Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto

Weaving the Web

September 7, 2007
Rev. Amy Zucker Morgenstern

As I’ve confessed before, I’m a company cleaner. While my house is reasonably clean most of the time, the only thing that motivates me to make it super-tidy is the imminent arrival of a visitor. A whirlwind of dusting, putting-away, organizing, and vacuuming makes the house its most beautiful.

With friends and family scattered around the country, in many cases we see them all too rarely and wish they could stay longer. But we have a lovely consolation when the door closes behind them again and we are left alone in our pristine house. I always love this time. I make myself a cup of tea and curl up on the couch with a book, looking up often just to breathe the light through clean windows, enjoying the memory of the visit and relaxing in the ordered and beautiful space we have created. And I say aloud, “We should keep it like this all the time!”

This fall, the Bay Area Regional Marketing Campaign to which many of us at UUCPA contributed money and ideas will take off. Information about Unitarian Universalism and our congregation (along with the others in our richly UU-blessed area) will go out on the airwaves, show up in people’s newspapers and mailboxes, and tell hundreds of thousands of people about this unique religion of ours. We hope that many will come through our doors for the first time, intrigued and wanting to know more.

So we are putting on our company manners and cleaning house. Our Adult Religious Education fall program is overflowing with great offerings. Our child care providers are now available at 8:45 am so that parents can participate in Forum and other early-Sunday activities. Our commitment to making a better world is moving forward with explorations of class matters, gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender concerns, and the continued greening of our individual and congregational lifestyles. Our new ministry team is hitting the ground running to work together and lead our explorations of Unitarian Universalist history and identity this “Chalice Year.” A new UUCPA website, attractive and compelling, will shortly appear online to share our strengths with the world. A dozen people have returned from General Assembly excited to share the good news that we are part of a buzzing network of religious liberals across the continent. The volunteers who do Sunday morning greeting and ushering, staff the information table, and begin the Sunday service are brushing up their warm welcomes. The list goes on … all around UUCPA, people are asking themselves, “How can we make what we do as welcoming to newcomers as possible?” and doing it.

Many of the visitors, we hope, will discover that this is their home too, and we will be lucky to have them. And others will come for a Sunday service, look around, thank us, and go away again. That’s okay too. Unitarian Universalism is what many people are seeking, but many are seeking something else.

All the housecleaning we are doing would be worthwhile even if not a single visitor “moved in.” Because, as I learn and relearn each time company comes, all the things we do for company are the things we ought to do for ourselves too. So as we “clean house,” let’s do it not just for twenty visitors who saw an ad, not for just one who hesitated for years and finally made the decision to check out that cool church this Sunday, but also for ourselves, the members and frienda beautiful, welcoming, well-ordered home.

— Blessings,
Amy