Hello Justice Makers!

What an amazing year we have experienced. So much good work has been done in the Newport community, statewide, and in the larger world.  Channing is in the heart of the action when it comes to creating a world with more peace, health, and equality.  Letter writing, rallying and testifying at the State House, supporting green living and fair trade: all the courageous acts by Channing’s adults are seen by our congregation’s children and youth! They watch us live out our principles and following up on what is taught in our Religious Education classes. 

RE ministry with our children is also justice work.  The Giving Tree, Our Whole Lives classes, Faith in Action Sundays, Crop Walk, Food Pantry collection, and other initiatives, embody the strong connection between the Social Action, Green Congregation, Interweave, and Religious Education programs. It also just the beginning of what we can do to guide our young people toward a hopeful vision of their world and give them tools to be the change they want to see.

Rev. Jennifer Hamlin-Navias writes, "If we are to be a force of justice in this world, we must be actively creating a lived vision of justice.  We must be actively creating a community that nurtures the soul of all adults and children.  We are teaching our children and learning with our children, that there is a way to be in this world that is different from the mainstream. We are teaching our children that we can stand on the side of love.  We are teaching them that when we love we create opportunity for justice to happen.  We are teaching them that there is a different way to be in this world and they are taking that with them to the playground, the cafeteria, on the bus, ...standing up to the microagressions that grind down the soul."

I invite you to combine your passion for justice with RE ministry.  You can bring your gifts to RE through teaching in a class, working on an event, or being part of the visioning for RE next year.

Next fall, we offer two curricula for junior high youth that I think would connect with your justice centered sensibilities, “Heeding the Call” and “Our Whole Lives.” Heeding the Call needs a team of leaders to bring justice work alive for our youth. You can read about the curriculum on the Junior Youth page here.  Our Whole Lives is a comprehensive human sexuality program providing accurate, developmentally appropriate information to help youth make values based decisions about their relationships based on self worth, responsibility, sexual health, justice and inclusivity. The class already has fantastic leaders, but could use one or two people as support next year connecting with Youth Pride RI, Planned Parenthood, and other resources. here are also congregational events to support or create, like a Hunger Banquet, Standing on the Side of Love Month, or the youth group’s Sleep-Out for the Homeless.

Please check out and sign up for the volunteer opportunities that will connect your skills and passion with a new generation of change makers!

Thank you!
Halcyon

This week, I attended the North Atlantic chapter of LREDA (the Liberal Religious Educators Association) retreat. We learned together, conversed on hot topics and of course joined in worship. I always learn so much at these gatherings, but the chance to attend worship- to attend to my own spiritual needs is very welcome.
This year, we enjoyed two music rich offerings of worship whose themes meshed beautifully.

Wednesday evening, the theme of Roots and Wings made me think about how our faith roots us to reality and connection with others in an increasingly virtual world. How we are sometimes in free fall and need to remember the wings of our faith to guide us when we are doing something new.

Thursday morning, Robin Barraza expanded on her timely and popular blog post, musing on how Unitarian Universalism is poised for great relevance in this time of change in American religion.

So many of us are unable to describe what Unitarian Universalism is - even if we have attended RE classes and services for years. We are so concerned with casting a wide net, of not alienating anyone, that we lose sight of what binds us together. Barraza challenges us to find our common theology, the beliefs which unite us.

What is the central message we want for our children, youth, and adults at Channing? It is a discussion worth having, and one to have soon since we are witnessing a migration away from the traditional Sunday School model, and organized religion becomes a less important cultural focus.

Let's look our common Unitarian Universalist beliefs, articulate an inclusive message that, "says something about life, death, creation, human unity, interconnectedness, God, suffering, Love." (Barraza) Let's create a message that engages our bodies as well as our minds. A message of action. A message of hope. This sort of message will inform our choices and direction as a religious education program, congregation, and Association.

It’s March, which for most folks means the days are longer, the first flowers are peeping up, and the snows are receding.


But for many of us who either work for churches or are congregational leaders, March is a time of money. Yes, it is Stewardship Month, or “Canvass Month”, or “All Hands Month”-whatever you call it, the time when we gather pledges from the congregation that finance the budget for the next year. It can be a little stressful, because a lot is riding on this one month. Also because people don’t really like talking about money.

But is this time really just about the money?

Being at church is not a fee for service equation. Church is not like going to the coffee shop, where you hand over a few bucks and get a frothy beverage. Being part of a congregation is having an impact. It is like exponentially magnifying your ability to make more good in the world than you could do on your own. Stewardship is caring for ourselves, our community, our earth and our faith. It is a big responsibility, and that’s why we join together to realize the amazing future possible.

Being plugged in to the congregation at this deep level is fitting yourself into a wonderful cycle of Receiving, Nurturing, Sharing, and Returning. That is what Stewardship is all about. A back and forth rhythm of connection, love, fullness, caring, action, healing, learning, and inspiration all in this so lovely a dance that we aren’t concerned with who is at any moment the giver and who the receiver. This is partnership based on shared purpose, shared values, and shared vision.

Yes, money is one of the instruments needed to create this rhythm. Money is the beat that determines the pace and expression of our dance. Just as the beat is nothing without the dancers, though, our congregation is more than pledges. What gives us purpose are the lives, stories, actions, and love of our people.

Seeing Stewardship in this light makes this an exciting month- a month of hope and excitement. Happy March!