Rev. Michelle Scott-Huffman Rev. Scott Taylor offers us this attempt to differentiate history from heritage. “Protect what we put into place!”Heritage urges, “Know the plotline of which you are a part.”History is what happened;Heritage is a story still unfolding.History tends to trap us in tales about what they did;Heritage inevitably gets us talking about what … Continue reading A Hopeful Heritage – Striking a Balance Between Preservation and Adaptation

By Rev. Michelle Scott-Huffman Hear these words from Rev. Scott Tayler: We gather as a house of stories,as a shelter shot through with memories that speak,that long for us to listen,without which we easily lose our way.As we learn of those who have gone before, the way in front of us becomes more clear.As we … Continue reading Freedom, Reason, Hope, and Courage: A Sampling of UU Heritage

Message by Rev. Michelle Scott-Huffman Moment of Perspective – Thich Nat Hanh: The Magic Seeds of Our Minds – Rev. Michelle Scott-Huffman Hear these words from Rev. Karen Johnston: As we gather this morning,let us be a people of not-forgetting.Let us practiceholding collective memories that might otherwise slip into that enormous void that sucks at … Continue reading The Fruit of Trees We Didn’t Plant

Message by AJ Fox and Tom McFarland This message was structured around the music used in the service, so the videos will be posted in the order they appeared in the service, followed by the closing words. Indigenous People’s Day and Cultural Appropriation in Music – Part 1 Ancient MotherCongregational HymnTraditional Navajo PrayerWords and Music: … Continue reading Indigenous People’s Day and Cultural Appropriation in Music

Message by Rev. Kaaren Anderson, read by Jessica Wirges Moment of Perspective – The Mushroom and the Oak Sapling – Emily McKinney and Tom McFarland This morning’s opening words are Invoking the Past, Present, and Future, by Katie Romano Griffin. Come, let us enter this space of hope and community.Come, let us enter this space … Continue reading My Humanist Monster: On a Heritage of Mixed Blessings

Message by Rev. Michelle Scott-Huffman Moment of Perspective – A Story About Welcome – AJ Fox This morning’s opening words were written by Monica Jacobson-Tennessen. Welcome! What you bring—who you are—enriches us all.We say “Welcome” to your joy, your hope, your pride.We say “Welcome” to your grief, your fear, your anger.And the parts of you … Continue reading Welcomed by Design

Ekklesia Students As we explore the Gifts of Welcome together, some of us may need a gentle reminder to welcome ourselves. Hear these words from poet Derek Walcott, West Indian poet and dramatist who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1992. Love After Love by Derek Walcott The time will comewhen, with elationyou will … Continue reading The House that Equity, Inclusion, and Access Built

Message by Rev. Michelle Scott-Huffman The opening words are Bring Your Broken Hallelujah Here by Rev. Theresa I. Soto Bring your broken hallelujah here.Bring the large one that is beyond repair.Bring the small one that’s too soft to share.Bring your broken Hallelujah here.I know that peopleHave told you that before you can giveYou have to … Continue reading Welcome: An Exercise in Being, Belonging, and Becoming

Message by David “Katya” Ketchum

By Rev. Phil Lund The opening words are “Come, Come,” adapted from Rumi by Unitarian Universalist minister Rev. Leslie Takahashi. Come, come, whoever you areCome with your hurts, your imperfections, your places that feel raw and exposed.Come, come, whoever you areCome with your strengths that the world shudders to holdCome with your wild imaginings of … Continue reading Whoever You Are, We Welcome You