Friends,
As summer turns to fall, the August heat beats down, and we begin preparing for the regular time – vacations wind down, school resumes, and ordinary time approaches.
But this year is different. I anticipate more visitors at All Souls. It is also a time when families often look for a church because their children ask questions that require a religious communities answers, a church’s commitment to the family. They are seeking a soft place to land—they are looking for kindness—while trying to figure out the responsible search for truth and meaning. They might want to join our journey together.
In these times of harsh rhetoric and deep divides in our neighborhoods and families can be alienating and isolating, frustration abounds.
In the small things, I experience this when family members refuse to acknowledge the references in the Olympics to Ancient Greece, choosing instead a chosen woundedness and victimhood that’s embedded in their socio-religious worldview.
In the large things, the discrimination and disregard faced by some of us as anti-oppression isn’t held as a larger-community value.
Kindness can feel like a radical act. It is a powerful motivator and a unifying force. A simple gesture of kindness can lead to grand experiences and requires a certain bravery. Kindness de-escalates tense situations, leaning on empathy and humility to defuse stress.
For the person who lacks hope, the response of the community is kindness, understanding.
For the person who lacks ambition, the solution is kindness, patience.
For the person marginalized by society, the solution is kindness, and advocacy.
For the lonely and forgotten, the solution is kindness, and presence.
For the person without joy or fun, our call is kindness and love and laughter.
This is what I put my faith in. I envision a return to the days when every county in Ohio as a UU church because each community needs a safe place to land. I want everyone to experience liberation, welcome, and love. This is my mission, maybe this is the mission of all of us.
Many of us stepped into this church or a church and were forever changed by kindness, welcome, generosity of spirit, fun and good times, and willingness to listen. Seeing the divides in our communities, I know they need us—and we need them. Let’s make a difference together!
Rev Will