Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at Salisbury » Minister’s Musings

Minister’s Musings: Thank You For Your Service

John Wright, M. Div. — Wed, 26 May 2010 11:24:07 +0000

By John Wright, M.Div.

Dear Ones-

Ah- the Congregational meeting- as much a UU ritual as lighting our chalice. It is part of our “Congregational Polity”- part of who we are as an independently organized institution. There is no higher authority for our Fellowship than the congregation, and it is at the congregational meeting that our member’s voices can be most audibly heard.

This past Sunday at our congregational meeting, our voices were heard once again. Among other things, we elected new members to our Board of Trustees. It always fills my heart with joy to see people “step up to the plate”- people who believe in our Fellowship and who are willing to work for its success. To those who will now serve- Naomi, Leslie, Judy, Jeannie, Dottie, Kim and Liz- I offer my deepest “thank you” and “congratulations”. I look forward to another wonderful year of challenge, growth, opportunities, love and laughter.

And to those wonderful folks who have served so faithfully and who are now leaving the Board – Karen, Mike, Richard, Jackie- I also offer my deepest “Thank you”. You have guided our Fellowship beautifully, and have served us well.

Finally, I also want to thank the members of our Nominating Committee. I saw first-hand what a thoughtful, hardworking group you are. I know the process wasn’t easy. Clearly, there were challenges. It is also clear, though, that our Fellowship is tremendously enriched by the dedication to fulfilling your mission that you have shown. So Seth, Ashley, and Kit- thank you! Well done!

Wishing you peace and blessings,
John

You can reach John at minister@uufs.net

“Let Us Live Into Our Dreams….

John Wright, M. Div. — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 13:24:14 +0000

Dear Ones-

This quotation by Margaret Keip is one I dearly love-
“What we withhold from this moment,
We withhold from ourselves and from the world.
What we deny in this moment,
We deny to ourselves and to life.
And only what we give do we ever get to keep.
So, dear friends, let us live into our dreams,
And make them as real as we are.
Let us become them,
So that we ourselves are a gift and a giving.”

Wishing you peace and blessings,
John

By John Wright, M.Div., Minister

Welcome back…

John Wright, M. Div. — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 13:22:02 +0000

Dear Ones:
Do you remember when you were a child, anticipating the first day back to school after summer vacation? I certainly do, though it was a million years ago. Like all children, as June approached I couldn’t wait for school to end and I loved summer vacation. But as August wore on, I began to think about going back to school, learning new things, seeing friends I hadn’t seen for months and making new ones. There was an eager anticipation of the “next thing.”
That’s a bit how I feel about September here at UUFS. Of course, many of us have seen each other all summer, but others of us have been away. If you have been away, I invite you to come back and give us another look.
Physically, much of our Fellowship building itself has a new look, thanks to countless hours of hard work by some very dedicated people. There is new carpeting in the Social Room, new flooring upstairs, new furniture and a fresh, new coat of paint- even new names for our RE rooms (check out the “Rainbow Room“, the “Surf Lounge” and the “Chalice Club”) .
But there’s so much more to look forward to at UUFS! By the time you read this, we will have had our “Homecoming” service, and the ever popular “Water Ceremony”. In September there is our “Peace Through Diversity” day, sponsored by our Social Action Committee and then in October we will be having a “Blessing of the Animals”, and, of course, in November is our “Count Your Blessings” service. In between, our Program and Worship Committee has planned services focusing on Islam, Buddhism, Native American Spirituality, Wicca and Hinduism.
But wait, don’t answer yet! Because there’s still more good news! Our RE Committee will be introducing new programs which promise to be fun, stimulating, and give our students a firm grounding in what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist and a liberal religious person in today’s world. Our Cinema Circle, which meets twice each month, will be dishing up some provocative and important films for your viewing pleasure. Our choir will be singing some new songs. We’ll be holding informal conversations about Unitarian Universalism (our “U New 2 UU Series”). There’s clearly a lot at UUFS to be excited about.
And there’s only one thing missing- you! UUFS is a Fellowship. What that means is that there IS no UUFS without the hard work and involvement of as many people as possible. Without you, our Fellowship is just that much less. So if you haven’t been to the Fellowship in a while, and you’ve wondered what we’ve been up to, I invite you to come and see. You won’t be disappointed!

Wishing you peace and blessings,

John