06/20/19 UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST GENERAL ASSEMBLY MORNING WORSHIP ‑ 8:30 A.M. ET CAPTIONS PROVIDED BY: HEAR INK HTTP://WWW.HEARINK.COM **********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********** >> GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE. IT IS SO NICE TO SEE YOUR FACES TO THE. I'M DR. EMILY JAWARSKI. THIS IS MY DEAR FRIEND AND THIS MORNING WE'LL BE JOINED ON THE KEYBOARD BY THE FANTASTIC ALLISON PERMAN. BEFORE WE START THE SERVICE, WE'D LIKE TO SING WITH YOU A LITTLE BIT. YOU MAY BE FAMILIAR WITH THERE IS A LOVE. THE WORDS ARE BY THE REVEREND DR. REBECCA PARKER AND THE MUSIC IS BY MY FRIEND AND PROBABLY YOURS, TOO, ELIZABETH NORTON. WE'LL SING IT TWICE THROUGH AND THEN TRY TO DO IT IN A ROUND TOGETHER. ¶ >> PRECIOUS ONES ‑ WELCOME! WE ARE GATHERED AGAIN IN BODY AND IN SPIRIT AS THE 2019 UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST GENERAL ASSEMBLY! LAST NIGHT, WE GATHERED, WELCOMING ONE ANOTHER IN A RITUAL OF COMING HOME ‑ GATHERING AS THIS TEMPORARY, ONCE A YEAR, REGULAR AND YET IMPERMANENT BODY OF UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS. TODAY ‑ THROUGHOUT THE DAY, I INVITE US ALL TO DIVE DEEPER, TO OPEN OURSELVES UP TO VULNERABILITY ‑ TO SHARE MORE DEEPLY THE HONEST STORIES OF STRUGGLE AND JOY THAT LIVE IN OUR HEARTS AND EXPERIENCE AS UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS AND THAT LIVE IN OUR GATHERED COMMUNITIES AROUND THE WORLD. FOR THE POWER OF WE ‑ THE STRENGTH OF WE ‑ EMERGES FROM THE TRUTH TELLING, THE LEARNING, THE LEANING IN AND THE GROWING OF WE. >> AS WE GATHER IN WORSHIP THIS MORNING, WE LIGHT A CHALICE, THE SYMBOL OF OUR UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST FAITH AND TRADITION. I INVITE THE REV. LAUREN SMITH, THE UUA'S DIRECTOR OF AN STEWARD SWISHER AND LEVI AND LEANNE TO JOIN ME IN LIGHTING THE CHALICE THIS MORNING. THIS MORNING WE LIGHT OUR CHALICE WITH THE WORDS OF THE 14TH CENTURY PERSIAN MYSTIC POET, HAFIZ, WHOSE LYRIC POETRY SPEAKS OF FAITH, LOVE AND THE DIVINE, AS WELL AS NAMING HYPOCRISY. MANY SAY HIS WRITING HAS INFLUENCED POST PERKS WRITING MORE THAN BY OTHER WRITING. HE CONTINUES TO THIS DAY TO BE ONE OF THE MOST WELL LOVED PERSIAN WRITERS AND IN THE 18TH CENTURY WHEN HIS WORDS WERE TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH, WE INFLUENCED SOME OF THE WEST'S MOST PROMINENT WRITERS, INCLUDING UNITARIANS HENRY DAVID THOREAU AND RALPH WALDO EMERSON. LET'S PREPARE TO HEAR HIS WORDS. HAFIZ WRITES: OUT OF A GREAT NEED WE ARE ALL HOLDING HANDS AND CLIMBING. NOT LOVING IS A LETTING GO. LISTEN THE TERRAIN AROUND HERE IS FAR TOO DANGEROUS FOR THAT. DON'T LET GO. WE HOLD HANDS, CLIMBING. PLEASE RISE IN BODY OR SPIRIT AND JOIN US IN SINGING OUR OPENING HYMN, MORNING HAS COME. I DON'T MAKE SONGS FOR FREE, I MAKE 'EM FOR FREEDOM DON'T BELIEVE IN KINGS, BELIEVE IN THE KINGDOM. THAT'S THE WISDOM OF CHANCE THE RAPPER, AND I LOVE THOSE WORDS. IN A FEW LINES, HE ANSWERS THE ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS: WHAT ARE YOU HERE FOR? IN WHAT DO YOU PLACE YOUR TRUST? IT'S GOOD TO BE WITH YOU THIS MORNING. IT'S GOOD TO PAUSE IN THE SWIRL OF THIS MASSIVE EVENT TO RETURN TO CENTER, TO THE STILL PLACE FROM WHICH WISDOM AND CLARITY OF PURPOSE ARISE. I AM HERE FOR FREEDOM, I AM HERE FOR LOVE. I AM HERE FOR YOU. I'M HERE FOR