Apr 21, 2022 | Weekly Message
We’ve actually never been “closed,” but now we’ve really got things cooking! (Please send this blog to people you haven’t seen for a while and invite them to meet you at church on Sunday! I’m betting they’ve given up reading the eNews by now.)
Back to what’s happening….
Sunday worship services at 11 are fully in person, masks optional, and hymn-singing has resumed. Children and youth have been learning and connecting safely in person all year. Committees are meeting in person (or on Zoom if they prefer—sometimes it’s just more convenient). I’ve been to in-person Board and auction meetings, will be meeting with the Leadership Development Committee in person at our next meeting, but still meet with the Finance Advisory Committee over Zoom because it’s just plain easier for our two full-time workers to do it that way. The choir has been practicing, masks optional. (Hey! EVERYTHING is mask-optional. If you want to wear one, we want you to!)
I think everyone who joins a religious group does it for two reasons. They are seeking some sort of spiritual deepening AND they are seeking meaningful connections with other people. As a staff we have been working like crazy this past two years to provide experiences that do that, but we all know that Zoom is an imperfect medium AND there is totally something called Zoom fatigue. Yes, many of us are all Zoomed out.
As we adjust to a less restricted lifestyle, I invite you back to UU Asheville! (And I’m not just saying that because I’m giving the presentation for next year’s budget this Sunday after the worship service and we’re talking about running a very large deficit next year.) Yes, we have added alternative ways to “attend” without being in person, so you will always have the option to watch worship services and participate in many faith development activities virtually. You can even attend the budget meeting through YouTube. However there really is no better way to connect with people than seeing them in person. I think we’ve learned that by now.
So, come, come whoever you are! If you are comfortable being out and about, we invite you to return in person. If you are uncomfortable or unable to be out and about, attend worship virtually and participate in online programming when you can. It’s time to see you again!
Linda Topp, Director of Administration
Apr 19, 2022 | Vespers & Wednesday Program
Vespers: Nourishing Our Spirits. “What a gift we can give ourselves by paying attention to what our souls need and doing our best to give them that.” ~ Steve Garnaas-Holmes Led by Rev. Cathy 
Program 7 PM: Gene Lambirth will talk about hiking as a spiritual practice and his journeys on the Camino de Santiago and other pilgrimages. What is it about this experience that can feed your soul and what lessons can you take from it that will allow you to lead a richer and more meaningful life?
Next Week:
Vespers Wed April 27 at 6:30 PM: Join Rev. Claudia for the final Vespers of this congregational year. We will explore the theme “nurturing beauty” engaging the question: How does the power of beauty affect your work for justice? Vespers will resume in September.
Program Wed April 27 at 7 PM: Ecotheology & the Interplay Between the 1st and 7th Principles; Facilitator – Rev. Claudia
Apr 17, 2022 | Sermons
Sunday, April 17, 2022 11am In person
Rev. Cathy Harrington, Interim Lead Minister
This Easter Sunday, through ritual and story, we will reflect on these questions as they might relate to the theme of hope and resurrection: How did we survive Covid? What did we learn? How did we stay connected?
Apr 14, 2022 | Featured
Support our Justice Ministry partner, BeLoved Asheville, by attending their fundraiser auction. Proceeds will fund the building of a home in The Beloved Village Micro Homes Project. The struggle to find deeply affordable housing is the #1 problem in Asheville, our state, and our country. Enjoy the event knowing that you are part of the solution. Please join us for an evening of live jazz, delicious culinary & beverage treats. PLUS a “something for everyone” selection of auction items & experiences, services, vacation trips and entertainments. Click here for more information and tickets or ask Fredda Mangel, UU Asheville’s Ambassador for this auction.
Apr 14, 2022 | Weekly Message
The second week of March turned colder. My husband became dangerously ill with a ruptured gallbladder and after a harrowing two week stay in the hospital, was transferred to a nursing facility to recover. I was immobilized by fear and doubts. Reaching out for help was harder than calling fellow congregants. I was raised to be independent, self sufficient, and secretive. I told no one for several days. Finally, I reached out to family, a few friends and my fellow UU Asheville Board members and staff. What did I say? I wanted to say: “Help. I think I’m drowning.”
The last week of March brought rain. And on the last Sunday of the month, a long time friend and former colleague from Jackson County tragically lost her two young sons in an accidental shooting at her home. What could I possibly say? Every sentence seemed inadequate. When I did reach out to my friend, the best I could do was listen, say her sons’ names, and help her remember their love for her. Saying: “I’m here in body and in spirit for you”.
Just as I was reaching out to initiate conversation with members of our congregation, I also needed to reach out to UU Asheville for help. Just as the congregation was reaching out to me, I was also reaching out to my friend in need. This was a lot of reaching out for one month.
Reaching out takes courage. A leap of faith is required to put aside old fears of rejection. Reaching out for feedback, for support, or for a friend in desperate need is hard work indeed. Yet, reaching out to others allows them the opportunity to reach back in that same spirit of love.
Reaching out to the members of the congregation through those phone calls brought connections I might have otherwise missed. As we move forward in selecting a settled minister, I heard constructive ideas, helpful insights, and optimism for our congregation. Reaching out to my UUCA family in my personal time of need brought emails, letters, beautiful cards with healing words, a bouquet of spring flowers. My spirit soared on those hard days. Reaching out to my friend who lost her boys brought simple connection and the realization that words won’t fix a broken heart but friends will hold you close in those dark hours. And each day, my friend was able to reach out in tiny ways to her friends who had opened that door.
Today I am sitting on my deck. The April sun is shining brightly as the cardinals sing crazy love songs. As dogwood trees awake from their winter sleep, I watch their brown limbs with tiny green leaves stretch and reach for the sun. By reaching out, those leaves will grow with the sun’s warmth. May we, as well, continue to reach, to grow, and to heal with the warmth of the sun and the power of human love.
Karen Dill, UU Asheville Board of Trustees
