Rev. William G. Sinkford with Rev. Adeyenka Matimoju, the pastor of First Unitarian Church of Nigeria, in Lagos.
The Queen Mothers, who welcomed Rev. Sinkford to the eastern region of Ghana.
The UU visitors with Rev. Mark Kiyimba, minister of the UUs of Uganda, standing on the equator.
Choosing Love This Holiday Season: A Pastoral Letter from Rev. William G. Sinkford
December 12, 2008
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Dear friends:
As the winter days of this holiday season grow shorter, we light candles in the darkness. Outside there may be blustering wind and even snow, but inside our homes and congregations, we create warm sanctuaries. We celebrate the joys of the season and anticipate the return of the light.
In this season of contrasts, I am reminded of the words of the Rev. Rebecca Parker: “Your gifts, whatever you discover them to be, can be used to bless or curse the world.”
This past November, I spent several weeks on a pilgrimage to Africa, accompanied by Rev. Eric Cherry, Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Director of International Resources; Paula Cole Jones, an Antiracism Consultant for the UUA’s JUUST Change Consultancy; and Maria Sinkford, my wife. We went to learn about truth and reconciliation in South Africa; to fellowship with Unitarian Universalists in Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa; to meet with justice-making partners; and to visit Goree Island, one of the departure points for Africans enslaved in the transatlantic slave trade.
Along the way, we were witnesses to humankind’s capacity for cruelty—and for compassion.
One of the most important and difficult parts of the journey was visiting Goree Island, off the coast of Senegal.
There we saw the small, dark cells where enslaved people were held. Dozens of human beings were crammed into these dank and crowded spaces and were only allowed outside once a day. There were separate cells for slaves who resisted, for virgin girls who were to be raped by slave traders, and for slaves who were force-fed so that they could be transported across the ocean. Slaves who became sick were thrown into the shark-infested sea.
And we saw the “Door of No Return.” Through that door, Africans departed the island alive and enslaved, or dead.
There is no way to completely describe the horror of this place, but I left Goree Island with a deep respect for the tenacity and courage of those who survived to mother and father a new people here in America. And I wondered if I myself could have survived the hardship and cruelty that they endured.
But we also witnessed the human capacity for love and for hope.
One of the most wonderful moments of the trip was our visit with the Manya Krobo Queen Mothers Association of Eastern Ghana, a program partner of the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office.
In this district of Ghana, each of the 320 Queen Mothers represents one of the district’s member communities. The entire district is governed by a chief, who is selected by the Queen Mothers Association.
When the HIV/AIDS epidemic began, the Queen Mothers were the information-gatherers. Ghana has suffered less from HIV/AIDS than most West African countries, but rates in this district were high. The Queen Mothers and the chief responded with a massive educational campaign. They received some money from the national government, but relied mostly on personal contact with people in impacted communities. Their campaign successfully cut in half the rate of new infections in their communities.
Meeting the Queen Mothers was inspiring. Theirs is an impressive and hopeful story. In the face of a virulent epidemic, they were able to save lives through their compassion and dedication.
During our journey, we visited a school and the orphanage run by our Unitarian Universalist brothers and sisters in Kampala, Uganda. The resources of the Kampala congregation are modest, but these Unitarian Universalists have nonetheless been successful in vastly improving the lives of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS.
For many here in the United States and around the world, this year’s holiday season will be a challenging one, in which the continuing problems of war and poverty will be exacerbated by worldwide economic strains. Now, as much as ever, it is critical that we affirm the primacy of love and hope.
I am heartened by the stories of Unitarian Universalist congregations that are practicing generosity this holiday season. I am proud to hear about our congregations that are collecting goods to keep struggling families warm, that are supporting food banks, that are resisting rampant consumerism and promoting ethical consumption, and that are advocating for a more just society.
There are so many opportunities in this holiday season for each of us, and for our congregations, to shine the light of compassion. Even if we have meager resources and great challenges, we can still serve the larger good.
My holiday prayer is that we will continue to find ways to choose love. By affirming the human capacity for compassion, we—individually and collectively—can be a blessing to the world.
In faith,
Rev. William G. Sinkford, President
Unitarian Universalist Association
Last updated on Tuesday, January 6, 2009.
