EVENT: B2018 0622 SYNERGY 4PM CAPTIONS PROVIDED BY: HEAR INK HTTP://WWW.HEARINK.COM PHONE: 314-427-1113. **********DISCLAIMER********** THE FOLLOWING IS AN UNEDITED ROUGH DRAFT TRANSLATION FROM THE CART CAPTIONER'S OUTPUT FILE. THIS TRANSCRIPT IS NOT VERBATIM AND HAS NOT BEEN PROOFREAD. TO DO SO IS AN EXTRA FEE. THIS FILE MAY CONTAIN ERRORS. PLEASE CHECK WITH THE SPEAKER(S) FOR ANY CLARIFICATION. THIS TRANSCRIPT MAY NOT BE COPIED OR DISSEMINATED TO ANYONE UNLESS YOU OBTAIN WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM THE OFFICE OR SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT IS PROVIDING CART CAPTIONING TO YOU; FINALLY, THIS TRANSCRIPT MAY NOT BE USED IN A COURT OF LAW. **********DISCLAIMER********** >> WELCOME ALL, TO THIS YEAR'S 2018 SYNERGY SERVICE! WELCOME TO YOUTH, WHO MIGHT BE LOOKING AHEAD TO THEIR OWN BRIDGING. >> WELCOME TO YOUNG ADULTS, WHO REMEMBER THEIR OWN TRANSITION TO ADULTHOOD. >> WELCOME, ESPECIALLY TO OUR BRIDGERS, AND TO THOSE WHO HAVE GATHERED TO SUPPORT AND RECOGNIZE THEM. >> WE KNOW THAT EVEN THOUGH THIS IS AN EXCITING TIME, TRANSITIONING TO A DIFFERENT STAGE OF LIFE CAN BE OVERWHELMING. >> BUT LOOK AROUND YOU. OUR FAITH HOLDS US. EVERY FACE YOU SEE IN THIS ROOM IS A PART OF THE TAPESTRY OF SUPPORT AND LOVE THAT SUSTAINS US. >> LET'S TAKE A MOMENT TO THANK THE GA BAND. [APPLAUSE] >> THE PARTICIPANTS IN THIS WORSHIP SERVICE, AND EVERYONE WHO HELPED MAKE IT ALL POSSIBLE. [APPLAUSE] >> SPEAKING OF SOMEONE WHO HELPED MAKE THIS ALL POSSIBLE?WE'D ALSO LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT TO OFFER LOTS OF GRATITUDE FOR THE REV. ANNIE GONZALEZ-MILLIKEN. >> SHE'S SERVED FIVE YEARS OF SERVICE AS OUR YOUNG ADULT AND CAMPUS MINISTRY ASSOCIATE WHICH SHE IS DEPARTING FOR A NEW PARISH MINISTER ROLE. ANNIE, WE HAVE A GIFT FOR YOU. THIS STOLE AND ITS SWIRLS AND WHIRLS REPRESENT THE MANY JOURNEYS THAT YOU'VE COMPANIONED OUR YOUNG ADULTS AND THOSE THAT MINISTER TO THEM ON THE WAY. SO ANNIE, ON BEHALF OF ALL OF US, PLEASE ACCEPT THIS GIFT FOR YOUR SERVICE. [APPLAUSE] THERE ARE SO MANY OF US IN THIS ROOM AND ACROSS THE UUA WHOSE LIVES HAVE BEEN TOUCHED AND BLESSED BY YOUR MINISTRY AND WE ALL WISH YOU NEW BLESSINGS ON YOUR MINISTRY. AND NOW WE'D LIKE TO INVITE EMMA MERCHANT, JR. YOUTH CAUCUS ADMINISTRATORS, TO LIGHT OUR CHALICE. I LEARNED TO LIGHT A CHALICE WHEN I WAS SIX. I CARRIED THE DELICATE FLAME TO THE BASIN OF OUR FAITH, LIT THE WICK, AND STEPPED AWAY. ONLY CARRYING THE FAITH A SHORT DISTANCE. HERE WE ARE AGAIN, OLD FRIEND. I AM HERE TO TAKE YOU ON A LONGER JOURNEY THIS TIME. I HAVE GROWN INTO SOMETHING NEW, NO LONGER DO I FEAR TO CARRY YOU. YOU LIGHT MY PATH AS I TRAVEL TO AN UNKNOWN PLACE. AND THOUGH YOU GIVE ME LIGHT, I GIVE YOU PURPOSE. JUST AS MY MOTHER DOES. JUST AS MY GRANDFATHER DOES. WE CARRY THE LIGHT AND WARM OF COMMUNITY THROUGH GENERATIONS. AS WE GROW AND CHANGE, SO DOES OUR FAITH. TONIGHT WE LIGHT OUR CHALICE, A BEACON IN THE TWILIGHT. >> I HAVE BEEN A UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST FOR ALMOST MY ENTIRE LIFE, BUT I ONLY BEGAN CALLING MYSELF RELIGIOUS A FEW YEARS AGO. IN MY EXPERIENCE, THE MOST PROMINENT ASPECT OF UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM AND THE MOST WIDELY SHARED BELIEF OF THE PEOPLE I HAVE INTERACTED WITH IS NOT A BELIEF IN A PARTICULAR GOD BUT A COMMITMENT TO SOCIAL JUSTICE AND A GENERAL SENSE OF WANTING TO HELP MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE. OF COURSE, I'M NOT SAYING THAT SOCIAL ACTION CAN'T BE SPIRITUAL. BUT FOR THE MAJORITY OF MY LIFE MY FOCUS ON UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM HAS BEEN MORE GEARED TOWARDS SOCIAL AND POLITICAL AWARENESS AND ACTIVISM THAN SPIRITUALITY. THAT CHANGED A FEW YEARS AGO WHEN I BEGAN PARTICIPATING IN YOUTH EVENTS - BOTH UUA-BASED NATIONWIDE ONES AND LOCAL CONFERENCES. WHAT UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM HAS TRULY GIVEN ME ABOVE ALL ELSE IS THE KNOWLEDGE THAT NOT ONLY CAN SPIRITUALITY BE A PART OF ACTIVISM, BUT THAT IT IS IN FACT AN ESSENTIAL PART OF IT. LAST YEAR I ATTENDED SUMMER SEMINARY, A PROGRAM WHERE I LEARNED ABOUT THE JOBS AND LIVES OF RELIGIOUS PROFESSIONALS, MADE FRIENDS THAT I AM STILL IN CONSTANT CONTACT WITH, AND EXPLORED THE OPTION OF BECOMING A RELIGIOUS PROFESSIONAL MYSELF. WHILE I WAS AT SUMMER SEMINARY, TRUMP ANNOUNCED THE TRANSGENDER MILITARY BAN - A TOPIC THAT IS STILL IN THE NEWS TODAY, ALMOST A YEAR LATER. I WAS HEARTBROKEN. AS A TRANSGENDER INDIVIDUAL I FELT LIKE I HAD NOBODY TO REACH OUT TO. I WAS IN BOSTON, THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY FROM MY HOME IN CALIFORNIA, AND I WAS NOT EVEN OUT TO MOST OF MY FELLOW SUMMER SEMINARY PARTICIPANTS. THAT VERY DAY WE HAD LEARNED ABOUT THE CAREER PATH OF MILITARY CHAPLAINCY - I HAD EVEN TALKED TO A FEW CHAPLAINS WHO WERE CURRENTLY SERVING AND HAD FOUND THEIR STORIES INCREDIBLE AND INSPIRING. I FELT LIKE I HAD BEEN SHOWN AN OPPORTUNITY ONLY FOR IT TO HAVE BEEN TAKEN AWAY FROM ME IN AN INSTANT. SO I DID SOMETHING THAT I DO NOT DO VERY OFTEN - I PRAYED. NOT IN THE TRADITIONAL SENSE, AND NOT TO A TRADITIONAL GOD, BUT I WAS PRAYING. I ASKED FOR THE STRENGTH TO CONTINUE, TO OVERCOME, AND TO FIND A WAY TO STAND UP AGAINST WHAT HAD HAPPENED. AND IN THE FOLLOWING DAYS AS A PART OF THE PROGRAM I EXPERIENCED A COMPANIONSHIP LIKE NOTHING I HAD EVER FELT BEFORE. MOST IMPORTANTLY, MY HOPE IN THE WORLD AND THE PEOPLE IN IT WAS RENEWED. ALL OF OUR MOVEMENTS AND EVERYTHING THAT WE WORK TOWARDS ARE NOTHING WITHOUT THE HOPE THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY MAKE CHANGE. HOPE IS ESSENTIAL. HOPE IS THE REASON FOR FIGHTING OPPRESSION IN THE FIRST PLACE. I HAVE BEEN ASKED TO SHARE WHAT I HAVE GAINED FROM UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM AND WHAT I WISH TO PASS ON TO FUTURE GENERATIONS. WHAT I HAVE GAINED IS A PLACE IN A COMMUNITY OF LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE USING FAITH AND JUSTICE TOGETHER TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE. WHAT I HOPE TO PASS ON TO FUTURE GENERATIONS IS THAT SAME COMMUNITY, WITH A STRONG YOUTH PRESENCE AND EVEN BETTER REPRESENTATION AND INCLUSION SO THEY TOO CAN FEEL AS IF THEY BELONG. I WANT FUTURE UU YOUTH TO HAVE HOPE, AND TO BE ABLE TO USE SPIRITUALITY AND FAITH TO ENCOURAGE SOCIAL ACTION AND CHANGE IN THE WORLD. THANK YOU. [APPLAUSE] >> I CANNOT OVERSTATE HOW IMPORTANT PARTICIPATION IN NATIONAL UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST YOUTH PROGRAMMING HAS BEEN IN SHAPING MY UNDERSTANDING OF MY OWN UU IDENTITY. AND, THESE FOUNDATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES HAVE BEEN MADE POSSIBLE FOR ME THANKS TO GENEROUS FINANCIAL SUPPORT PROGRAMS SUCH AS THE KATIE TYSON FUND, WHICH WE ARE HONORING TONIGHT. THIS FUND EXISTS TO HONOR THE LEGACY OF KATIE TYSON, A UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST YOUNG ADULT WHO WAS A PASSIONATE LEADER IN THIS DENOMINATION, AND WHO DREAMED OF BECOMING A MINISTER. SADLY, IN 2009 HER LIFE ENDED IN A CAR ACCIDENT WHEN SHE WAS RETURNING HOME FROM GENERAL ASSEMBLY, AT THE AGE OF 21, THE AGE I AM NOW. HER PARENTS CREATED THE KATIE TYSON FUND TO HELP OTHER UU YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS LIVE THEIR DREAMS OF LEADERSHIP LIKE KATIE HAD DONE. KATIE'S MOTHER KAREN DIED IN 2012, AND HER FATHER HERB HAS RECENTLY RECEIVED A SERIOUS CONTINUES TO GIVE TO OUR FAITH COMMUNITY THROUGH HIS INCREDIBLE GENEROSITY OF BOTH FINANCIAL RESOURCES AND HIS MUSICAL TALENTS AS A SINGER-SONGWRITER. IN THE SUMMER AFTER I FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL, THIS FUND ALLOWED ME TO BE A PART OF SUMMER SEMINARY, THE PROGRAM ELLIOT DISCUSSED, WHICH IS A POWERFUL SPACE FOR ANY