US. I PLACE MY FAITH IN FREEDOM, I PLACE MY FAITH IN LOVE. I PLACE MY FAITH IN YOU‑IN THE INDOMITABLE SPIRIT OF HUMAN BEINGS, THAT DRIVE THAT CALLS US TOWARD WHOLENESS, LIFE AND FREEDOM, THAT LONGING, THAT FIERCE LOVE. I HAVE A STORY TO SHARE WITH YOU ABOUT TWO BLACK UNITARIANS. MY GRANDFATHER, FRANK HAZEL. AND MY GREAT GRANDFATHER, WILLIAM HAZEL. MY GRANDFATHER, FRANK HAZEL, DIED LAST MONTH. HE WOULD HAVE BEEN 101 TOMORROW. HE WAS NOT ALWAYS AROUND EASY MAN, OH THOUGH HE LOVED HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS DEEPLY. HE WAS NOT A SOFT AND CUDDLY PERSON, THOUGH HE DELIGHTED IN HIS GRANDCHILDREN AND HIS GREAT GRANDCHILDREN. WE CALLED HIM GRANDFATHER, NOT GRANDPA OR GRANDDAD. FRANK HAZEL WAS BRILLIANT, AMBITIOUS, AND ANALYTICAL. HE HAD A SHORT FUSE AT TIMES AND A FIERCE UNWILLINGNESS TO BE LIMITED IN LIFE. MY GRANDFATHER GREW UP IN WEST MEDFORD, A SMALL BLACK COMMUNITY ON THE BANKS OF THE MYSTIC RIVER NEAR BOSTON. HE WAS PART OF A COHORT OF BLACK WOMEN AND MEN FROM THAT LITTLE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT WENT ON TO DO EXTRAORDINARY THINGS. HE AND HIS BEST FRIEND WENT TO TUFTS UNIVERSITY IN 1936 AT A TIME WHEN BLACK STUDENTS WERE NOT ALLOWED TO ENTER MANY OF THE BUILDINGS ON CAMPUS. THEY MADE IT THROUGH TOGETHER. THEY EXCELLED. THEY WERE YOUNG AND GIFTED AND BLACK. THERE IS A MIDDLE SCHOOL IN MEDFORD NAMED FOR ANOTHER FAMILY FRIEND, MADELEINE DUGGER ANDREWS. I SAY HER NAME BECAUSE THERE WERE WOMEN IN THIS BAND OF BRIGHT YOUNG BLACK PEOPLE, TOO. THEY HELD EACH OTHER UP. WHAT ASTOUNDS ME IS HOW UNSTOPPABLE THEY WERE, HOW THEY RAN UP AGAINST OBSTACLES AND MANAGED TO FIND A WAY AROUND THEM, LIKE WATER IN A RIVER PASSING AROUND BOULDERS. IT WASN'T EASY. SOMETIMES IT BROKE THEIR HEARTS. BUT THEY CARRIED ON, SUPPORTING ONE ANOTHER ALONG THE WAY, BUOYED BY THEIR FRIENDSHIPS AND THEIR FAMILY TIES. WHEN GRANDFATHER MOVED TO LEXINGTON WITH MY GRAND AND I MOTHER AND AUNT IN 1957, HE STARTED ATTENDING ONE OF THE UNITARIAN CHURCHES THERE, LITTLE FOLLEN CHURCH IN EAST LEXINGTON. THE TRUTH IS, I DON'T KNOW WHETHER MY GRANDFATHER EVER IDENTIFIED AS A UNITARIAN, BUT HE DID IDENTIFY WITH UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS. HE WAS AT HOME IN A PLACE WHERE HE HAD THE INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM TO EXPLORE AND INVESTIGATE. AND THE CONGREGATION WAS ACTIVE IN CAUSES HE HELD DEAR. THESE WERE THE YEARS WHEN CONFLICTS OVER BUSING WERE TEARING APART COMMUNITIES. THE REV. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING CAME TO FOLLEN CHURCH TO SPEAK. MY GRANDFATHER DROVE HIM TO THE AIRPORT. SOMEWHERE, WE STILL HAVE THE NAME TAG WITH FRANK HAZEL TYPED ON ONE SIDE AND DR. KING'S SIGNATURE ON THE OTHER. THIS THEME RUNS DEEP IN MY FAMILY, MY BLACK FAMILY WHOSE TIES TO OUR FAITH STRETCH BACK FIVE GENERATIONS. OUR CONNECTION HAS NOT BEEN TO UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM AS A DENOMINATIONAL IDENTITY. OUR CONNECTION HAS BEEN TO THE SPIRIT OF LOVE AND FREEDOM THAT HAS BEEN A STEADY STRAIN IN OUR FAITH FOR CENTURIES. THE FIRST UNITARIAN IN MY FAMILY WAS MY GREAT GREAT GRANDFATHER, WILLIAM HAZEL. HE WAS BORN IN WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA IN 1853, NOT LONG BEFORE THE START OF THE CIVIL WAR. HE WAS BORN INTO A FAMILY OF FREE BLACK PEOPLE IN THE SOUTH DURING THE ERA OF