The Glowing Coal

The General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association is a meeting of representatives from congregations all over the world. We meet, network, learn, and do the “business of the association.” Imagine a congregational meeting with 4,000 participants! Returning from General Assembly this year, I felt both energized and peaceful, because, for me at least, what emerged out of the week in Salt Lake City was a clear articulation of the glowing coal at the center of our movement.

It started with the Berry Street Lecture, delivered by the Rev. Dr. Paul Rasor and the response to Dr. Rasor’s lecture given by the Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt. The topic was diversity, and the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of the “Journey Toward Wholeness” program, begun in 1992 as a way to provide resources for congregations to become more racially diverse. We may have an opportunity to have more in depth discussions about these two addresses, possibly in cooperation with our UU neighbors on Bainbridge Island and in Port Townsend. However, the central message I took away was
this:

Our nation is becoming more diverse. Our congregations are not. The longing for racial and cultural diversity, however, still persists. To be effective, Rasor believes our actions need to come not out of political correctness or a desire to see a few more colorful faces in our congregations, but out of recognition of that longing, and a theological center that calls us to love all people.The second piece was the successful candidacy of my colleague and friend, the Rev. Peter Morales, the new president of our Association. Peter’s campaign website is www.petermoralesforuuapresident.org. He talked a great deal about two moral imperatives. The first is to transform our religious culture so that it is both more welcoming to newcomers and more relevant to the lives of existing members. The second is to heed the “call that leads us to work together to make a better world...the same call heard by Servetus, Ballou, Channing, Parker and Susan B. Anthony—a call to “leave behind what is outmoded and to let compassion guide us as we shape a future together.” I heard in his words at general assembly a clear articulation of what we are called to do together, of the way radical inclusion leads to the building of beloved community within our congregations, and around the world. Peter’s prophetic vision clearly resonated with the delegates present at the assembly.

Last but certainly not least, there is the new advocacy campaign being launched by the UUA, called Standing on the Side of Love. The campaign empowers individuals and communities to stand up to oppression, discrimination, and violence, and to stand up for marriage equality, immigrant rights, economic justice, and more. I am already thinking about how we might stand on the side of love here in Kitsap County, and who we might partner with to do it.

All of these taken together, and enriched by excellent worship services and workshops (many of which are available online), led me to a deep understanding that the 'glowing coal' at our center is a fierce, radically inclusive love.

Ware Lecturer, Dr. Melissa Harris-Lacewell, in an address called “Faith and Reason”  put it this way: We have come here together to make the most ridiculous, unlikely, and powerful faith claim of all: that we can join together to make a world that recognizes the inherent worth and dignity of each person, and that we can make that world using the power of love.

Each of us is called by this faith to love ourselves, one another, and the world. We may respond to that call in unique and individual ways, but at the root of it all is love. Unitarian Universalists across the country and around the world, in partnership with all others who work for peace, compassion, and justice for love’s sake, are committed to the work of healing this world one choice, one person, one word, one step at a time.

Blessings,

Liz