News – June 03, 2022
Dear Members and Friends:
This Sunday we celebrate flower communion and hold our annual meeting. Flower communion is a Unitarian tradition from our congregation in Prague. It is a beautiful ritual that is designed to knit the members of our community more closely together. It comes at a time when school is ending and many of us are getting ready for summer travels. In the service, we each bring a flower, meant to represent the gifts we give the community, and take a flower, meant to represent the gifts of the community.
We have not been able to celebrate flower communion in-person for the last two years. I am anticipating an especially lovely service. We have had many new people join us in the past few years -- in the last two weeks alone we’ve welcomed seven new members -- and this year we’ll be incorporating at least three child dedications into the communion. I hope that you can join us, either in-person or online.
This Sunday is not just flower communion. It is also Inspiration Sunday. Inspiration Sunday is time when we ask our members and friends to dig a little deeper and contribute a little bit more to sustain the life and ministry of our congregation. There’s a lot to be inspired by. Just last week we took out a full page ad (which also ran online) calling for the city of Houston to never rent to the NRA again and Rev. Scott preached an excellent sermon calling us to action to end gun violence.
After the second service, at 1:00 p.m., we will be holding our annual meeting. We will be celebrating our accomplishments of the past year and talking about our plans for next year. Your presence is needed as we discuss the budget, vote on new Board and Nominating Committee meetings, and consider changes to our Articles of Incorporation. Please join us!
This Sunday will be my last service with you until September 11th. As many of you know, I will be going on sabbatical on June 6th and returning September 5th. I will be traveling to Europe where I will be conducting research at the Universities of Oxford and Manchester as well as Dr. William’s Library in London for my forthcoming book on Contemporary Unitarian Universalist Theologies.
My research is being funded by the Hibbert Trust and the Unitarian Universalist Association. I am grateful for their support and yours! While I am gone Rev. Scott will be the spiritual, programmatic, and pastoral leader of the congregation. He and Dr. Rocke will be leading services and offering powerful preaching and wonderful music. Tawanna will be serving as the administrative head. She’ll be in charge of the congregation’s finances and facilities.
While summer can typically be a slow time, we have a number of special guests and services planned. I am pretty sure you’ll want to catch them or, if you’re traveling, view them online. You can see the whole roster here.
I look forward to seeing you this Sunday!
love,
Colin
Where are the Ministers?
Rev. Colin will be on sabbatical starting June 6th. Rev. Scott will be joining him on the chancel this Sunday to help lead worship before the annual meeting. June is Pride Month, and the following Sunday Rev. Scott will integrate Pride with our monthly theme of Reimagining Comfort. The following week he returns to the pulpit to observe both Father’s Day and Juneteenth. The following day, Rev. Scott leaves for Portland for Ministry Days and General Assembly. He will return June 27th.