Hello friends,
This month I begin my term as your UUCP board president, and it’s an honor to serve a congregation of such excellent and admirable UUs. I will do my best this year to continue the momentum of outgoing president Scott Satterwhite and the previous board. I’m very excited about the projects and progress we have in mind for the coming year.
One initiative, the fruits of which I hope you will see soon, is an upgrade to our audio-video equipment. Many guests and new members have told us that they watched our YouTube videos before they attended in person, to get a sense of what we’re about. These videos take a lot of behind-the- scenes work to put together — thank you, videographers Ed and Laura and editor Erin! — and the audio quality has been limited by proximity to the podcasting microphone at the lectern. The new setup will allow the soundbooth technician to edit and stream service videos as they happen, using audio from every available microphone. This upgrade is possible thanks to a generous bequest from the late Rob Pallme.
I’m grateful for all the people who make our church function week after week. We have amazing volunteer teams that plan our Sunday services, keep our building beautiful and secure, and connect us through fun, fellowship, and social justice projects. Mike Kilmer has raised the musical bar for our weekly services through their flexible accompaniment and original songwriting skills. And Honor Bell has brought their professionalism and tremendous empathy to the dual roles of office administrator and CRE (children’s religious education) coordinator.
Speaking of CRE, it’s been wonderful to see so many children and teens attend church in the past year — and to welcome baby Vincent into the UUCP family. Honor and Bradley recently attended a training in New Orleans for the OWL (Our Whole Lives) sexuality curriculum. They hope to meet with parents and families to discuss incorporating this in an age-appropriate manner for the benefit of our young people.
Even as the world can sometimes seem bleak, the future of UUCP is bright. Our lay-led services are thought- provoking and represent an impressive diversity of perspectives. We continue to see new faces on Sunday morning, and we will keep adding ways to socialize with each other the rest of the week.
Since the memorial service for our dearly departed member Charlotte Crane, I’ve found myself thinking a lot of her poem, “A Postscript.” While the poem is about death, it’s also about life. It’s a wonderful encapsulation of the beautiful humanist spirit I associate with Unitarian Universalism. I hope she won’t mind my sharing it here:
Growing old is like a postscript,
Saying “Amen” to a life well lived.
No more dreams,
No more wars,
Only what is.
There was always blood,
Always an ending.
Be kind now.
Be willing.
Hear the bird sing,
the dog bark.
Let the tiger roar
and the infant laugh.
Be content.
Write your story.
Close the book.
Love more than before.
Leave a memory for your grandchild,
and a legacy for the earth.
Peace will come,
Later or sooner.