SLAVERY. IT WAS DEVASTATING‑DEADLY‑TO BE A SLAVE, BUT LIFE WAS HARD FOR FREE BLACKS, TOO. THEY HAD LITTLE PROTECTION UNDER THE LAW. THEY COULD BE RE‑ENSLAVED FOR SLIGHT INFRACTIONS. IT WAS A VULNERABLE LIFE, AND THEY WERE UNDER CONSTANT SUSPICION, SUSPICION THAT THEY WERE SUBVERSIVES, SUSPICION THAT THEY WERE ABOLITIONISTS OR ABETTING THE ESCAPE OF FUGITIVE SLAVES. RIGHTLY SUSPECTED, AS IT TURNS OUT. FREE BLACKS WERE AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE SOCIAL NETWORK THAT WAS THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD. THE FAMILY LEFT WILMINGTON IN 1857. THEY PACKED UP THEIR BELONGINGS AND HEADED NORTH TO OHIO, THEN ON TO NEW ENGLAND. THEY HELD PASSES. I STILL HAVE A COPY OF ONE OF THOSE CLASSES THAT DECLARED THAT THEY WERE FREE, BUT THAT MUST HAVE FELT LIKE SLIM PROTECTION. THE JOURNEY MUST HAVE BEEN A TERROR. IT'S HARD TO FATHOM THE KIND OF COURAGE REQUIRED TO LEAVE THE KNOWN WORLD IN SEARCH OF FREEDOM. I IMAGINE THAT THE WORLD BEYOND WILMINGTON MUST HAVE FELT LIKE THE EDGE OF THE EARTH, LIKE THE BLANK SPACE ON SEAFARING MAPS IN THE DAYS WHEN PEOPLE STILL BELIEVED THE WORLD WAS FLAT. MY FORBEARS MADE A GREAT LEAP OF FAITH IN SEARCH OF FREEDOM. IN OBERLIN, FAMILY MEMBERS PARTICIPATED IN THE FREEING OF A CAPTURED FUGITIVE SLAVE NAMED JOHN PRICE. AN UNCLE WAS RECRUITED TO FIGHT IN ONE OF THE MASSACHUSETTS BLACK CIVIL WAR REGIMENTS. THE FIFTH CALVARY. ABOLITIONIST UNITARIANS WERE ACTIVE IN OBERLIN. JUST AS SOME UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS TODAY ARE ENGAGED IN THE STRUGGLES OF TODAY'S MIGRANTS, RISKING OVERING FOR LIFE AND FOR FREEDOM. THAT IS THE STREAM OF UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM TO WHICH I FEEL INEXTRICABLY BOUND. WILLIAM HAZEL WORKED AS A DRAFTSMAN AND NOTICE THAT THE NAME IS THE FAME, FOLLEN. I JOINED THE UNITARIAN CHURCH IN CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS. HE BECAME AN ARCHITECT AND A STAINED GLASS ARTISAN. HE WENT ON TO FOUND THE ARCHITECTURE DEPARTMENT AT MOOREHOUSE UNIVERSITY. WILLIAM HAZEL WAS AN ANGRY MAN AT TIMES AND I CAN'T BLAME HIM. HE BRISTLED THEY LIMITATIONS SOCIETY PLACED ON HIS LIFE. BUT WITH A COHORT OF COMPATRIOTS ALONGSIDE HIM, HE MADE A LIFE. HE WAS ABLE TO FIND A WAY THROUGH BECAUSE HE FOUND HIS PEOPLE, THE ONES WHO WERE WILLING TO RISK HEARTBREAK AND SETBACKS IN THEIR QUEST FOR WHOLENESS, LIFE AND FREEDOM. I DON'T MAKE SONGS. I DON'T MAKER IS MONDAY FOR HIS FREE. I MAKE THEM FOR FREEDOM. I DON'T BELIEVE IN KING. BELIEVE IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD, THE BELOVED COMMUNITY. WHAT ARE YOU HERE FOR? IN WHAT DO YOU PLACE YOUR TRUST? MAY OUR TIME TOGETHER BRING US THE COURAGE TO RISK THE UNKNOWN IN SERVICE TO LOVE AND FREEDOM. MAY WE NOURISH THE TENDER CONNECTIONS, THE FRIENDSHIPS AND MUTUAL CARE THAT ALLOW US TO IMAGINE AND LIVE INTO NEW WORLDS, NEW POSSIBILITIES BEYOND OUR CURRENT RECKONING. FOR LOVE, FOR FREEDOM, FOR ALL OF US. AMEN. I INVITE YOU NOW INTO A TIME OF MEDITATION AND PRAYER. LET YOUR BODY SETTLE INTO YOUR SEAT. ALLOW YOUR BREATH TO DROP INTO YOUR BELLY, AND LET YOUR ATTENTION TO REST JUST HERE IN THIS SACRED SPACE IN THIS MOMENT IN THIS GOOD COMPANY. WE PAUSE TO RECEIVE THE GIFTS OF THIS TIME TOGETHER: PEACE, CONNECTION, STILLNESS, CARE. THIS MORNING AND ALWAYS WE RETURN THANKS FOR THE GIFTS OF COMMUNITY AND