News – April 2, 2023

Dear Members and Friends,

This past Sunday we launched our annual stewardship campaign with the theme “Widening Love’s Circle.” The theme comes from the new vision that you voted unanimously to adopt at your most recent congregational meeting. The adoption of a new vision, along with the new mission and covenant, are a major accomplishment for our developmental ministry. They will help First Unitarian Universalist thrive into the future.

Securing our ability to thrive into the future is, of course, why we hold a stewardship campaign every year. This year we’re setting a stewardship goal of $670,000. We’re encouraging those of you who do not currently pledge to consider doing so. And we’re hoping that those of you who do might think about increasing your current pledge by 10%.

The stewardship team has made a compelling case for our campaign. I don’t want to steal their thunder. If you have not read it already then you can read it HERE.

I hope that you will be inspired by it as much as I have! Your support is what allows us to widen love’s circle. And this month we’ll be especially focused on the work of widening the circle of love to include our whole community. On April 15th, in cooperation with Moms Demand Action, we will be holding a Day of Mourning for Gun Violence. The service will last from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and is time coincide with the National Rifle Association’s national convention. The Board passed a powerful resolution for the Day of Mourning. Religious leaders from nearby congregations, elected officials such as Rep. Ron Reynolds, Rep. Suleman Lalani, and Rep. Ann Johnson, and gun violence prevention advocates will also speak and read names.

At the end of the month we will again be working to widen love’s circle with another installment in our forum series on Religion in Houston’s Pan-African Community. Isis Brantley will be joining us for a conversation on Sunday, April 30th at 5:00 p.m. She’s an Oshun priestess best known across the state of Texas as the woman who successfully fought to ensure those who practiced and taught African hair braiding did not need a state-mandated license to do so.

Throughout the month we’ll also be offering inspiring and uplifting worship. We have a wonderful guest preacher this weekend, Ebony Peace. Next Sunday we’ll hold our annual Easter celebration. On the 16th I’ll be preaching sermon to coincide with our Day of Mourning. The youth group is planning an Earth Day for April 23rd. And at the end of the month we’ll celebrate May Day.

I hope that you’ll join me for all of it and commit to supporting the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston as we work towards collective liberation. Together we can widen love’s circle.

love, Colin