06/20/19 UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST GENERAL ASSEMBLY SERVICE OF THE LIVING TRADITION ‑ 7 PM PT 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********** KM >> KIM OLER WROTE FOR THE EARTH FOREVER TURNING FOR PAUL WINTER'S "MISSA GAIA" (EARTH MASS), RECORDED LIVE IN THE CATHEDRAL OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE AND IN THE GRAND CANYON IN 1981. THE TEXT WAS SUGGESTED BY PAUL WINTER, WHO WAS INSPIRED BY THE STORY OF PHYSLING, THE BLIND POET ON THE VENUS SHUTTLE IN ROBERT HEINLEIN'S SCIENCE FICTION CLASSIC, THE GREEN HILLS OF EARTH. PHYSLING WROTE A BALLAD YEARNING FOR 'ONE MORE LANDING ON THE GLOBE THAT GAVE US BIRTH," AND HIS LAST LYRICS WAS, "MAY WE REST OUR EYES ON THE FLEECY SKIES AND THE COOL GREEN HILLS OF EARTH." OLER SHAPED THIS INSPIRATION INTO VERSE TO COMPLETE THIS LYRICAL HYMN. OUR ARRANGEMENT IN SINGING THE LIVING TRADITION IS BY NICK PAGE AND JIM SCOTT. FOR THE EARTH FOREVER TURNING; FOR THE SKIES, FOR EV'RY SEA; FOR OUR LIVES, FOR ALL WE CHERISH, SING WE OUR JOYFUL SONG OF PEACE. FOR THE MOUNTAINS, HILLS, AND PASTURES IN THEIR SILENT MAJESTY; FOR THE STARS, FOR ALL THE HEAVENS, SING WE OUR JOYFUL SONG OF PEACE. FOR THE SUN, FOR RAIN AND THUNDER, FOR THE SEASONS' HARMONY FOR OUR LIVES, FOR ALL CREATION, SING WE OUR JOYFUL PRAISE TO THEE. FOR THE WORLD WE RAISE OUR VOICES, FOR THE HOME THAT GIVES US BIRTH; IN OUR JOY WE SING RETURNING HOME TO OUR BLUEGREEN HILLS OF EARTH. CIRCLE 'ROUND FOR FREEDOM WAS CIRCLE 'ROUND FOR FREEDOM CIRCLE 'ROUND FOR PEACE FOR ALL OF US IMPRISONED, CIRCLE FOR RELEASE. CIRCLE FOR THE PLANET CIRCLE FOR EACH SOUL FOR THE CHILDREN OF OUR CHILDREN KEEP THE CIRCLE WHOLE. FROM CHAPTER 1, VERSE 15 IN THE BOOK OF RUTH FROM THE HEBREW BIBLE: 'DO NOT URGE ME TO LEAVE YOU, TO TURN BACK AND NOT FOLLOW YOU. FOR WHEREVER YOU GO, I WILL GO; WHEREVER YOU LODGE, I WILL LODGE; YOUR PEOPLE SHALL BE MY PEOPLE, AND YOUR GOD MY GOD.'" AS THE DAUGHTER OF A HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR, SHOSHANA JEDWAB WAS RAISED WITH AN ACUTE UNDERSTANDING OF THE IMPORTANCE OF PROVIDING SAFE HAVEN TO PEOPLE FLEEING VIOLENCE AND DISCRIMINATION. "WHERE YOU GO" IS A SONG FOR THOSE INSISTING ON COMPASSION AND INCLUSION IN OUR SOCIETY. [APPLAUSE] >> THANK YOU TO SUSAN AND JYVONNE FOR LEADING US IN THAT SONG. OUR NEXT SONG IS CALLED COURAGE, MY FRIENDS. AND WHEN ERIC B OFFICER GLE WROTE THIS SON, IT WAS CALLED SINCEING THE SPIRIT HOME, WHICH HAS BEEN SUNG AND ADAPTED BY THE IF NOT NOW MOVEMENT. IF NOT NOW IS WORKING TO TRANSFORM THE AMERICAN JEWISH COMMUNITY'S