ITS POWER TO DIVIDE SORROWS AND MULTIPLY JOY. MAY THE BLESSINGS WE KNOW INSPIRE US TO HEAL AND BLESS THE WORLD. AMEN ¶ [APPLAUSE] THERE'S AN OLD FOLK TALE THAT I LOVE. IT'S A JEWISH FOLKTALE FROM THE 1700'S TOLD BY JACOB BEN WOLF KRANZ, MAGGID OF DUBNO. THE STORY BEGINS WITH A BEAUTIFUL, STUNNING DIAMOND. THIS LIKE MANY OLD STORIES AND ORAL TRADITIONS THAT GET TOLD AGAIN AND AGAIN, I'VE HEARD IT TOLD A NUMBER OF WAYS. THE ONE I KNOW BEST BEGINS WITH THIS DIAMOND, WHICH IS THE PRIZED POSSESSION OF A COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE, A TOWN. THE TOWNSPEOPLE ARE SO PROUD OF THEIR DIAMOND, THEY ACTUALLY KEEP IT ON DISPLAY IN THE CENTER OF TOWN SO THAT EVERYBODY IT KEY IT AND ENJOY IT. BUT ONE DAY THE PEOPLE WAKE UP TO FIND THAT IT HAS A LONG, DEEP CRACK RUNNING DOWN THE MIDDLE OF IT ITS LENGTH AND THE PEOPLE ARE HEART SPOKEN. THEY ASK EVERY JEWELER THEY KNOW. EACH ONE SAYS IT CAN NOT BE FIXED. TO EVEN TRY TO FIX IT WOULD BE TO RISK BREAKING THE DIAMOND INTO SEVERAL PIECES. BUT THEN ONE DAY A STRANGER, A STONE CUTTER COMES TO TOWN AND THEY SAY THEY CAN FIX IT. HAD HE SAY THEY'LL HAVE TO TAKE THE DIAMONDBACK FOR TWO WEEKS TO THEIR SHOP, BUT THEY PROMISE TO RETURN AND TO RETURN IT BETTER THAN EVER. WELL, THE TOWNSPEOPLE, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, ARE WEARY ‑‑ ARE WARY, AFTER ALL, THIS IS A STRANGER. BUT THEIR HOPE AT HAVING THEIR TREASURE RESTORED, THEIR DIAMOND RESTORED OUTWEIGHS THEIR FEAR AND THEY GIVE THE DIAMOND TO THE STONE CUTTER. EXACTLY 14 DAYS LATER THE STONE CUTTER RETURNS AND OPENS A BAG AND HANDS THE DIAMOND TO ONE OF THE TOWN ELDERS. THE ELDER LOOKS AT THE DIAMOND AND IS AMAZED. THE STONE CUTTER HAD NOT POLISHED THE CRACK AWAY. RATHER, THEY HAD CARVED A BEAUTIFUL ROSE INTO THE FACE. DIAMOND, USING THE CRACK AS PART. STEM LEADING TO THE FLOWER. THE ELDER HELD UP THE DIAMOND TO SHOW THE PEOPLE OF THE TOWN AND SAYS TO THE STONE CUTTER ‑ "YOU HAVE TAKEN SOMETHING THAT WAS CRACKED AND BROKEN AND MADE IT EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN IT WAS BEFORE." AS THE POET AND SONGWRITER LEONARD COHEN WRITES "THERE IS A CRACK IN EVERYTHING. THAT'S HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN." THE METAPHOR OF LIGHT IS IMPORTANT TO US AS UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS. THE ACT OF LIGHTING THE CHALICE A SYMBOL OF TRUTH AND JUSTICE. THE DIVINE SPARK, THE INHERENT WORTH AND DIGNITY OF EVERY PERSON, A BEACON TO GUIDE OUR WAY. BUT THE CHALICE, THE SYMBOL OF OUR FAITH, IS ACTUALLY A COMBINATION OF TWO SYMBOLS: THE FLAME AND THE CUP IS A SYMBOL OF COMMUNITY, OF THE CARE AND SUSTENANCE, THE NOURISHMENT, WE OFFER EACH OTHER COMMUNITY. IT IS THE CUP THAT HOLDS THE LIGHT, THE CUP WHERE THE FLAME IS TENDED. THE CUP IS WHAT WE CREATE WHEN WE REACH OUT OUR HANDS, OUR I ARE ITS TO ONE ANOTHER, WHEN WE WERE OUT HERE HOLDING HANDS, MOVING TOGETHER. THE CUP IS ALSO WHAT CAN BREAK. TO UNLOCK THE LIFE‑AFFIRMING, OF THIS FAITH, THE FEWER OF WE, WE NEED TO REMEMBER OUR CUP NEEDS OUR ATTENTION. FOR IT IS EASY TO HOLD UP A LIGHT AND DECLARE THAT EVERYONE IS WELCOME. IT IS HARDER TO BUILD A PLACE WHERE EVERYONE IS ACTUALLY AT HOME. REVEREND WARREN ASKS US TO CONSIDER, WHAT ARE YOU HERE FOR AND WHAT DO YOU PLACE YOUR TRUST IN? I AM HERE FOR LIFE. I AM HERE FOR FREEDOM. I AM HERE FOR LOVE. AND I PUT MY TRUST