YOUNG PERSON WORKING TO DISCERN THEIR CALLINGS TO UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST COMMUNITY. DURING THE WEEK WE EXPLORED DIFFERENT TYPES OF MINISTRY AND I WAS OPENED TO THE WORLD OF LESS EXTRA ADDITIONAL AND MORE ENTREPRENEURIAL MINISTRY. THANKS TO THIS EXPERIENCE, I HAVE BEEN INSPIRED TO SEEK OUT MY OWN PATH OF MINISTRY, AS I HOPE TO FOCUS ON SUPPORTING THE WORK OF CONGREGATIONS AND YOUTH GROUPS IN THEIR SOCIAL JUSTICE EFFORTS, AND TO BRING UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM MORE FULLY INTO THE EMERGING MOVEMENT OF FAITH COMMUNITIES WORKING TO CREATE A JUST AND EQUITABLE WORLD THROUGH THE HEALING OF OUR BROKEN FOOD SYSTEM. AFTER SUMMER SEMINARY, I WAS COMFORTABLE BEING TRUE TO MYSELF AS I GOT MY BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES WHILE BEGINNING TO WORK PROFESSIONALLY IN THE SUSTAINABILITY WORLD, WHERE I DISCOVERED MY PASSION FOR FOOD JUSTICE. THE INCREDIBLE COMMUNITY OF PEERS AND MENTORS THAT I GAINED THEN SHOWED ME THAT SUCH DIFFERENT AND INTERSECTING PERSONAL PASSIONS CAN COEXIST BEAUTIFULLY; NOW, I AM PREPARING TO BEGIN MY STUDIES AT HARVARD DIVINITY SCHOOL AS A MINISTRY FELLOW IN LATE AUGUST. IN THIS TIME OF TRANSITION, I AM AGAIN GRATEFUL TO THE KATIE TYSON FUND FOR BRINGING ME THE COMMUNITY I FOUND IN MEANING MAKERS JUST A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO.AND SEEING MANY FRIENDS IN THE AUDIENCE, AS WELL AS FROM SUMMER SEMINARY. THIS PROUD SPACE FOR UU ADULTS TO NAVIGATE THIS TIME IN OUR LIVES AS YOUNG UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS AND EXPLORE WHERE WE FIT INTO SHAPING THE FUTURE OF OUR DENOMINATION. IN BOTH SUMMER SEMINARY AND MEANING MAKERS, I BUILD RELATIONSHIPS THAT TAUGHT ME SO MUCH AND THAT I KNOW WILL LAST MANY MORE YEARS. SO I ASK YOU TO GIVE GENEROUSLY TO THIS FUND AND I HOPE THAT I CAN BE THE TESTAMENT OF SUPPORTING YOUTH IN OUR ORGANIZATION. TODAY I AM ENCOURAGING TO YOU GIVE NOT ONLY OF YOUR FINANCIAL RESOURCES, BUT IT REACH OUT TO THE GROWING YOUNG LEADERS IN YOUR CONGREGATIONS. I WOULD NOT BE WHERE I AM TODAY WITHOUT THE SUSTAINED SUPPORT OF PEOPLE LIKE YOU. YOU CAN GIVE CASH, WRITE A CHECK PAYABLE TO THE UUA WITH SYNERGY IN THE MEMO, FILL OUT YOUR CREDIT CARD DETAILS ON THE ENVELOPE, OR FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS THAT WILL APPEAR ON THE SCREEN FOR MOBILE GIVING. THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY. AND IF YOU'RE A YOUNG ADULT JUST LIKE ME AND MY FRIENDS, JUST GIVING A FEW DOLLARS OF SPARE CHANGE IS AMAZING AND I THANK YOU SO MUCH. [APPLAUSE] >> WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? IT'S A QUESTION THAT I'M POSITIVE EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM HAS HEARD AND PROBABLY QUITE A FEW OF YOU HAVE ASKED IT. THE QUESTION WORKS WELL ENOUGH IN THEORY, BUT AS A BOY, I COULD NEVER WE ARE IT. NOT BECAUSE I HAD NO INTEREST. IF ANYTHING, THERE WERE TOO MANY OPTION FOR HIS ME. I'VE ALWAYS HAD A SHORT ATTENTION SPAN, SO FINDING THINGS THAT EXCITED ME OR INTRIGUED ME WASN'T A PROBLEM. WHEN I WAS SEVEN, I WANTED TO BE AN ARCHITECT. WHEN I WAS NINE, I WANTED TO BECOME A BOOED I FELT MONK AND MOVE TO CHINA. WHEN I TURNED 16, I CONSIDERED MINISTRY AS A CAREER PATH. NOTHING EVER STUCK WITH ME, BECAUSE THE IDEA OF CHOOSING ONE THING AND BEING JUST THAT THING FELT LIKE A TRAP. A BOXY FIND MYSELF IN THAT WOULD BECOME A PRISON AS SOON AS MY INTERESTS CHANGED. OBVIOUSLY, THAT'S NOT THE CASE. THE KIDS WHO COULD SAY I WANT TO BE AN ASTRONAUT, A TEACHER, AN ARTIST WEREN'T DOOMED TO BECOME LOCKED UP IN A BOX. THEY JUST HAD AN ANSWER TO A QUESTION THAT I DIDN'T. AS JEALOUS AS I WANT TO BE, I COULDN'T HELP BUT BE AMAZED THAT MANY OF MY FRIENDS HAD SOMEHOW SOLVED LIFE'S GREATEST MYSTERY FOR THEMSELVES. EVENTUALLY AS I GOT OLDER, I WASN'T ASKED THE QUESTION AS MUCH, AND IT SLOWLY FADED INTO MEMORY AS