Church of the larger fellowship

Holy F*** | The VUU – S8 E362

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This week, we welcome Rev. Oscar Sinclair, Rev. Kimberley Debus, and Rev. Laura Kampa Thompson to explore where true vulgarity lies, not our language—profanity and curse words—rather in the inhumane actions of our nation—poverty, anti-black violence, and war.

The VUU is a weekly Unitarian Universalist talk show discussing today’s topics from an anti-racist, anti-oppressive and multicultural perspective, The VUU streams live on Facebook every Thursday at  Noon ET. Participate live or view the archives below. Each episode is entertaining and newsworthy! It’s a can’t miss, especially if you travel in UU circles. For more about The VUU

The VUU is Back

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Aisha Hauser, Christina Rivera, Rev. Michael Tino, Quiana Perkins, Dawn Fortune, and Julica Hermann DelaFuente host this live Unitarian Universalist talk show discussing today’s topics from an anti-racist, anti-oppressive, and multicultural perspective. The VUU streams live on YouTube every Thursday at 12 pm ET. It is sponsored by the Church of the Larger Fellowship. Here is there most recent episode.

BLUU HAVENS

BLUUBerry Jam & Youth Open House

UU Lent 2019 – Day 6 – Struggle

CZ

Struggle is a hard word to sit with. Many of us were taught that struggle meant we werr doing something wrong. Many of us struggle daily. Many of us have only known struggle. Many of us cause our own struggle.

According to Merriam Webster, struggle is a) to make strenuous or violent efforts in the face of difficulties or opposition and b) to proceed with difficulty or with great effort.

The Struggle Continues By Israel Buffardi is a reminder that struggling doesn’t mean we are weak and that we still have a way to go. 
Often, we struggle because we want everything to be just so. This story from Quest for Meaning by Rev. Lynn Unger tells of the danger of this.

 

 

Trans Faith and Faith Formation

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Here is the VUU from 9/27/2018

We chatted live with Rev. Jaelynn Scott, Buddhist minister and UU religious educator, about trans faith and faith formation in Unitarian Universalism.

Rev. Jaelynn Scott is a Buddhist community minister who has served as the Director of Lifelong Learning at Woodinville Unitarian Universalist Church. A graduate of Naropa University’s Buddhist Divinity program, she was ordained by Ven.’s Bhante Chao Chu and Tampalawela Dhammaratana, and brings decades of dedicated meditation experience to her ministry.

The VUU streams live on Facebook every Thursday at 11 am ET. We talk social justice, Unitarian Universalism, religion, spirituality, and whatever else is topical and interesting!

Hosts: Meg Riley, Michael Tino, Aisha Hauser, and Christina Rivera; production support provided by Jessica Star Rockers.

The VUU is brought to you by the Church of the Larger Fellowship.

Taking on the Doctrine of Discovery

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What is Indigenous Peoples’ Day?

Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a holiday that celebrates the history and contributions of the indigenous peoples of North America.

It is observed on the second Monday of October, thus coinciding with Columbus Day, a United States federal holiday commemorating the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas in 1492. This holiday is increasingly controversial due to the catastrophic impact of the arrival of European settlers on Native Americans. Consequently, several states do not recognize the holiday, and others celebrate it as Indigenous Peoples’ Day as a counter-celebration and protest against Columbus Day: South Dakota officially celebrates Native American Day on the same day as Columbus Day, and other states have an “American Indian Day” (eg. Tennessee and Nevada) or “American Indian Heritage Day”. The dates differ from state to state. The state of Vermont and the city of Phoenix, Arizona, declared their first Indigenous Peoples’ Day in 2016. from CalendarPedia

Often children are taught about 1492 and his three ships and not much else. There were serious repercussions to his invasion and the following conquests of the Americas. Repercussions that are still affecting us today. We need to take it on. For more information. 

As a way of celebrating and educating, I thought a podcast was in order. I hope you enjoy the VUUs discussion of Taking on the Doctrine of Discovery with Kia Bordner and Rev. Clyde Grubbs.

https://www.questformeaning.org/vuu-latest/228/

Namaste,
Cricket

The VUU streams live on Facebook every Thursday at 11 am ET. We talk social justice, Unitarian Universalism, religion, spirituality, and whatever else is topical and interesting!