IN THE POSSIBILITY THAT WE HOLD TO HEAL ONE ANOTHER AND TO GROW MORE COURAGE AND MORE LOVE OUT OF THE COMMUNITIES THAT WE BUILD. AND I AM HERE LITERALLY HERE BECAUSE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM SAVED MY LIFE. WHEN I WAS FIVE YEARS OLD, THE MINISTRY, THE CONGREGATION AND TWO VERY SPECIAL RELIGIOUS EDUCATION TEACHERS ‑‑ SHOUT OUT TO ALL OF OUR RELIGIOUS EDUCATION TEACHERS. [APPLAUSE] THEY SAVED MY LIFE, BECAUSE WHEN I WAS A KID, MY FAMILY WAS FALLING APART. A MORE ACCURATE WORD MIGHT BE ERUPTING. AND WHEN MY HOME WAS NOT A PLACE OF SAFETY OR JOY, THE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CONGREGATION WAS. AND THOSE TWO RELIGIOUS EDUCATION TEACHERS CREATED A SPACE OF MUSIC AND SONG AND UNCONDITIONAL LOVE THAT HEALED, HELPED HEAL SOMETHING IN ME, HELPED ME SEE THE LIGHT COMING THROUGH THE CRACKS. GAVE ME HOPE AND SEWED SEEDS THAT LED ME INTO THE JOURNEY OF MINISTRY AND HERE WITH YOU TODAY. BUT THERE'S ALSO A LIMITATION IN THIS STORY. AN UNSPOKEN PART OF MY STORY AND EXPERIENCE IS THE EASE WITH WHICH I FIT INTO THAT UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST COMMUNITY. FROM A WHITE MIDDLE‑CLASS WELL EDUCATE FAMILY, THE EASE WITH WHICH I FIT INTO THAT COMMUNITY. HOW MANY OF YOU HOLD OTHER STORIES? HOW MANY OTHER STORIES HAVE YOU HEARD, HAVE YOU LIVED YOURSELF? EXPERIENCES WHERE OUR COMMUNITIES HAVE BEEN HARMFUL OR EXCLUSIONARY. HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE COME DRAWN BY THE LIGHT OF UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM, DRAWN BY THOSE THREADS OF LOVE AND FREEDOM IN OUR FAITH, DRAWN BY OUR PRINCIPLES AND THEOLOGY, BUT NOT FOUND A CUP MADE TO HOLD YOU? MADE TO HOLD ALL OF US. IT IS EASY TO HOLD UP A LIGHT AND DECLARE THAT EVERYONE IS WELCOME. IT IS HARDER TO BUILD A COMMUNITY WHERE EVERYONE FEELS A SENSE OF HOME. OUR CUP NEEDS WORK, MY BELOVEDS. BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THIS IS NOT THE ENDS OF THE STORY. WHEN THAT STONE CUTTER LOOKED AT THE DIAMOND, THEY DIDN'T JUST SEE THE FLAW. THEY SAW IN THE BROKENNESS THE POTENTIAL OF A ROSE. THE BROKENNESS AND THE STRUGGLE FOR JUSTICE, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION IN OUR CONGREGATIONS MIRRORS. IT IS A REFLECTION OF THE BROKENNESS OF OUR CULTURE AND SOCIETY, A CULTURE OF DOMINATION AND EXPLOITATION, A CULTURE OF RACISM AND PATRIARCHY, WHITE SUPREMACY, AND COLONIALISM. IT'S ALL THERE IN US. THESE ARE GENERATIONAL FORCES OF CULTURE IN OUR COUNTRY, GENERATIONAL FORCES OF HARM THAT LIVE IN EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US. THEY LIVE IN EVERYBODY SINGLE ONE OF US, ALTHOUGH THE IMPACT AND LOSSES AND COST OF THESE SYSTEMS IS NOT THE SAME FOR EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US. YOU KNOW, I CAN IMAGINE IF WE WERE ABLE TO SEND MORE TIME WITH THOSE TOWNSPEOPLE THAT WE WOULD LEARN THAT SOME OF THEM HAD SEEN CRACKS IN THAT DIAMOND ALL ALONG. MAYBE ONE LISTENED TO THEM, SO CAUGHT UP IN THE IDEA OF THE PERFECTION OF THAT DIAMOND. BUT BROKEN SENSE NOT THE END OF THE STORY. IN SOME WAYS, IT'S JUST THE BEGINNING. THERE IS A TIME IN UNITARIANISM LED SOME TO THINK THAT THE PERFECTIBILITY OF CHARACTER, OF VIRTUES, OF SOCIETY WAS THE PATH TO SALVATION. BUT IT WAS OUR UNIVERSALIST FORBEARERS WHO SAW THE BROKENNESS IN THE WORLD AND LOVED IT ALL THE SAME, WHO SAW HOW LOVE COULD