I STOPPED HEARING IT. I WASN'T INTRODUCED TO THE QUESTION AGAIN UNTIL I WAS A YOUTH. FROM THE MOMENT I ATTENDED MY FIRST YOUTH EVENT IN SUMMER CAMP IN THE BEAUTIFUL SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA MOUNTAINS, I KNEW THAT THE COMMUNITY OF LOVE AND CARE WAS SOMETHING I WANTED TO BE A PART OF AND PURSUE. IT LED ME TO VOLUNTEER TO BE ON STAFF TEAMS, FOR CONS AND CAM OF HIS, ATTENDING TRAININGS AND PROGRAMS LIKE SUMMER SEMINARY. IT WAS AT THESE THAT I FOUND THE SAME QUESTION, BUT UNDER A DIFFERENT NAME.AL CALLING. THE WORD SOUNDS DEEPER AND SEEMS TO CARRY MORE WEIGHT. FOR SOME CRAZY REASON. SOME OF MY PEERS HAD ALREADY FOUND THEIRS. I DESPERATELY WAND TO FIND MINE. I THOUGHT THAT IF I LOOKED HARD ENOUGH, MEDITATED JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF TIMES, IT WOULD POP INTO MY HEAD JUST LIKE THAT. BUT ONCE AGAIN, I DIDN'T FIND THE ANSWER. I FELT LOST SEARCHING AGAIN PUT THE QUESTION OFF FOR A LATER DATE. IT WAS ONLY RECENTLY AS I APPROACHED YOUNG ADULTHOOD THAT I BEGAN TO SEE WHAT WAS MISSING. AS MY TIME AS A YOUTH BEGAN TO WRAP UP IN THE NEXT STEPS TO MY FUTURE RAPIDLY CAME NEAR "CALMED THE QUESTION WITH NEWFOUND URGENCY. IT WAS NOW OR NEVER AND I COULDN'T DECIDE WHAT I WAS GOING TO BE, WHAT MY CALLING WAS HOW ON EARTH COULD I GO FORTH INTO THE ADULT WORLD? WHO WOULD I BE? AND THAT'S WHEN I FOUND IT. IT WASN'T THAT I DIDN'T LOOK HARD ENOUGH OR THAT I WAS LOOMED NEVER TO SEEK THE ANSWER THAT I HAVE THE SEEKING. I HAD THE WRONG QUESTION. I HAD TO LIVE AT FIRST. UNKNOWINGLY, I HAD BEGUN MY JOURNEY FROM THE MOMENT THAT I COULD ASK MYSELF THE QUESTION: IT WASN'T ABOUT WHAT I WOULD DO IN THE WORLD IN MY FAR OFF DAY WHEN I COULD BECOME A GROWNUP. IT WAS ABOUT WHO I WAS GOING TO BE ALONG THE WAY. AND IT WASN'T JUST ME. EVEN IF I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT TO DO, THAT DOESN'T MAKE IT WHO YOU ARE AND WHO YOU HAVE TO BE. WE'RE MORE THAN THE SUM OF OUR PARTS, NOT JUST LABELS. WE'RE SORTED INTO BY OURSELVES OR OTHERS. WHO YOU ARE IS HOW YOU CHOOSE TO LIVE. NO MATTER HOW LOST YOU FEEL, NO MATTER HOW CONFUSING THE ROAD YOU'RE TRAVELING DOWN BECOMES, IT'S A CHOICE YOU'LL ALWAYS HAVE. I'LL PROBABLY NEVER FINISH ANSWERING THE RIDDLE OF MY CALLING. I DON'T THINK I'M MEANT TO. I DIDN'T GET TO CHOOSE?-- I DIDN'T GET TO KNOW WHAT I WOULD BE WHEN I GREW UP WHEN I WAS A BOY, BUT I DO GET TO CHOOSE WHO I'M GOING TO BE AS A MAN. AND SOMEDAY YEARS FROM NOW WHEN I REMEMBER THE QUESTION AGAIN, I DON'T WANT TO ASK MY CHILDREN WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE WHEN THEY GROW UP, BECAUSE WHETHER OR NOT THEY'LL BE ABLE TO ANSWER IT, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT IT'S THE IMPORTANT QUESTION. I'D RATHER ASK THEM, WHO DO YOU WANT TO BE AS YOU GROW UP? [APPLAUSE] >> HAVE YOU EVER HAD THE EXPERIENCE OF BEING ASKED A QUESTION SO PROFOUND THAT IT STOPS YOU IN YOUR TRACKS EVERY TIME YOU RECALL IT? WELL, ONE OF OUR YOUNG MINISTERS OF COLOR, TYLER COLES, PRESENTED ME WITH THIS QUESTION LAST FALL "WHAT ARE YOU BUILDING AND HOW ARE YOU BUILDING IT?" MY HEART STOPPED AND I FELT THE IMMEDIATE URGE TO INTERROGATE MY SPIRIT. AS THE YEAR HAS GONE ON AFTER I FIRST HEARD THE QUESTION, I'VE BECOME MORE PLAYFUL WITH IT. TO THINK OF BUILDING AS AN ACT OF CREATION. AS AN ACT OF PLAY. IT IS SO EASY TO GET BOGGED DOWN IN THE HEAVINESS OF DESTROYING, REIMAGINING AND REBUILDING NEW WORLDS. THE TRUTH IS THAT THIS WORK WILL NEVER END AND WHEN ADULTS PLAN 2 HOUR MEETINGS WITH NO SNACKS, BATHROOM BREAKS OR SONGS- THAT GETS HEAVY! IT GETS UNNECESSARILY BURDENSOME AND LABORIOUS. THEN WE LOSE SO MUCH OF THE WONDER AND MAGIC OF THESE ONGOING MOMENTS OF TRANSITION. SO WHILE MY CHARGE TO YOU IS TO UNAPOLOGETICALLY INTERROGATE THE WORLDS WE ARE BUILDING AND THE MANNER IN WHICH THEY ARE BUILT, MY DEEPER INVITATION IS TO MAKE YOUR WORK PLAYFUL. TO MAKE