Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto

Weaving the Web

October 21, 2005
Rev. Amy Zucker Morgenstern

In my last column I talked about one half of my vision for UUCPA: that we make justice together. The other half is that we be a community that exemplifies the freedom, care, and respect we all long for. As Gandhi said, “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.” A congregation is a laboratory, a microcosm in which we try to create the beloved community we wish to make real in the wider world. When I envision this UUCPA community, I see

• … people of various theologies and spiritual paths, living proof “that diversity need not mean divisiveness,” in the words from former UUA president William Schulz. And not just walking each on their own path, but walking together: each curious to know what the others gain from their path

• … people openhearted enough to share deep experiences with one another, confident that even when they are unusual they will be met with respect

• … people responding to each other’s celebrations and sorrows, tending to each other in acts that make love visible

• … people who have conflicts with one another, but when they do, do their best to work them out honestly and sensitively. A community where we have the faith to stay at the table when things get tough, knowing that we can bring out the best in each other.

It isn’t so far away from where we are right now. At his “keynote address” to the Tools of the Trade workshop last spring, Fred Buelow declared what he has seen in his many years of membership here: this congregation can do anything it sets its mind to. Everything I know about us confirms that conviction, so that as I bend to the work of making this vision real, I feel hopeful and happy.

— Blessings,
Amy