Hosts: Meg Riley, Michael Tino, Aisha Hauser, and Christina Rivera; production support provided by Jessica Star Rockers.

The VUU is brought to you by the Church of the Larger Fellowship.

Worthy Now Prison Ministry

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Yesterday, we posted about the prison strike and the UUA’s call to action. This episode of the VUU is all about Worthy Now, CLF’s Prison Ministry and how we can help.
https://www.questformeaning.org/vuu-latest/227-clf-worthy-now-prison-ministry-w-mandy-goheen/

 

 

The VUU is hosted by Meg Riley, Michael Tino, Aisha Hauser and Christina Rivera, with production support provided by Jessica Star Rockers.

The VUU streams live on Thursdays at 11 am ET.

Note: This audio has been slightly edited for a better listening experience. View the live original recording on Facebook.

Hurricane Relief

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I found this video from CBS News about Puerto Rico facebook this morning, along with a plea from a friend asking how to help. Many of us feel powerless in these natural disasters. We feel too far removed and lacking in resources to help on a large scale. But there are ways to help.

There are many places to donate, which becomes confusing and reputable charities seem harder and harder to find. Here is an article from Public Radio International about how to help Puerto Rico and here is a great website that helps you navigate charities and donations.  Here is the UUA Disaster Relief Fund should you want it.

Some of us also want to pray, so here is a beautiful prayer written by UUA staff member Anna Bethea and translated by Rev. Jorge Espinel of the Church of the Larger Fellowship.

English:

A Prayer for Hurricane Recovery

The quickness of nature to tear up roads, strip trees, and collapse buildings
Doesn’t compare to the long process of survival and recovery.
Splayed electric lines, floodwaters, and landslides mark devastation,
Yet will never match the lives, dreams, and memories of precious things swept away.

Amidst the dirt and muck, families get up another day to search for clean water and food
While struggling to stay cool and communicate with loved ones,
There is time for tears and emotional release.
While watching, waiting, adjusting, surviving,
There is time for embrace, reunions, prayers.

A return to normal is hard to even imagine – months and years away.
Trauma is a time for us to center the sacred:
The core of who we are, shielded from any storm or disaster.
As we seek resources for immediate needs,
May we also tend to our own and our communities’ needs to restore hope, love, and the seeds of new life.

Español:

Oración por la Recuperación del Huracán

La velocidad con la que la naturaleza destruye carreteras, derriba árboles y tumba edificios, no se compara con el largo proceso de supervivencia y recuperación.
Líneas eléctricas derribadas, inundaciones y derrumbes son señales de la devastación pero no se comparan con las vidas, los sueños y los recuerdos de cosas valiosas que han sido arrasadas.

En medio de la basura y el fango las familias se levantan día a día a buscar agua limpia y comida, mientras se esfuerzan por permanecer en calma y comunicarse con sus seres queridos.
Hay tiempo para llorar y soltar las emociones mientras observan, esperan, se ajustan y sobreviven. Hay tiempo para abrazos, reuniones y oraciones.

Es difícil imaginarse lo que es volver a la normalidad, que puede tardar meses y años.

Los momentos de trauma son momentos para enfocarnos en lo sagrado, en la esencia de quienes somos, protegida de cualquier tormenta o desastre. Mientras buscamos recursos para solucionar las necesidades inmediatas, busquemos también maneras de ayudar a los nuestros y a nuestras comunidades a restaurar la esperanza, el amor y las semillas de una nueva vida.

May these words provide you peace, but also motivate you. May these times that we are living in not cause you distress, but allow you to rise to the occasion and be the person you want to be.

Namaste,

Cricket

Meditation Monday: Stronger in the Broken Places

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“This month brings the Jewish High Holy Days—the New Year, Rosh Hashanah, followed ten days later by Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The days in between are known as the Days of Turning—a time devoted to fixing what has broken in one’s relationships. There is wisdom in admitting that our brokenness is how to make a new start…

Mystical Judaism teaches that the Ark of the Covenant is a symbol of the human heart. And there, in our hearts, brokenness and wholeness live side by side; we carry them wherever we go.”

Read the full reflection from Rev. Teri Schwartz online at Quest for Meaning: http://tinyurl.com/y799h4t4

The Church of the Larger Fellowship’s spiritual theme for September is resilience.

 

Image Credit: UUA