News: February 28, 2025
Dear Members and Friend
This past Sunday, after I gave my sermon “Exorcising the Spirit of the Confederacy,” a few of you told me that you were hoping that the congregation could provide more guidance around social justice actions. The country has been thrown into a constitutional crisis and there is a desire to act immediately. One of the most difficult things to accept about the situation is that there is little we can do that will have an immediate impact and halt what should be called the war on the poor. That does, not however, mean that we are powerless. There are numerous ways in which we can join with others and make our voices known in a meaningful fashion.
The economic boycott is a particularly effective tactic. Elon Musk’s power grab has caused Telsa sales to drop and the company’s stock to slide. Since December, he’s lost as much as $100 billion. Whether this will cause the world’s richest man to tremble is hard to know. But, I suspect, it will prompt other oligarchs to think about how support for authoritarianism might hurt their individual bottom lines.
It is certainly emboldening other boycott efforts against companies that have renounced their previous commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion. My family and I have joined the 40-day boycott of Target organized by Rev. Dr. Jamal Bryant. I encourage you to join me in doing so. It has four demands that all center around the company recommitting to racial justice. There are:
Boycotts are far from the only thing we can do. Yesterday, alongside four other members of the congregation--including three of our youth--I participated in a lobbying day calling for common sense gun reform in Austin. On March 17th, I will be again traveling to Austin for TXUUJM’s Legislative Action Day. I hope that you will consider joining me. It will be a great opportunity to rally with Unitarian Universalists from across the state and let lawmakers hear our voices.
These actions aside, the most important work we can collectively engage in together is building up our religious community. When Unitarian Universalist congregations take the project of widening love’s circle seriously they can change society. In an earlier, perhaps even more difficult period in the country’s history, the Community Church of New York committed to be a beacon of love and justice while the Jim Crow regime of terror was solidified and President Woodrow Wilson waged his assault on civil liberties. In those desperate hours, the congregation’s spiritual message that every person has inherent worth and dignity was so inspiring that clergy and members played pivotal roles in founding both the ACLU and NAACP. How brightly might our flame of own chalice shine in these times?
In the next years, as we navigate the gathering storms, we will collectively be challenged to consider this question. It will inform some of our services this month as we explore the monthly theme for our “Future Visions, Future Selves” series. We will be starting our exploration with a sermon inspired by the science fiction writer Octavia Butler’s vision that if we humans have a future it will be amongst the stars. Then, on March 9th, we will be offering a service titled, “The War on the Poor” in which we will imagine what it might be like to have political leaders who rejected the project of transferring the nation’s wealth upwards. What would it be like to live in a country where federal and state governments were not devoted to waging war on the poor?
On March 16th we will have a special guest in the pulpit. The Rev. Rosemary Bray-McNatt is President of Starr King for the Ministry, one of two Unitarian Universalist seminaries in the United States. She will be joining us to preach a sermon titled “Flight, Fight, Fawn, or Freeze?” It will pick up many of the themes that I explored back in December in my sermon, “Rebirths and Restitutions: Healing Religious Trauma”.
Rev. Scott will close out the month with two services. On March 23rd he will offer one titled “I'm the Greatest Star” and explore our ability to wrestle with humility and hubris, and the reverberations those challenges may have in our lives and in society. Then on March 30th, he will lead the congregation in an observance of the International Transgender Day of Visibility with a sermon on “Trans World Careline.”
Throughout the month, we will be building community in other ways. Two particular events are worth lifting up. The first is Saturday’s family picnic. It’s the first time in many years that the congregation has held such an event. I anticipate that it will be a lot of fun. Then, at the end of the month, we will be holding our annual retreat at UBarU. This year, Dr. Rocke is joining me and Carol. Several families have already indicated that they are coming. It will be a great time to bond with and get to know other members of our community. If you’ve not been before, I encourage you think about attending. There’s scholarship money available for those that might need it.
See you some Sunday soon!
love,
Colin
This past Sunday, after I gave my sermon “Exorcising the Spirit of the Confederacy,” a few of you told me that you were hoping that the congregation could provide more guidance around social justice actions. The country has been thrown into a constitutional crisis and there is a desire to act immediately. One of the most difficult things to accept about the situation is that there is little we can do that will have an immediate impact and halt what should be called the war on the poor. That does, not however, mean that we are powerless. There are numerous ways in which we can join with others and make our voices known in a meaningful fashion.
The economic boycott is a particularly effective tactic. Elon Musk’s power grab has caused Telsa sales to drop and the company’s stock to slide. Since December, he’s lost as much as $100 billion. Whether this will cause the world’s richest man to tremble is hard to know. But, I suspect, it will prompt other oligarchs to think about how support for authoritarianism might hurt their individual bottom lines.