BRING FORTH A ROSE FROM THE CRACKS, WHO SAW HOW LOVE COULD HELP HEAL AND MAKE US STRONG. AND THAT IS THE KIND OF LOVE, THE KIND OF RELIGION THAT HAS THE POWER TO BRING MORE WHOLENESS, LIFE, AND FREEDOM FOR US ALL. NOW, THIS PATH, THIS PRACTICE OF LOVE, OF UNIVERSALIST LOVE INVOLVES RISK. JUST LIKE THE TOWNSPEOPLE TOOK A RISK IN TRUSTING THE STRANGER WITH THE DIAMOND, DON'T YOU KNOW IN THOSE STORIES, THE STRANGER IS ALWAYS THE VOICE OF WISDOM COMING TO GUIDE THE PEOPLE. WE HAVE TO RISK, TO CREATE THAT ROSE. BUT WE ARE SIGNING UP TO DO TOGETHER AS UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS, HOW OUR FAITH IS BEING CALLED IN THIS MOMENT IS NO EASY TASK. IT'S NEVER BEEN AN EASY TASK. TO BUILD A COMMUNITY THAT CAN BE A CUP, TO NURTURE A LOVE THAT BURNS SO BRIGHTLY AND BOLDLY, IT ACTS AS A FORCE FOR JUSTICE WITHIN OUR LIVES, OUR CONGREGATIONS, AND OUR MOVEMENT AS A WHOLE. THIS CUP WOULD BE A RESILIENT COMMUNITY, A COMMUNITY OF DEEP COMMITMENT AND PRACTICE WHERE WE DON'T LET GO OF ONE ANOTHER, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT LETTING GO IS NOT LOVING, AND IT IS FAR TOO DANGEROUS OUT HERE FOR THAT. A COMMUNITY WHERE LOCKED IN SOLIDARITY HELPED US DEVELOP A GREATER CAPACITY FOR COMMUNITY, A GREATER CAPACITY FOR RISK AND COURAGE, A GREATER CAPACITY FOR RADICAL LISTENING, RADICAL TRUTH TELLING, AND RADICAL LISTENING. A GREATER CAPACITY FOR JOY AND VULNERABILITY. THIS IS THE KIND OF LOVE THAT CAN CHANGE THE WORLD. THAT CAN TENDS A FLAME STRONG ENOUGH TO LIGHT UP A MOVEMENT FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE, THAT CAN TEND A FLAME BRIGHT ENOUGH THAT CALLS US ALL BACK TO OUR HUMANITY, BECAUSE WE ARE LIVING IN SUCH AN INHUMANE, ANTI‑HUMAN TIME. IT'S THE LOVE OF SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS OFFERING REFUGE TO CHILDREN WHO NEED LIFESAVING MOMENTS OF UNCONDITIONAL JOY AND LOVE FOR THEIR HEALING. IT'S THE LOVE THAT OPENS OUR DOORS AS SANCTUARIES TO FAMILIES WHOSE LIVES ARE TORN APART BY OUR IMMIGRATION POLICIES. IT'S LOVE THAT REPAIRS AND REPLACES THE BLACK LIVES MATTER SIGN AFTER A VANDAL RIPS IT DOWN. IT'S THE LOVE THAT HAS THE COURAGE TO SHUT DOWN JAILS AND TO PUT OUR BODIES IN THE LINE OF ICE COMING AFTER OUR NEIGHBORS. [APPLAUSE] IT'S A LOVE THAT FIGHTS BATHROOM BILLS, BECAUSE WE KNOW THERE ARE AN ASSAULT ON TRANS PEOPLE AND ON ALL OF OUR BODILY AUTONOMY. A LOVE THAT ORGANIZATIONS RIDES ACROSS STATE LINES TO HELP WOMEN GET REPRODUCTIVE CARE AND ABORTIONS WHEN THEY NEED IT. [APPLAUSE] AND A LOVE THAT WON'T BE SILENT. A LOVE THAT WILL NOT REST. A LOVE THAT WILL NOT STOP UNTIL EVERYONE IS SAFE AND FREE AND WHOLE. IT IS NO SMALL PART, IT IS NO SMALL THING TO BE PART OF A FAITH TRADITION WHERE OUR FORBEARERS OFFER SAFETY ON THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD, WHERE OUR CONTEMPORARIES OFFER SANCTUARY TO FAMILIES UNDER THREAT AND THE WHERE EACH GENERATION FOUND THEIR WAY TO PASS THE LIGHT ALONG. IT IS NO SMALL THING TO BE A PART OF THIS TRADITION, AND THERE'S A FUTURE FOR UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS WHERE OUR COMMUNITIES REFLECT A SPIRIT OF COMPASSION AND SOLIDARITY WHERE WE CREATE SPACE NOT JUST TO BRING OUR SHARED INTEREST AND INTELLECT, BUT TO BRING OUR BOLDNESS, OUR WEAKNESS, OUR YOUR AND OUR VULNERABILITY, OUR TRAUMA AND OUR PAIN AND OUR DEEP LOVE. COMMUNITIES THAT WELCOME