There are lots of reasons I’m grateful to call Unitarian Universalism my spiritual home. One of them is that we have historically been people who looked around and saw potential. We saw the potential in each other, in community, in nature. We saw the potential for compassion, acceptance, religious diversity, equity, vulnerability, anti-racism, wonder, gratitude, beauty. And while many others were preaching about sin and a fallen world, we were noticing the spark of the divine wherever we could. I believe that remains a core part of who we UUs are.

It’s important to note that our attention to what’s possible doesn’t come at the expense of tackling problems and harsh realities. If anything, our focus has been a powerful call to engagement. Unitarian Universalists are called to act, to be part of creating the world we imagine, a world where love prevails.

As we begin this new church year, I am wondering what possibilities we will embrace as a community. What relationships and commitments will we renew and build? How will our learnings from these past few years so rooted in trauma inform what we do next and how we understand our role in the world? What do we need from one another?

As we embark on this new church year, I look forward to embracing the possibilities as we move into the future together.