It is certainly emboldening other boycott efforts against companies that have renounced their previous commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion. My family and I have joined the 40-day boycott of Target organized by Rev. Dr. Jamal Bryant. I encourage you to join me in doing so. It has four demands that all center around the company recommitting to racial justice. There are:
- Honor the two billion dollar pledge to the Black business community through products, services, and Black media buys;
- Deposit 250 million amongst any of 23 Black banks;
- Completely restore the franchise commitment to DEI;
- Pipeline community centers at 10 HBCU to teach retail business at every level.
Boycotts are far from the only thing we can do. Yesterday, alongside four other members of the congregation--including three of our youth--I participated in a lobbying day calling for common sense gun reform in Austin. On March 17th, I will be again traveling to Austin for TXUUJM’s Legislative Action Day. I hope that you will consider joining me. It will be a great opportunity to rally with Unitarian Universalists from across the state and let lawmakers hear our voices.
These actions aside, the most important work we can collectively engage in together is building up our religious community. When Unitarian Universalist congregations take the project of widening love’s circle seriously they can change society. In an earlier, perhaps even more difficult period in the country’s history, the Community Church of New York committed to be a beacon of love and justice while the Jim Crow regime of terror was solidified and President Woodrow Wilson waged his assault on civil liberties. In those desperate hours, the congregation’s spiritual message that every person has inherent worth and dignity was so inspiring that clergy and members played pivotal roles in founding both the ACLU and NAACP. How brightly might our flame of own chalice shine in these times?
In the next years, as we navigate the gathering storms, we will collectively be challenged to consider this question. It will inform some of our services this month as we explore the monthly theme for our “Future Visions, Future Selves” series. We will be starting our exploration with a sermon inspired by the science fiction writer Octavia Butler’s vision that if we humans have a future it will be amongst the stars. Then, on March 9th, we will be offering a service titled, “The War on the Poor” in which we will imagine what it might be like to have political leaders who rejected the project of transferring the nation’s wealth upwards. What would it be like to live in a country where federal and state governments were not devoted to waging war on the poor?
On March 16th we will have a special guest in the pulpit. The Rev. Rosemary Bray-McNatt is President of Starr King for the Ministry, one of two Unitarian Universalist seminaries in the United States. She will be joining us to preach a sermon titled “Flight, Fight, Fawn, or Freeze?” It will pick up many of the themes that I explored back in December in my sermon, “Rebirths and Restitutions: Healing Religious Trauma”.
Rev. Scott will close out the month with two services. On March 23rd he will offer one titled “I'm the Greatest Star” and explore our ability to wrestle with humility and hubris, and the reverberations those challenges may have in our lives and in society. Then on March 30th, he will lead the congregation in an observance of the International Transgender Day of Visibility with a sermon on “Trans World Careline.”
Throughout the month, we will be building community in other ways. Two particular events are worth lifting up. The first is Saturday’s family picnic. It’s the first time in many years that the congregation has held such an event. I anticipate that it will be a lot of fun. Then, at the end of the month, we will be holding our annual retreat at UBarU. This year, Dr. Rocke is joining me and Carol. Several families have already indicated that they are coming. It will be a great time to bond with and get to know other members of our community. If you’ve not been before, I encourage you think about attending. There’s scholarship money available for those that might need it.
See you some Sunday soon!
love,
Colin
Where are the Ministers?
Dr. Bossen has a full month! In addition to preaching on March 2nd and 9th, he will be joining our guest preacher the Rev. Rosemary Bray-McNatt in the pulpit on March 16th. On March 17th, he will be traveling to Austin for TXUUJM’s Legislative Action Day. Then from March 20th to the 27th he will be in the United Kingdom. He will be visiting Harris Manchester College, University of Oxford, where he is currently a Visiting Fellow and participating the Political Theologies of a Democratic Common Life conference at New College, University of Oxford. During the conference, he will be presenting a paper titled, “The Political Theologies of Populism: Pan-Africanism, Pluralism, and White Supremacy” and chairing a panel on “Local Sources of Civic Trust.” Shortly after he returns, he will be heading to UBarU for the annual retreat.
Rev. Scott will be on the chancel with Rev. Colin on March 9, and will be preaching on March 23. March 31 is the International Transgender Day of Visibility, and on March 30, Rev. Scott will be preaching about the current administration’s targeting of the trans community. He will be celebrating Stephen Sondheim’s birthday on March 22 with “another vodka stinger”.