ALL OF OUR CHILDREN AND OFFER MINISTRY TO THE NEEDS OF FAMILIES TODAY, COMMUNITIES THAT GATHER AND WORSHIP IN WAYS THAT NAME FEARLESSLY THE CONDITIONS OF OUR LIVES AND THE POSSIBILITY THAT LIVES IN THE JOY, THE BEAUTY, AND THE LOVE THAT IS WITHIN ALL OF US AS HUMAN BEINGS. A FUTURE WHERE WE BUILD A MARGIN‑LESS CENTER AND WHERE OUR COMMUNITIES HAVE THE SKILLS, THE LANGUAGE, THE SPIRITUAL RESOURCES AND RESPECT TO CREATE PLACES WHERE NOT ONLY IS EVERYONE WELCOME, BUT EVERYONE TRAFFIC EXPERIENCE HOME. THIS IS A COMMUNITY THAT I DREAM OF, THAT I NEED TO BE A PART OF FOR MY OWN LIFE, FOR MY CHILDREN'S LIVES, FOR YOUR LIVES, FOR THE FUTURE OF OUR HUMANITY AND OUR PLANET. I NEED THIS KIND OF COMMUNITY THAT MAKES ROOM FOR THE GRIEF AND THE PAIN, AS WELL AS THE COURAGE AND THE LOVE AND THE RESILIENCY, THAT LIVES IN THE FULLNESS OF OUR TRADITION IN THOSE STREAMS OF FREEDOM AND LOVE THAT CONNECT US TO THE PATH AND GIVE US A FUTURE. MAY WE BE COMMUNITIES THAT NURTURE FOR AND IN ALL OF US, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US, A LOVE THAT WILL NOT BE SILENT, THAT WILL NOT REST, THAT WILL NOT STOP, THAT WILL LIFT US UP AND MOVE US FORWARD UNTIL EVERYONE IS SAFE, UNTIL EVERYONE IS FREE, UNTIL EVERYONE IS WHOLE. MAY IT BE SO. [INDISCERNIBLE] >> VULNERABILITY GIVES BIRTH TO JOY, BELONGING, EMPATHY, AND LOVE. AS WE GET READY FOR THIS DAY, LET US HAVE THE COURAGE TO PRACTICE BEING VULNERABLE. LET US PRACTICE KNOWINGLY OPENING OUR HEARTS TO THE UNKNOWN AND MOVE INTO THE OPPORTUNITY OF CONNECTION. I INVITE YOU NOW TO RISE IN BODY OR IN SPIRIT AND JOIN ME IN THIS VULNERABLE MOMENT OF MUSIC IMPROVISATION AND JOY. ¶ [APPLAUSE] >> AS OUR SERVICE CLOSES, I WANT TO INVITE YOU TO REMAIN HERE. OUR CO‑MODERATORS, BARB GREVE AND ELANDRIA WILLIAMS ARE COMING UP ON STAGE TO GIVE US SOME ANNOUNCEMENTS AND TO PREPARE US FOR WHAT IS COMING NEXT. BUT AS WE CLOSE THIS SERVICE, MAY WE CONTINUE THIS COMMUNITY OF SHARING, MAKING ROOM FOR VULNERABILITY AND LEARNING, FOR LISTENING AND SHARING, AND MAY WE ALWAYS REMEMBER TO GIVE PRAISE FOR THIS GIFT OF LIFE, TO WONDER AND MARVEL AND ITS BEAUTY, TO KINDLE MORE YOUR, MORE LOVE, MORE SONG INTO OUR HEARTS AND INTO OUR DAYS. MAY WE BE HELD IN PEACE AND MAY WE GIVE BACK LOVE. >> GOOD MORNING, EVERYBODY. >> GOOD MORNING. >> AMAZING, WASN'T IT? [APPLAUSE] >> SO OUR OPENING AND CLOSING CELEBRATIONS AND MORNING SERVICES THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY ARE LOVINGLY BROUGHT TO YOU BY OUR GENERAL ASSEMBLY WORSHIP ARTS TEAM. REVEREND TANYA MARQUES AND REVEREND PATRICE CURTIS, WHO IS THE CHAIR, AND THE GA MUSIC COORDINATOR, DR. EMILY JAWARSKI. [APPLAUSE] ALSO, WE HAVE AN AMAZING GA BANDLEADER, LAURA WHITE. THE OTHER FEATURE VOCALIST, KEITH MALLOY ON THE DRUMS, BRIAN SEEGER ON THE GUITAR, AND DAVE TURNER ON THE BASE, ALSO A SPOKANE LOCAL. THERE ARE MANY, MANY OTHER MUSICIANS WORKING HARD TO BRING BEAUTY AND ARTISTRY TO YOUR GA EXPERIENCE, INCLUDING MARTHA SWITCHER AND JOHN HUBERT, SLT, SERVICE OF THE LIVING TRADITION, CHOIR DIRECTOR. THANK YOU ALL. [APPLAUSE] >> WE WANT TO GIVE YOU A SUMMARY OF OUR DAY, WHICH LOOKS A LITTLE DIFFERENT, PERHAPS VERY DIFFERENT, FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT HAVE BEEN GOING TO GENERAL ASSEMBLY FOR YEARS. WE START OFF WITH ROW BASE TRACKS. THEN WE'LL HAVE OUR PUBLIC WITNESS AND THE FIRST POSTER