THE TRANSITION INTO UU YOUNG ADULTHOOD SERIOUS BUT PLAYFUL. TO MAKE YOUR FAITH- AS IT GROWS AND SHAPE SHIFTS- PLAYFUL. OUR UU TRADITION OF A BRIDGING RITUAL INVITES US TO SURROUND OUR UU YOUTH WITH LOVE IN THIS MIDDLE MOMENT AS THEY METAPHORICALLY AND PLAYFULLY MOVE ON TO THE BRIDGE OF BECOMING UU YOUNG ADULTS. UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS HONOR THIS TRANSITION AT OUR DENOMINATIONAL GATHERING BECAUSE BEING HERE, NOW, WITH YOU ALL, CONNECTS US TO THE BRIDGERS WHO HAVE COME BEFORE, TO THOSE WHO BRIDGE IN CONGREGATIONS AND SUMMER CAMPS, AND TO THE MILESTONES OF TRANSITION AND TRANSFORMATION WE SHARE WITH OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILIES. EACH BRIDGING YOUTH, COME FORWARD TO THE PULPIT AND SAY SHARE YOUR NAME AND YOUR CONGREGATION SO THAT WE CAN CELEBRATE YOU, YOUR JOURNEY, YOUR ENOUGH-NESS. MAY WE JOURNEY TOGETHER WITH PLAYFUL, INTENTIONAL, INSIGHTFUL, STRATEGIC AND LIGHT HEARTS TO TRANSITION, CONSTRUCT AND LIVE INTO A MORE JUST AND FAITHFUL BELOVED COMMUNITY. [APPLAUSE] BRIDGERS: I INVITE YOU TO REMAIN STANDING. YOUNG ADULTS, YOU MAY SIT DOWN. BRIDGERS, TODAY, WE RECOGNIZE YOUR TRANSITION INTO YOUNG ADULTHOOD. THE PHYSICAL MOVE YOU MADE FROM THE GATHERING OF YOUTH TO THE GATHERING OF YOUNG ADULTS IS SYMBOLIC OF THIS CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE. AS YOU ENTER YOUNG ADULTHOOD, THINGS WILL CONTINUE TO SHIFT, TO CHANGE, TO GROW-BUT IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT YOU DO NOT LEAVE BEHIND ALL YOU HAVE LEARNED AND EXPERIENCED. ALL THAT HAS MADE YOU THE PERSON THAT YOU ARE, ALL THAT HAS LED YOU TO THIS MOMENT, HERE, THIS AFTERNOON-IT ALL COMES WITH YOU INTO THIS NEW STAGE OF YOUR LIFE. ALL OF WHO YOU ARE AND ALL OF WHO YOU HAVE BEEN AND ALL OF WHO YOU WILL BE IS BOUND UP IN YOU, AND YOU ARE BOUND UP IN THE TAPESTRIES THAT WEAVE TOGETHER YOUR VARIOUS COMMUNITIES, UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM, AND THE WIDER WORLD. TODAY, BRIDGERS, WE CELEBRATE YOU, EXACTLY AS YOU ARE: WITH ALL YOUR HOPES AND FEARS AND INTENTIONS AND DREAMS AND MISTAKES AND MISSTEPS-FULLY HUMAN, NO MORE, NO LESS. WE CHERISH YOUR TRIUMPHS AND JOYS, HONOR YOUR DISAPPOINTMENTS AND SORROWS, AND RECOGNIZE THAT MUCH OF LIFE LIES SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN. WE BLESS YOU TODAY, BRIDGERS, WITH THE KNOWLEDGE THAT YOU ARE NOT ALONE. SO MANY PEOPLE, PEOPLE WHO YOU KNOW AND PEOPLE YOU MIGHT NEVER MEET, HOLD YOU IN LOVE AND SUPPORT. YOU ARE CONNECTED BY INVISIBLE THREADS, INVISIBLE BONDS, TO EVERYONE ELSE. THE STRENGTH OF OUR COMMUNITIES LIES WITHIN THESE BONDS-AND WITHIN YOU. DIVINITY AND HOLINESS LIE WITHIN THESE BONDS-AND WITHIN YOU. BRIDGERS, AS YOU GO FORWARD INTO YOUNG ADULTHOOD AND THE REST OF YOUR LIVES, WE BLESS YOU WITH COURAGE, WITH HUMILITY, AND WITH COMPASSION. WE WISH FOR YOU DETERMINATION, AND GRACE, AND A WILLINGNESS AND CURIOSITY TO LEARN AND BE WRONG AND TRY AGAIN. GO FORTH CONFIDENTLY, WITH THE STRENGTH OF YOUR COMMUNITIES FLANKING YOU. GO FORTH GROUNDED IN THE LOVE AND SUPPORT THAT YOU FIND HERE. GO FORTH KNOWING THAT YOU ARE WORTHY, AND YOU ARE ENOUGH. YOU MAY BE SEATED. [APPLAUSE] >> IN MY 22 YEARS AS A UU, I HAVE INHERITED MOST OF WHAT MAKES ME WHO I AM TODAY, THE RE LEAGUE COMMUNITY THE AT SURREY BEACH IN SAGO, MAINE, HAS BEEN MY SPIRITUAL HOME SINCE I WAS NINE YEARS OLD. THE OTHER YOUTH THERE WERE THE OLDER BROTHERS AND SISTERS THAT I HAD ALWAYS WANTED. GROWING UP UU TAUGHT ME TO BE OPEN-MINDED, CONSCIENTIOUS, AND TO VALUE COMMUNITY. WHEN I WAS A JUNIOR IN HIGH SCHOOL, I FOUND MYSELF IN A DISTRICT WHERE YOUTH CONFERENCES WERE SLOWLY DYING. DUE TO A VERY ENTHUSIASTIC GROUP OF YOUTH AND THEY WERE HAMPERED BY A FINITE AMOUNT OF ADULT RESOURCE, CAUSING DISAGREEMENTS BETWEEN THE YOUTH AND ADULTS ABOUT THE NUMBER AND LENGTH OF YOUTH CONFERENCES THAT COULD BE HELD. I FOUND