On this Sunday we recognized Chris & George Bein and Tom Roen, members of our Sedona Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, who shared personal stories of how they discovered Unitarian Universalism – or how it discovered them – and what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist.
Their inspiring stories led some of those gathered to request the text of those readings. If you’d like to receive a copy, please send a message to mail@sedonauu.org.
This in-person service was held in the sanctuary at the JCSVV, located at 100 Meadowlark Drive, and featured live singing by our musician Susannah Martin.
Constellations of Our Lives
Humans make maps of stars, choosing some stars, ignoring others,
to project our imaginations onto the heavens.
These maps shift over time, across cultures.
Names change for the same assemblage of bright points:
Drinking Gourd, Big Dipper, Plough, Lost Hunters, Saptarishi.
Humans make constellations by connecting stars.
Humans make meaning by connecting stories: story to story to narrative to story.
Some blaze bright, some are faint. Most are backdrop to the great and mundane human unfolding.
Let us imagine the stories of our lives as a starry universe above our heads.
As leaders of this congregation, we are tasked and trusted
to draw constellations in this, our beloved, small universe.
May the stories we connect draw constellations
that reflect a shared ministry that calls out the best in us.
— Karen G. Johnston, settled minister at The Unitarian Society in East Brunswick, NJ.
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Based on recommendations from our Covid Safety Response Team, the Board has decided to ease the requirement for wearing masks during our in-person services, beginning with this week’s service. This also applies to making announcements and expressing Joys and Concerns from our community microphone. You may read their complete report here, Thank you to team members Jim Loomis, Penny DeJarnette, and Rev. Anthony for continuing to monitor the situation and for their thoughtful consideration; and to everyone for being aware of the ongoing risks and for doing everything possible to protect yourself and others.