SESSION. WE HAVE THREE WORKSHOP BLOCKS BETWEEN THEN AND BEFORE THE SERVICE OF THE LIVING TRADITION. FOR MORE INFORMATION, YOU CAN GO TO THE GA APP OR CHECK OUT PAGES 22 TO 31 IN YOUR PROGRAM BOOK. GO ONLINE OR TO YOUR APPLICATIONS ON YOUR PHONE TO DOWNLOAD THE GA APP IF THAT'S FEASIBLE FOR YOU AND YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY. WHILE OPENING AND CLOSING CEREMONIES WILL HELP US ENTER AND EXIT AS ONE BODY, OUR FIRST AND LAST THEMATIC PROGRAM BLOCKS WILL PROVIDE FOR ROLE‑BASED CONVERSATIONS AND STREAMING. HAVING YOU START AND END WITH THE SAME GROUP PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS, CONTINUITY, AND ENROLL RELEVANT CONTENTS. TRACKS WILL MEET ON THURSDAY FROM 10:00 A.M. TO NOON AND ON SATURDAY FROM 3:00 P.M. TO 4:00 P.M. THERE ARE 14 DIFFERENT TRACKS? TRACKS FOR CONGREGATIONAL LEADERS AROUND STEWARDSHIP, MEMBERSHIP, TREASURERS, MUSIC, WORSHIP, DISMANTLING OPPRESSION, AND COLLABORATIVE WORSHIP. THERE ARE ALSO TRACKS FOR LAY LEADERS AND ORGANIZERS DOING JUSTICE WORK INSIDE OUR CONGREGATIONS AND OUR COMMUNITIES. WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO ATTEND BOTH SESSIONS OF THE TRACKS. THE IDEA IS THAT THE FIRST ROW‑BASED TRACK SETS THE STAGE. OUR THEME CONVERSATIONS ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY HELP US DEEPEN AROUND MISSION, OUR PRINCIPLES AND VALUES, AND DISMANTLING OPPRESSION AND WHITE SUPREMACY. SATURDAY'S ROLE BASED SESSION IS DESIGNED TO HELP YOU TAKE HOME THE LESSONS YOU'VE LEARNED FROM THIS WEEK INTO YOUR OWN PARTICULAR ROLES IN YOUR CONGREGATION, COMMUNITY, AND THE LARGER UU WORLD. NOT SURPRISINGLY, FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE ROLE‑BASED TRACKS, PLEASE GO TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY WEBSITE, THE APP, OR PAGES 19 THROUGH 20 IN YOUR PROGRAM GUIDE. >> SO WE ARE ALSO EXTREMELY EXCITED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PUBLIC WITNESS THIS YEAR. [APPLAUSE] PUBLIC WITNESS IS TWO DAYS FROM 2:00 TO 1:00 RIGHT AFTER THE ‑‑ 12:00 TO 1:00. JOIN US AND OUR PARTNERS WITH SPOKANE TO DEMAND SMART JUSTICE. COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, THOSE LIVING IN POVERTY, TRANS AND GENDER QUEER COMMUNITY, PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS AND DISABILITIES ARE HARDEST HIT BY THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. TOO MANY PEOPLE WITH NONVIOLENT OFFENSES AND THOSE NEEDING TREATMENT END UP IN JAIL, EVEN THOUGH JAIL IS PROVEN TO BE THE MOST EXTENSIVE AND INEFFECTIVE WAY TO REDUCE CRIME OR BEHAVIORS DETERMINED TO BE CRIMINAL. OUR PARTNERS IN SPOKANE ARE CALLING ON US TO DEMAND SMART JUSTICE FOR SPOKANE AND AROUND THE WORLD. PLEASE JOIN US AT THE 100 BALLROOM LOBBY AT THE SPOKANE CONVENTION CENTER AT NOON AND FROM THERE WE'RE GOING TO GO TO THE READY WAGON BY THE RIVER. SO YOU WOMEN FIGHT FOR JUSTICE AND ‑‑ YOU WILL FIGHT FOR JUSTICE. HAVE A GOOD DAY, EVERYBODY. AND SEE YOU AT WITNESS AT NOON AND BACK IN THE GENERAL OFFICE AT THE SERVICE OF THE LIVING TRADITION WHERE WE WILL CELEBRATE RELIGIOUS PROFESSIONALS FROM 7:00 CLOSE TO:30. HAVE A GREAT DAY. **********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********** 06/20/19 UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST GENERAL ASSEMBLY MORNING WORSHIP ‑ 8:30 A.M. ET CAPTIONS PROVIDED BY: HEAR INK HTTP://WWW.HEARINK.COM