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Generosity is the First Perfection

The Art of Growing Wise

There is an unconscious message in UU communities that says, “We don’t invite people to church because that is uncouth and pushy. We’re not like those people.” But what if we reimagined the idea of invitation and saw it not as recruitment, but as giving people the opportunity to find connection and meaning? This Sunday we explore what changes when we stop thinking about invitation as taking from people and start thinking about it as offering them something precious: the chance to show up, to connect, to reduce their own suffering. People who regularly help others live longer, have...

We Become What We Rehearse

The Art of Growing Wise

Wrapped in Kelp

The Art of Growing Wise

When sea otters sleep in the kelp forests off the Pacific coast, they hold paws so the currents don't pull them apart in the night. When storms come, they wrap themselves in kelp strands and become a “raft” that helps them weather, together, what they can’t manage alone. This is what we've been building toward all November. We ate bread as companions, discovering we inter-are. We remembered that sacrifice is part of what it means to be a crew, accepting mutual responsibility. Sunday we ask ourselves if we are willing to be wrapped in kelp for each other. This...

No Passengers, Only Crew

The Art of Growing Wise

In April 1916, Ernest Shackleton left 22 men on Elephant Island with minimal supplies for four months. They all survived because they became responsible for each other. Last week we became companions through the breaking of bread. This week calls us to explore what it means to be a crew; accepting that shared bread demands shared responsibility. Or as Marshall McLuhan said it: "There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew." On Elephant Island, the only way to survive was to help others survive. Just as the only way to become wise is to help others become wise.

The Next Buddha Is The Sangha

The Art of Growing Wise

There is an old story of an enlightened sage sitting quietly in gratitude and appreciation. But does this story still fit our present needs? What if awakening is something that happens in community, not in isolation? Join us for our annual All Souls Communion service as we explore how the shared meal embodies our deepest truth: there are no passengers here, only crew. In breaking bread together, we become the community we've been seeking. Every person's presence matters. Every contribution counts. Come discover your place in this journey where we don't just attend - we participate, we...