• Published on

    How much longer??

    This has been an especially difficult and heavy week on the racial justice front: the attempted weaponization of white womanhood against black manhood by Amy Cooper in Central Park, and the latest instance of police brutality resulting in the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. It’s a hard time to observe how horribly whites can treat people with different skin colors, and, I imagine, for people of color, men and women alike, to witness (again!) the cruelty and trauma visited upon their loved ones and communities. Outrage and grief well up over these injustices and never-ending incidents of systemic evil. The need to lament and to make change follow.   

    Last night, I sat in on a one-hour webinar organized by our UUA’s Church of the Larger Fellowship,  "In the Name of Love: Deepening Anti-Racist Commitment and Values" for white people seeking to dismantle racism in themselves and in society. You can listen to the recording here. After hearing from presenters, participants were asked to go into small break-out groups and share: “Why I am committed to anti-racism and what it means to me.”

    I wondered, how is that I actively choose to show up in the world and be anti-racist? How do I move away from saying or believing “I’m not racist!” to living into that proposed Eight Principle -- the one that asks us to “accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions”??

    I rustled around my desk and found the book I’d been meaning to read for some months now… How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi.  Here’s a quote the author shared last fall in Yes! Magazine’s conversation with the author: 

    Kendi:     "I’m hoping that people take away from the book, that there’s only racist and antiracist. Most White people would say, “I’m not racist,” and if they’re saying, and they’re swearing that they’re not racist, then chances are they’re being racist. Black people commonly say, “I can’t be racist.” And that’s another sort of form of denial. I do not believe all Black people are being antiracist at all times. And Black people too have created this sort of construction between an antiracist and a racist. And so we too must be striving to be antiracist.”

    This seems like a good time to settle in and give it my attention. Do let me know if you’re interested in a book discussion group by Zoom sometime in June!

    Here is another opportunity for white allies to meet-up virtually to engage this topic:  The  “Showing Up for Racial Justice” group hosts A Call to Action for White Folks this Friday evening, May 29th, at 8 pm via ZOOM. Organizers write, “As we mourn the life of George Floyd, we are in solidarity with those in the streets in Minneapolis and the Black liberation movement that is working to destroy white supremacy, abolish the police and free us all. This call will lift up updates from people on the ground and offer concrete actions for people to take.”

    Blessings for the journey,
    Rev. Cindy

  • Published on

    Essential Ministries

    Last week, I wrote and spoke about the question that is still on our minds and hearts: When will it be safe to re-open and resume in-person services? Our UUA had just issued its updated recommendation that “congregations not gather in person … and begin planning virtual operations through the next year (through May 2021).” 

    Rev. Frederick-Gray had reminded us “our ministries are essential services.” So, I got to work to prepare our first online, live-stream worship service and share my thoughts on the topic.
     
    Unfortunately, Zoom had other plans!  On Sunday morning, our service, like many others, was stymied by widespread disruptions on the platform. Some people were not able to access the meeting room, nobody had video feeds and the controls for the host (me!) were wonky. So, lacking a tech-desk that could quickly transition us to a different platform, we had an audio-only “radio-broadcast” style service and congregational reflection. We pulled through … perhaps we’re more adaptive than we think!?

    Because access to the service was unstable, I’ve recorded some of the key parts of the service in order to share my thoughts and keep the conversations going. …. See the link at the END of my message!

    Take some time to watch, or just to listen, and then to reflect. Then, reach out…. Let’s keep the conversations going!!

    Interestingly enough, last week, I had closed with these words about the upcoming service:
    “On Zoom. Mind you -- it won’t be perfect. Expect glitches. Bring humor, good cheer, your compassion and presence. They’re essential to getting through this together.”

    I never anticipated that many glitches! I am so grateful that you DO come through with abundant good humor, compassion and patience!  

    Blessings for the journey,
    Rev. Cindy

    CLICK HERE for the recording of last Sunday’s service elements that I made for you this week.  Please enter this password to view the recording : 4K.br!KE

    Here is the link to Pres. Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray’s letter to congregational leaders giving Updated Guidance for Gathering.

