hold it for a moment, considering its make-up. Let go as the ball remains suspended. Now, this second time. reach out but do not grab the ball. Let it go. Let it leave your space forever. In this simple exercise you let go!
If you live in the Greenville area and would like to attend, visit: http://greenvilleuu.com/pages/
To learn about the teachings of Brené Brown, Ph.D., LMSW: http://www.brenebrown.com/welcome
For information on the Montessori based preschool at GUUF, UU World of Children, visit: http://greenvilleuu.com/pages/uuwoc.htm
UUC Sarasota in photos
I loved the structures and gardens so much I couldn’t help myself–nearly 100 pictures! Possibly my withdrawals from what looked and felt like spring?
Here’s a quick sampling …
The Sunshine State
Amongst the idyllic beauty of Sarasota’s foliage lined streets is the beautifully manicured gardens and sanctuary of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota, Florida. With our motorhome settled in under a magnificent tree, Austin and I enjoyed a peaceful and gratifying weekend on the grounds.
The UUC of Sarasota has the largest membership in Florida and on this Sunday the sanctuary was literally standing room only for the 11:00 service. New to the church in 2012, the Rev. Roger Fritts is a charismatic speaker that draws one in comfortably to the warm atmosphere of the community. Speaking on Buddhism, as a part of an ongoing World Religions series, Rev. Fritts blended meditative readings, music, and the roots of the religion with a playful touch of humor. A popular belief system among Unitarians, he went on to explain the Buddhist belief that as we do not have souls, our rebirths are resultant from the “inexhaustible force of karma” that keeps us tied to the confines of physical being. Also similar to the UU chalice symbol as a focus within our sanctuaries is the Buddhist centering on the light or lamp within ourselves.
When visiting UUCS, one must take the time to tour the campus which easily fills an hour when taken in fully. The sanctuary, designed by architect Tollyn Twitchell, brings warmth into the space using a cypress beamed ceiling over glass and Ocala stone walls, and topped at the ends with stained glass windows by artist Syd Solomon. Opposite the sanctuary, and on the other side of the courtyard, is the office building which also holds a meeting space and art gallery in the Lexow Wing courtesy of the UUCS Arts Council. But not to be outdone is the magnificent Memorial Garden on the west side of the sanctuary, a sacred space tended to in memory of those lost to the community. Even in winter, the garden is full of colorful and fragrant blooms in tribute to the many gifts the earth provides.
For more information on attending the UUC of Sarasota: http://www.uusarasota.com/
To learn about Buddhism in Sarasota, visit: http://www.meditationinsarasota.org/
UUSC Art Gallery with hours for viewing: http://www.uusarasota.com/our-church/art-gallery.php
Architecture and photos of the inner sanctuary: http://www.uusarasota.com/our-church/architecture.php
The Peach State
Standing on the Side of Love, Peter Mayer in concert, and the National Preach-In on Global Warming had the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Gwinnett in Lawrenceville, Georgia, and its minister Rev. Jan Taddeo, in a whirl this past Sunday. Not to be weighed down by a busy schedule, the community affirmed Love with grace, enjoyed Peter Mayer with the strength of UU spirit, and was moved by Rev. Taddeo’s emotional plea for our Earth.
Standing on the Side of Love is “an interfaith public advocacy campaign that seeks to harness love’s power to stop oppression. It is sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Association and all are welcome to join” in this fight for social justice. And join it has, as with many other congregations in the United States, the UUCG has joined in the “30 Days of Love” movement which ends its annual drive this Sunday, February 17th, 2013.
Rev. Taddeo focused her moving talk, “Living the Beauty Way,” around the need for Unitarians to focus their lives lessening our footprint on the earth, and in taking steps such as lowering the use of its resources by simple means like recycling and driving electric vehicles. Of course, her concern was far deeper, bringing her emotions within reach as she discussed a documentary, “The Hungry Tide,” about a tropical island that is slowly disappearing due to Global Warming and in the process taking the home of its residents and the land from our earth. Joining Rev. Taddeo, the congregation signed postcards to be mailed to the White House requesting that President Obama and the United States exert itself as the international leader in the war against Global Warming and in the support of peoples displaced by its destruction.
Lifting the spirits of everyone was the addition of one of our own, Unitarian folk singer Peter Mayer, to the weekly service. Mayer sang three of his songs including “Blue Boat Home” and “Church of the Earth,” following the day’s theme on the wonders of our earth. A bonus for me was meeting Mayer and sharing our pilgrimage with him, and then enjoying one of the CDs he gave me, “Heaven Below,” as we drove east through the Georgia rain.
Unique to the service was the format of the day’s events, a once monthly practice. After attending the regular service, we then got our drinks and snacks and formed circles of six people where we joined in listening groups focused on the monthly theme “Evil.” On the surface a strange topic, but we took turns discussing evil and how it has affected our lives. It proved to be a moving and bonding exercise for all in our circle. And while the adults were focused in our groups, Austin was with the middle-school kids discussing topics related to the congregation’s quest for becoming a Welcoming Congregation.
For information on attending the UUC of Gwinnett: www.uucg.org
Standing on the Side of Love: www.standingonthesideoflove.org
Interfaith Power & Light, A Religious Response to Global Warming: www.interfaithpowerandlight.org
Video trailer for “The Hungry Tide” documentary about the nation of Kiribati: http://www.imdb.com/video/withoutabox/vi727292953?ref_=tt_pv_vi_1
To see Peter Mayer’s concert schedule or purchase CDs, visit: http://www.petermayer.net/news/
For information on the UUA and Welcoming Congregations, click on the chalice to the right or go to: www.uua.org
traveling tUUsome 