I feel like I spend a lot of time wondering about what day and date it is. But here we are: February! February 1 marks six months of my being with UUCTS.

You are doing such great work! I trust that by the time you get this, we will have made changes to the Board of Trustees, including voting two new officers into service. Mark Hopkins and I, along with Kathy Hopkins, are working with the board to move into shared leadership. It is such a joy to see energy and curiosity among the board as we figure out what it means to do things differently.

I've also been talking with some of the various groups about what structures might benefit them better right now -- or at least assessing if what is in place is working. Some groups, like Buildings and Grounds and the Caring Committee, are feeling good about how things are -- and, of course, they function in ways that have more shared leadership already in place. If we haven't talked yet, and you'd like to, please reach out!

And what a delight it has been to have new people joining us in our recently restructured Sunday morning programming! This is indeed a church of many welcomes and it's fun to see you in action.

 

I know we are still in a pandemic and there are many of you I haven't yet met. A few of us have started to get vaccinations. I'm grateful for each one I hear about. Our community doesn't feel whole without everyone present -- please know that if you haven't been able to join us, that you are missed. With new strains of the virus popping up, even more contagious than the first one... there are so many unknowns. While we do not enjoy being apart, I am grateful that none of our community has gotten sick with this. I am so grateful that you are keeping safe.

Our February theme is Integrity. Brené Brown has written, "Integrity is choosing courage over comfort; choosing what is right over what is fun, fast, or easy; and choosing to practice our values rather than simply professing them." I expect our conversations to be rich!

Upcoming Sunday Services - The February Spiritual Theme is “Integrity”

• Sunday, February 7:  Gregory Carrow-Boyd will be our guest worship leader, “Leading the Faith into the Future” Deciding how we lead our communities collaboratively in this time is key to the survival of the liberal faith communities we need. This work cannot happen with holistic rethinking of how the identities of the people we serve impact who we are as Unitarian Universalists. Gather with us for a service of determining the vibrant ways we can lead Unitarian Universalism into a better future.
• Sunday, February 14:  The Rev. Kristina Spaude will lead the service, "Side With Love Sunday," offered by our Unitarian Universalist Association: What if to "side with love" meant making bold, faith-full choices? What if it were even a little bit scary? This worship service brings together worship leaders and musicians from across the country to offer hopeful, moving, challenging reminders about what we, as Unitarian Universalists, are called to do, and BE, in the world.
• Sunday, February 21:  The Rev. Kristina Spaude will lead the service, "Remember You are Dust:" This phrase is part of the blessing many Christians receive on Ash Wednesday. As UUs, we are more likely to remind each other that we are stardust. How might Lenten practices inform our understanding of integrity?
• Sunday, February 28:  The Rev. Kristina Spaude will lead the service, "Confronting Integrity:" The Jewish holiday of Purim raises questions about how we act with integrity, especially in confrontations. We will explore these questions together.

If you'd like to reach out:   uuctsminister@gmail.com or 330-968-8692 (or 727-279-5992 for local calls).

In faith and service, Rev. Kristina Spaude

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