    Here is the link to the detailed UUA Guidance on Gathering In-Person When COVID-19 Subsides from the UUA Safe Congregations Team which I referenced in my Reflection.

    Lastly, here is an audio-visual rendition of Spirit of Life to lift your spirits, to amplify your joys and lighten the burden of your sorrows, any day. 













  • Published on

    Congregate through the next year ... but not in person

    When will it be safe to re-open and resume in-person services? For every news article I read about allowing churches to re-open, I read another saying, “No, thanks …. We’ll wait.”

    I frequently check the NY State Regional Monitoring Dashboard that tracks the public health criteria areas need to reach to begin the four-step reopening plan. Westchester County has met five of the seven criteria, and expectations are that in a few more weeks, phase I of re-opening will begin. Religious institutions are in phase 4, at least a couple months away.

    As we learn more and more about the coronavirus, the challenges to assembling safely in a confined space like ours have become more and more clear. It’s not just enough to stay 6 feet apart, wear fabric masks, sanitize surfaces, and stop serving snacks. Studies show the virus spreads among people breathing the same air in one space for a period of time. Singing, along with coughing, sneezing and loud talking, keeps that air circulating and spreads the virus. And, we do like singing and occasional loud talking!

    My ministerial colleagues say that since many congregants and staff are at high risk of serious complications from COVID-19, it is not ethically sound to re-open for worship until widespread testing, contact tracing, an effective treatment and a vaccine are available. Just yesterday, the UUA issued its updated recommendation that “congregations not gather in person … and begin planning virtual operations through the next year (through May 2021).” Click here to read the entire notice.

    OOF! Reaction to this news has been swift and varied. Many feel relief - Plan creatively for the worst and hope for the best! Many feel sadness – I won’t be able to gather with my beloveds in person for even longer.  Discouragement, regrouping, entrepreneurial and imaginative thinking.

    How will we respond collectively?

    Rev. Frederick-Gray reminds us “our ministries are essential services.” Our challenge is to keep our “virtual” doors open, create worship at-a-distance together and sustain the other ministries and functions of the congregation. In ways that keep everybody safe. In ways we can sustain.

    Join me this Sunday at 10:30 for our first Fourth UU online worship service. On Zoom.
    Mind you -- it won’t be perfect. Expect glitches.
    Bring humor, good cheer, your compassion and presence.
    They’re essential to getting through this together.  

    Blessings for the journey,
    Rev. Cindy

  • Published on

    Mothers shaping society

    150 years ago, Julie Ward Howe wrote her “Appeal to womanhood throughout the world.” This was part of her efforts to seek unity for peace at the end of war, and later became known as the “Mother’s Day Proclamation.” Howe’s life and her work reflect her deep conviction that all women have a deep responsibility to shape society through civic and political engagement. That a healthy and equitable society is “birthed” both by nurturance and courageous demands. 

    This year, we are deep into a different national war called The Pandemic. As we fight against our common enemy, the coronavirus, and for healing and wholeness, let us heed the words of our ancestors: “bewail and commemorate the dead,” and “take counsel with each other as the means whereby the great human family can live in peace.”

    150 years later, the ideological underpinnings to Mother’s Day are often overshadowed by sentimentality and carefully crafted plans for Mother’s Day gifts and gatherings. For some, however, the holiday will bring deep disappointment and pain. Perhaps you have lost a loved  mother recently, or never had the loving mother you wished for, or have not yourself been the mother you had hoped to be. It can be more complicated than Hallmark likes to admit! 

    Being part of an accepting faith community that holds you with love and supports you, whatever your narrative, can be healing and lifesaving. Today, Fourth UU continues to be active, even though the building and grounds are closed. We are defined by the company we keep and the community we create, not the building we own. 

    We will gather as the community of love, hope and memory we know ourselves to be on this Sunday at 11:30 to do what we do best: Share our joys and sorrows. And, share our reflections.

    This week’s prompt: What gifts of courage or strength did your mother(s) or mother figures give you that is helping you through this crisis time?

    Bring your stories, poetry, artwork, photos, too!

    Keep safe, active and engaged!

