I’m Kim Collins, religious exploration coordinator here at UUCA. You’re going to hear a lot about Family Ministry from me this year. So, what does that mean? What kind of family am I talking about? I’m talking about all families. We are all part of a family. Some of us hold tight to our families of origin, others feel love and comfort with their chosen families. Families need not have children in them. Pets definitely also count as family as my pups will attest. I’m not just talking to those of you with children at home, this is for all of us. Every member of this congregation is part of our family.
One of the most important lessons that we have learned during this time is that we need community. The good news is that we have this community that we’ve all been cultivating for years. I think that our community can be stronger than ever. What would it look like if we were all taking care of each other? Would we be able to help each other before the challenges in our lives became emergencies? Our UU faith is not just something that we do on Sunday mornings, it’s how we are in the world. It’s how we are with each other and it’s reflected in our Mission and our covenant to each other.
I want to remind you that UU’s can’t just believe whatever we want. While we all have our own personal relationship with spirituality, we do all share the same values as outlined in our principles. Those shared values are what make us a community and our covenant is what binds us together as a family. Things will never look the same as they did pre pandemic, but I think they can be better. I think we can do better. Our UU identity is a gift we give to the world. Let’s work together to nurture future and current generations of UU’s. Let’s find the joy in taking care of each other.