Does that phrase sound a little familiar? Maybe some of you, or some of your children, played that game or watched the TV show back in the early 90s; it is also a phrase one of my girlfriends uses with me when she’s not sure of my (very diminished over the last few years) travel schedule. I tell people my community is the world and therefore I serve wherever I am needed. I thought before we move into the summertime I should update y’all with some of the comings and goings of your UUCP Community Minister and invite you into what is to come!
In January I was blessed to be invited back over to lay-led Bay County (Panama City) to give the Martin Luther King Jr. Day sermon. I was very excited about this as I planned to marry MLK Jr.’s voice of inclusion to the Final Frontier of the original Star Trek and tell the tale of how a chance meeting changed Star Trek, Nichelle Nichols and Gene Rodenberry’s trajectory forever. It was a great service. As I left from their small, beautiful house, now converted into their congregation’s home, we noted that so much of the area was still nowhere close to recovering from Hurricane Michael. We promised to try to get our congregations to partner together more often, as they had recently by serving meals to the homeless.
In February I was invited to lead the Sunday service of the lay-led congregation known as Heartland UU in Zionsville, IN. This is the home congregation of my niece, Christina, and though I have accompanied her there several times this was my first time in their pulpit. It was also the first time a few of my family members were able to come to one of my services, making it even more special! That morning we talked about intersectionalities, how we run into too many roles demanding too much of our time and attention and how we might put some of those down to have better family and spiritual lives, changing our society in the process.
Many of you know Chad and I visit Costa Rica a couple of times a year when my health allows. We go to the southern Caribbean coast; it’s a real melting pot, away from all the tourists but in a very poor area that still has a large indigenous population known as the BriBri. I have made friends with the couple who have run the local soup kitchen (for 16 years!) as well as providing school uniforms, backpacks, supplies and even tuition when available. Nancy and Barry are from the group Science of Mind https://scienceofmind.com/10-core-concepts/ https://www.csl.org/en/ that has principles that align very closely with Unitarian Universalism. They have put their heart and soul into this work and I have vowed to assist them in their mission of helping these lovely people and their children as part of my ministry to the world. I will be collecting donations and supplies throughout the year at different locations and events around the area. I hope that UUCP and the caring people that call it home might wish to be a part of it at some time as well, but that is a discussion for another time! Pura Vida!
And the final thing I wish to share with y’all is that I will be leading a two-and-a-half day workshop at UUWomenspirit at The Mountain next month! I ask for prayers and good vibes for my health to hold out and for those Women who are taking my class to really get what they need out of it. If any of you ladies have never been, now is the time to come! Several of our members go once or twice a year (it’s held in the late spring and again in mid-October) so car-pooling is usually available and there is usually a wonderful workshop being led by one of our talented UUCP members!
So, ‘where in the world is Rev. Maggie?’ Usually at home nursing some form of medical issue, but I have been blessed to have enough strength to take my message of Unitarian Universalism being a place where you can belong no matter how broken or whole you are, no matter your color or gender, no matter your physical abilities or age, no matter where in the world you live – you are loved…and that it’s a great day to be a Unitarian Universalist from Pensacola!
Brightest Blessings,
Rev. Maggie