    With blessings for the journey,
    Rev. Cindy

  • Published on

    Riding the Waves

    This week’s small group ministry Journey Group meeting focused on “Letting Go.” Several lines in Danna Fauld’s poem Let it Go, from the packet of reading materials stay on my mind:


         Let go of the ways you thought life would unfold, the holding of plans
         or dreams or expectations. Let it all go.

         Save your strength to swim with the tide.

         The choice to fight what is here before you now will only result in struggle,
         fear, and desperate attempts to flee from the very energy you long for.

         Let go. Let it all go and flow with the grace that washes through your days
         whether you received it gently or with all your quills raised to defend against invaders.

         Take this on faith; the mind may never find the explanations that it seeks,
         but you will move forward nonetheless.

         Let go, and the wave’s crest will carry you to unknown shores,
         beyond your wildest dreams or destinations.

         Let it all go and find the place of rest and peace, and certain transformation.


    Seven weeks into sheltering in place during the pandemic, we have been learning to let go of plans, adjust our expectations, and defer our dreams just a bit longer.

    These past two months have unfolded in ways we could not have foreseen and have been full of disruptions to the usual rhythms of the church year. We have had to let go of our weekly in-person gatherings, with their warm and hearty greetings, robust singing and beautiful music, and shared coffee and pot-luck lunches. “Save your strength to swim with the tide,” the poet whispers. “Let go, and the wave’s crest will carry you to unknown shores…”


    We are learning that embracing doing church online throws us a lifeline. That we can, and must, use technology wisely -- the printed word transmitted electronically or by mail, the telephone, the computer and smartphone screens – in order to stay connected with each other and our faith. Like most UU congregations, we’re attending worship online, gathering for virtual coffee hours, increasing our telephone outreach, and transitioning small group ministry, committee and Board meetings to video and tele-conferencing platforms. All changes “beyond [our] wildest dreams!” 


    Doing church online is here to stay, I believe. As we discern when and how it will be safe to gather in numbers in close quarters, with those warm and hearty greetings and shared meals, we should ask the question, “Is it necessary that we gather in person for (fill in the blank), or could this be done online?” We will have to calculate the risk of gathering over the safety of our community, especially our older members.


    Rather than wrestling with trying to replicate the template of all Fourth UU has been and “should” be in these days ahead, I invite you to reflect on what might emerge if we were to move forward by choosing to “Let it all go and find the place of rest and peace, and certain transformation.”


    With blessings for the journey,
    Rev. Cindy

  • Published on

    Earth Day's 50th Anniversary

    This week, I’ve been deeply immersed in all things Earth Day. I’ve been following some of the three-day Earth Day 2020 LIVE programming, much of it led by young people. My mailboxes and feeds have been full of letters bearing greetings, suggesting activities and even making fundraising pitches tied to its 50th anniversary. Heck, I even wrote one of those! Click here to read my very l..o..n..g message to UU Ministry for Earth’s constituents. 

    I recall being a teen, myself, on that first “Earth Day” fifty years ago. Perhaps you, too have memories of that day, or have heard others tell their stories, and can recall some of the many Environmental Teach-in activities and results. I remember, at first blush, thinking it was all about the need to recycle!
    Since then, I know I am not alone in having cultivated a deeper understanding of environmental issues, environmental justice, climate change and climate justice issues. It seems the need for ongoing education and taking appropriate action never ends. 

    For many of you, Earth Day has been more a reminder of the preciousness and beauty of this planet, a time set aside to “get back to nature,” soak up her beauty and restore our soul. Or perhaps it’s been a time to re-affirm reverence for the flourishing of all life as an important part of your spirituality or some part of a spiritual practice in which you ground your daily life.  There’s a reciprocity that comes in turning to nature to restore our souls, then returning, our souls fully restored, to care for the Earth. 
    I have been reflecting on how we care for one another and our planet. I’ve been wondering:
    • As we practice community care in response to the coronavirus pandemic, what lessons can inform or shift our response to the climate crisis?
    • What do the stirrings of your heart tell you about protecting the tree of life on which we, too, bloom?
    • In what ways are you affirming and promoting the wellbeing of the interdependent web of existence of which we are but a part?

    We’ll get through this, together.

    With blessings for the journey,
    Rev. Cindy