MYSELF PUT IN A POSITION WHERE AS A YOUTH LEADER I WANTED MY VOICE TO BE HEARD AND AS A CHILD OF A DRE I HAD A PATH THROUGH WHICH I COULD ACCOMPLISH THAT. I WANTED THERE TO BE WEEKEND-LONG CONS IN MY SENIOR YEAR MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE, AND AFTER MANY MEETINGS AND EMAILS AND LATE NIGHTS OF PLANNING WE ENDED UP HAVING TWO. AT THE FIRST OF THOSE CONS, ON A NIGHT IN LATE JANUARY, THAT I BEGAN TO BELIEVE IN MYSELF. I REALIZED THAT IF I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING ENOUGH AND PUT IN THE EFFORT I COULD MAKE IT HAPPEN. LATER THAT YEAR AS I WAS WEIGHING THE PROS AND THE CONS OF DIFFERENT COLLEGES I REMEMBER THINKING TO MYSELF THAT IT WOULD BE OKAY IF I ENDED UP SOMEWHERE WITHOUT A PREEXISTENT UU GROUP, BECAUSE I KNEW THAT I COULD START ONE. [APPLAUSE] FAST FORWARD TO MY SOFT MORE YEAR IN COLLEGE WHEN I FIRST FILED THE PAPERS TO RESTART THE DEFUNCT UU GROUP AT MY SCHOOL. IT DID NOT EXACTLY GO AS PLANNED: THERE ARE NOT ACTUALLY THAT MANY UU'S WHO ATTEND RPI IN THE FIRST PLACE AND THE SUBSET OF PEOPLE WHO WANT TO BE PART OF A CAMPUS GROUP IS EVEN SMALLER. I ALSO HAD NO IDEA HOW TO LEAD A GROUP OF THAT SORT. IN MY HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH GROUP WE HAD ALL BEEN FRIENDS SINCE WE HAD BEEN CHILDHOOD. STARTING A GROUP FROM SCRATCH WAS NEW TO ME. BUT I PERSISTED, BECAUSE IF I COULD PULL A DISTRICT TOGETHER, I COULD LEAD A UU CAMPUS GROUP. I STARTED LOOKING FOR RESOURCES, WRITING CURRICULA, AND PUTTING TOGETHER SOMETHING SO THAT EVEN ON DAYS WHEN I HAD JUST RUN OUT OF LAB AND HAD NO CAPACITY TO THINK ABOUT PLANNING ANYTHING, I COULD HAVE SOMETHING TO FALL BACK ON. OUR GROUP NEVER DID GET THAT BIG, BUT I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT LEADERSHIP, OUTREACH, AND HOW TO ASK FOR HELP WHEN YOU NEED IT. WHAT I PLAN ON PASSING ON TO THE FUTURE GENERATIONS OF UU'S IS THAT SENSE OF COMMUNITY. WHEN I WAS NINE YEARS OLD I EXPERIENCED COMMUNITY AT FERRY BEACH RE WOKE. MY YOUTH CONFERENCE DISTRICT, HOME CONGREGATION, AND COLLEGE CAMPUS GROUP. WHAT I'VE LEARNED FROM THE MANY GROUPS IS HOW IMPORTANT UU COMMUNITY CAN BE, MAKING SURE THAT MY FELLOW YOUNG ADULTS KNOW THAT THEY ARE WELCOME IS PARAMOUNT TO ME, BECAUSE MY UU COMMUNITY HAS HELPED ME TO BE A BETTER, HAPPIER, MORE GENEROUS PERSON AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT OTHERS CAN HAVE THE WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE I DID. [APPLAUSE] >> I INVITE YOU TO RISE IN BODY OR IN SPIRIT AND JOIN US IN SINGING. >> AS UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS WE HAVE INHERITED THE FREEDOM TO DETERMINE AND ACCEPT, ON OUR OWN TERMS, HOW WE LIVE OUT OUR FAITH. WE ARE URGED TO SEEK KNOWLEDGE TO REFINE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. THE 4TH PRINCIPLE GUIDES US ON "A FREE AND RESPONSIBLE SEARCH FOR TRUTH AND MEANING". FOR MANY, UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM PROVIDES A COMMUNITY IN WHICH WE ARE ALL FREE TO CHOOSE. WE STRIVE TO CREATE A BELOVED COMMUNITY IN WHICH PERSONAL CHOICE, THE FREEDOM TO BE WHO WE ARE, IS CHERISHED BY MANY. OUR ABILITY TO INDIVIDUALLY AND COLLECTIVELY CHOOSE THE ENERGY THAT WE PUT INTO THE WORLD IS SOMETHING THAT I BELIEVE, IS DISTINCTIVE ABOUT OUR FAITH. THAT BEING SAID, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO TAKE A SECOND AND DEEPLY CONSIDER REALLY HOW MUCH OF YOUR PRESENCE IN UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM, YOUR CONGREGATION, YOU BEING HERE AT GA IS DUE CHOICE. ARE YOU HERE SOLELY BECAUSE OF YOUR POWER TO MAKE A SELECTION OF A FAITH THAT BEST ENCOMPASSES YOUR MORALS? OR IS THERE MORE AT PLAY? I SPECULATE THAT FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WERE BORN OR ADOPTED INTO UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM AS WELL AS THOSE OF YOU WHO FOUND UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM LATER ON, THAT THERE IS SOMETHING MORE THAN JUST PERSONAL CHOICE (OR CHOICE OF YOUR CAREGIVERS) THAT BROUGHT YOU INTO THIS COMMUNITY. I ENCOURAGE YOU TO EXPLORE WHAT ASPECTS OF YOUR PATH TO UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM HAVE BEEN INVOLUNTARY. WHAT CONTRIBUTIONS HAVE PAST GENERATIONS MADE TO THIS FAITH THAT HAVE MADE YOUR DEDICATION TO UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM NEARLY COMPULSORY. PERHAPS MY OWN STORY WILL CLARIFY. IN 1988 I WAS ADOPTED INTO A WHITE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST FAMILY AS A NEWBORN. I WAS DEDICATED IN A UU FELLOWSHIP IN ELKHART, INDIANA, BY THE MINISTER GORDON GIBSON. MY MOTHER AND COUSIN ARE FORMER DRES AND MY FATHER SPENT TIME AS A BOARD MEMBER AT A COUPLE DIFFERENT CONGREGATIONS. MY GRANDMOTHER HELPED FOUND A UU CHURCH IN SOUTH BEND, INDIANA IN 1952. THE ONLY FAITH I HAVE KNOWN HAS BEEN UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM. IT HAS NOT ONLY BEEN MY PERSONAL HISTORY THAT HAS STRENGTHENED MY IDENTITY AS A UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST BUT ALSO THE CHOICES AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF MY PARENT'S AND MY GRANDPARENT'S GENERATIONS THAT HAS CEMENTED MY CHOICE OF THIS FAITH. IT IS THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF GENERATIONS PAST THAT HAVE MADE WAY FOR MYSELF, A BLACK WOMEN AND PROUD UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST TO HOLD BOTH OF THOSE IDENTITIES NOT AS CONFLICTING OR OPPOSED ATTRIBUTES BUT AS SIMULTANEOUSLY AND HARMONIOUSLY LINKED ASPECTS OF MY EXISTENCE. THE SPACE THAT HAS BEEN MADE FOR ME BY UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS OF COLOR SO THAT I, AN ANXIOUS, UNCERTAIN AND HESITANT BLACK GIRL WAS ABLE TO FIND A COMMUNITY IN WHICH I WAS ABLE TO UNPACK THE DEGRADATION THAT OPPRESSION HAD DONE TO ME AND SUPPORTED MY EXPLORATION OF BLACK JOY. THIS IS WHAT I PASS ON. IT IS THE OFFERINGS OF GENERATIONS PAST THAT HAS EMBOLDENED MY PASSION FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE. IT WAS UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS OF COLOR WHO CHALLENGED ME AND OTHER YOUTH OF COLOR TO EXAMINE AND ULTIMATELY CONFRONT THE INTERNALIZED RACIAL OPPRESSION WE WERE STRUGGLING WITH. ADDITIONALLY WHITE UUS PREDOMINANTLY YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS WHO SHOWED ME THAT TO TRULY BE IN BELOVED COMMUNITY THAT THEY HAD THEIR OWN WORK TO DO AS WELL. I HAVE INHERITED A SENSE OF OBLIGATION TO CONFRONT AND QUESTION INJUSTICE WITHIN OUR DENOMINATION AND THE WORLD AT LARGE. THIS IS WHAT I PASS ON. IT IS THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF GENERATIONS PAST THAT GAVE ME, A SHY TWELVE YEAR OLD, THE CONFIDENCE AND ASSURANCE TO HOLD MY OWN OPINIONS AND THOUGHTS IN AS HIGH REGARD AS THOSE OF ADULTS. YOUTH ADVISORS AND MINISTERS WHO TRULY KNEW THE MEANING OF "YOUTH EMPOWERMENT" HELPED ME GAIN A TENACITY AND SELF-RELIANCE THAT CAN ONLY BE ACHIEVED FROM AUTHENTIC ACKNOWLEDGMENT. THE COURAGE OF THE YOUTH COMMUNITY TO SPEAK THEIR TRUTH TO POWER IS A MIGHTY FORCE. THIS IS WHAT I PASS ON. [APPLAUSE] I DID NOT "CHOOSE" UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM UNTIL LATER. AND WHAT I CAME TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM HAD CHOSEN ME. [APPLAUSE] >> UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM IS OUR SHARED FAITH. IT IS OUR GIFT, OUR RESPONSIBILITY, OUR LEGACY. AS WE HEARD IN THESE STORIES, OUR FAITH HAS HELPED US TO PRAY WHEN WHO NEED IT HAD MOST, SUPPORTED US WHEN WE WERE DRESS EARNING WHO WE WERE GOING TO BE ON OUR GENERAL I, TAUGHT US WHAT WE ARE CAPABLE OF, AND THIS FAITH HAS CHOSEN US! DURING THE PAST FIVES YEARS, IN MY UUA JOB, I HAVE TRIED TO LIVE INTO THE RESPONSIBILITY OF MAKING THIS FAITH A BETTER HOME FOR YOUNGER GENERATIONS. BUT SOMETIMES I MADE MISTAKES. LIKE GETTING STUCK IN MY EGO AND SENDING DEFENSIVE E-MAILS. MAYBE YOU'VE DONE THAT. LIKE GETTING CAUGHT UP IN THE BUSY AND COMPLETELY FORGETTING TO SET UP MULTIPLE MEETINGS FOR MY 18-24 YEAR OLD MEANING MAKERS PARTICIPANTS.SORRY. SOMETIMES I JUST PRIORITIZED OTHER THINGS. SOMETIMES WORKING ON WHITE SUPREMACY WITHIN THE UUA CAME FIRST. SOMETIMES MY ORGANIZING WORK SUPPORTING UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS CAME FIRST. SOMETIMES MY KID CAME FIRST. SO I CAN'T SAY THIS WORK IS EASY. AND I CAN'T EVEN SAY IT SHOULD ALWAYS BE ON EVERYONE'S PRIORITY LIST, SINCE I'VE BEEN PAID TO DO IT FULL TIME AND STILL SOMETIMES HAD TO SHIFT MY FOCUS. BUT I CAN SAY THIS WITH CERTAINTY: THIS MINISTRY BELONGS TO ALL OF US AND WITHOUT THIS MINISTRY OUR FAITH IS ALREADY DEAD. ALL OF US ARE CALLED TO STRENGTHEN MINISTRY FOR OUR YOUNGEST ADULTS, TO ADD A FEW STITCHES TO THE TAPESTRY OF OUR FAITH, SO I INVITE YOU TO DO SOMETHING SIMPLE AND DIFFICULT THIS AFTERNOON. I INVITE YOU TO FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU'RE GONNA DO TO MAKE THIS FAITH A BETTER HOME FOR THESE BRIDGERS AND THEIR PEERS ALL THROUGHOUT OUR MOVEMENT. SO MAYBE YOU'RE ALREADY DOING ONE, TWO, OR 15 THINGS FOR THIS MINISTRY, BUT I INVITE YOU NOW TO THINK OF A THING, A REAL THING. A THING LIKE "TEXT THAT YOUNG ADULT I MENTORED DURING COMING OF AGE WHO I HAVEN'T SEEN IN AWHILE." A THING LIKE "GO HOME AND EMAIL MY RELIGIOUS EDUCATOR AND SEE IF IT'S ALL RIGHT FOR ME TO ORGANIZE A CARE PACKAGE MAKING PARTY FOR OUR YOUTH ALUMNI." A THING LIKE "GET TOGETHER WITH SOME OTHER UU STUDENTS AND PLAN A SMALL GROUP WORSHIP SERVICE FOR OUR CAMPUS." A THING LIKE "GO HOME AND EDUCATE MYSELF ON GENDER IDENTITY TERMS THAT ARE UNFAMILIAR TO ME BUT ARE COMMON IN YOUNGER GENERATIONS" PICK A THING. OKAY. DO YOU HAVE A THING? IF NOT, YOU'LL HAVE ANOTHER MOMENT TO THINK. BUT I WANT EACH OF YOU TO FIND A PARTNER FOR THIS EXERCISE. IF NOBODY IS SITTING NEAR YOU AND IT'S EASY FOR YOU TO MOVE, I INVITE TO YOU DO SO. IF IT IS LESS EASY FOR YOU TO MOVE, PLEASE SIGNAL FOR SOMEONE TO COME BE YOUR PARTNER, AND THEN SHARE WITH YOUR PARTNER THE ONE THING YOU'RE GOING TO DO AND HOW YOU'RE GOING TO REMEMBER TO DO IT AFTER YOU LEAVE GA. YOU'LL EACH HAVE A MINUTE TO SHARE. >> THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, ALL. AND YOU CAN KEEP MAKING THOSE COMMITMENTS. FIND SOMEBODY WHO WASN'T HERE TONIGHT. TELL THEM ABOUT IT. AND NOW WE'RE GOING TO BLESS THESE COMMITMENTS WITH THE BUTTONS YOU RECEIVED EARLIER. HOLD THAT BUTTON IN YOUR HAND. BELOVED, A BUTTON BY ITSELF IS NOT OF MUCH USE. BUT A BUTTON SEWN ONTO A GARMENT CAN HELP TO CLOSE GAPS, MAKES THE WHOLE THING FUNCTION. THESE BUTTONS ARE THE ACTIONS YOU WILL TAKE TO SUPPORT MINISTRY TO AND WITH OUR YOUNGEST ADULTS. WHEN YOU RETURN HOME AND ADD YOUR ACTION IN YOUR FAITH COMMUNITY YOU WILL HELP TO CLOSE GAPS AND MAKE OUR COMMUNITIES FUNCTION BETTER. KEEP THIS BUTTON AS A REMINDER OF THIS WORK. AND A REMINDER THAT WE NEED TO BE CONNECTED BY THE THREADS OF FAITH AND COMMUNITY FOR OUR WORK TO MATTER. MAY WE DO THIS SACRED NECESSARY JOYFUL WORK TOGETHER. **********DISCLAIMER********** THE FOLLOWING IS AN UNEDITED ROUGH DRAFT TRANSLATION FROM THE CART CAPTIONER'S OUTPUT FILE. THIS TRANSCRIPT IS NOT VERBATIM AND HAS NOT BEEN PROOFREAD. TO DO SO IS AN EXTRA FEE. THIS FILE MAY CONTAIN ERRORS. PLEASE CHECK WITH THE SPEAKER(S) FOR ANY CLARIFICATION. THIS TRANSCRIPT MAY NOT BE COPIED OR DISSEMINATED TO ANYONE UNLESS YOU OBTAIN WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM THE OFFICE OR SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT IS PROVIDING CART CAPTIONING TO YOU; FINALLY, THIS TRANSCRIPT MAY NOT BE USED IN A COURT OF LAW. **********DISCLAIMER********** EVENT: B2018 0622 SYNERGY 4PM CAPTIONS PROVIDED BY: HEAR INK HTTP://WWW.HEARINK.COM PHONE: 314-427-1113