SUPPORT FOR OCCUPATION INTO A CALL FOR FREEDOM AND DIGNITY FOR ALL "COURAGE, MY FRIEND" WILL BE SUNG TONIGHT AS WE COMPANION THOSE CO‑CREATING UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM TO BE RECOGNIZED FOR THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS. TO LIFT THEM UP AND LET THEM KNOW THEY ARE NOT EMBARKING ON THIS NEW CHAPTER IN THEIR LIVES ALONE. THE SONG HAS SOME CALL AND RESPONSE SINGING AND SOME UNISON. I'M GOING TO TEACH IT TO YOU. I HOPE YOU REMEMBER IT WHEN WE GET TO THIS PART IN THE SERVICE. I'M HAVE YOU SING IT AGAIN. IT SOUNDS LIKE THIS. [SINGING COURAGE, MY FRIENDS] >> GREAT. I HOPE I LEARNED THAT SO YOU CAN BE LEADERS WHEN WE GET TO THIS POINT IN THE SERVICE. THANK YOU. >> OUR NEXT SONG IS A DEEP CALL TO FREEDOM FROM AN UNKNOWN COMPOSER, AN ENSLAVED AFRICAN IN THE AMERICAN SOUTH. HUSH, SOMEBODY'S CALLING MY NAME WAS A WARNING OF DANGER NEARBY TO OTHER SLAVES. WE SING THIS SONG, KNOWING THAT MOST OF US IN THIS ROOM DON'T KNOW THE FEAR THAT MOTIVATED THESE WORDS, BUT AS A REMINDER TO LISTEN FOR THE CALL TO CONTINUALLY WORK FOR JUSTICE. TO HEED THAT CALL WITH A NEW COMMITMENT TO REACH OUT AND LEAD IN LOVE.PLEASE RISE IN BODY OR SPIRIT OF THE JOIN IN SINGING HUSH, SOMEBODY IS CALLING ME SING. >> I WANT A GOING TO SING THE FIRST PART AS A LITTLE BIT OF A SOLO. SIT BACK AND RELAX. HOW ABOUT THAT? [APPLAUSE] >> TIME AND TIME AGAIN, THERE IS A CALL: >> A CALL TO LEAD THE WORK OF TRANSFORMATION… >> A CALL TO HELP HEAL… >> A CALL TO TESTIFY… >> A CALL TO DISRUPT… >> A CALL TO CREATE SOMETHING NEW… >> A CALL TO HELP OTHERS SEE THEIR POTENTIAL, THEIR ROLE IN CRAFTING A WORLD THAT IS ALWAYS PUSHING TOWARDS MORE JUSTICE, MORE PEACE, AND MORE LOVE. >> WE REJOICE THAT SOME CHOOSE TO LIVE OUT THEIR CALLING IN THE NAME OF UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM. THESE INCLUDE THE CERTIFIED MUSIC LEADERS, CREDENTIALED RELIGIOUS EDUCATORS, AND NEWLY AND FINAL FELLOWSHIPPED MINISTERS WHOM WE CELEBRATE TONIGHT. >> IT INCLUDES THE RETIREES WHOSE YEARS OF SERVICE WE HONOR, AND THE LEADERS WE LOST THIS YEAR THROUGH DEATH, AND WHOSE LIVES WE MOURN. >> YET WE COME TOGETHER TONIGHT NOT JUST TO CELEBRATE. WE COME NOT JUST AS WITNESSES BUT AS CO‑CREATORS OF THIS FAITH'S LIVING TRADITION. WE ASK OURSELVES, "HOW WILL I SUPPORT THESE RELIGIOUS PROFESSIONALS IN THEIR CALLING?" AND "WHAT WILL BECOME OF THIS FAITH THEY ARE CALLED TO?" >> EVERY ACTION HAS A REACTION. WHETHER OR NOT YOU ARE A RELIGIOUS PROFESSIONAL, YOU PLAY A PART IN HOW THESE CALLINGS ARE LIVED OUT. AS WE RECOGNIZE THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS, LET US ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE HOW MUCH WE NEED EACH OTHER. AS OUR PRESIDENT, THE REVEREND SUSAN FREDERICK‑GRAY SAYS, "WE CANNOT DO THIS ALONE." TONIGHT IS NOT JUST ABOUT THEM. IT IS ABOUT ALL OF US AND OUR SHARED ROLE IN CO‑CREATING UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM. >> IT IS ABOUT WHO WE HAVE BEEN AS A PEOPLE OF FAITH, AND WHO WE ARE ALL CALLED TO BE. WELCOME TO THE SERVICE OF THE LIVING TRADITION! [APPLAUSE] >> VOICES RISE AND WEAPONS FALL, AND NATIONS UNITE AROUND THE WORLD AND SONGS OF PEACE AT THE HEART OF EVERY LAND. COMPOSER, SONG LEADER AND CEREMONIAL MUSICIAN, SUSIE RO PRATER PREACHES A WORLD OF PEACE THROUGH THE CULTIVATION OF HARMONY WITHIN AND WITHOUT IN HER SONG "FLAME." [APPLAUSE] >> A FLAME BURNS IN THE CENTER OF THE STORM. TONIGHT OUR CHALICE WILL BE LIT BY YOUNG CLIMATE LEADERS, YOUNG UU CLIMATE LEADERS. LEVI DRAHEIM AND AMELIA DIEHL. READ THE WORDS WITH ME. WITH THE KINDLING OF THIS FAME WE RE‑AFFIRM COMMITMENTS TO ACCEPT LIFE'S GIFTS WITH GRACE AND GRATITUDE AND TO USE THEM TO BLESS THE WORLD IN THE SPIRIT OF LOVE. >> "GIVE US A HEART STRONG ENOUGH TO LOVE AND FIGHT FOR THE FREEDOM OF ALL PEOPLES‑FOR THOSE STRUGGLING IN SEARCH OF THE TRUTH. RENEW US TO EMBRACE ALL HUMANITY, BREAKING DOWN ALL BARRIERS." JUAN ANTONIO ESPINOSA'S POWERFUL MESSAGE OF STRENGTH AND UNITY WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY THE CHANT EL PUEBLO UNIDO, JAMÁS SERÁ VENCIDO. THE PEOPLE UNITED WILL NEVER BE DIVIDED. WE WILL BEGIN WITH THE CHANT AND THEN YOU CAN JOIN IN SINGING THE REFRAIN OF "DANOS UN CORAZÓN" OR CONTINUE CHANTING.PLEASE RISE IN BODY OR SPIRIT. [APPLAUSE] >> WE'RE ABOUT TO HONOR SOME AMAZING PEOPLE HERE, AND I JUST WANT TO POINT OUT THAT THESE PEOPLE DIDN'T DO IT BY THEMSELVES. THEY HAVE FAMILIES, FRIENDS, LOVED ONES, COMMUNITIES, AND CONGREGATIONS THAT HELD THEM IN LOVE AND PRAYED FOR THEM AND HELPED THEM COME TO THIS STAGE. [APPLAUSE] >> WE CALL FORTH FROM AMONG YOU, THESE PERSONS, WHO HAVE RECEIVED PRELIMINARY FELLOWSHIP AS UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST MINISTERS: NORMAN ALLEN LEONISA ARDIZZONE DEBORAH M. BENNETT CATHERINE BOYLE ASHLEY BURCZAK ELIZABETH CARRIER‑LADD ABIGAIL CLAUHS EMILY MICHELLE CONGER D. SCOTT COOPER CLAIRE L. CUROLE CHRISTINE DANCE CYNTHIA DAVIDSON KEVIN DEBECK DAVID DUBBELDAM CHARLEY EARP DAVID EGAN AMY FIORILLI AILEEN MARCELA FITZKE ALEXA FRASER APRIL FRAZIER JACK GAEDE MANDY GOHEEN SARA ELAINE GREEN YADENEE Z. HAILU SHARI HALLIDAY‑QUAN RAYNA HAMRI ALLEN HARDEN RACHAEL ANN HAYES JOANNA M. HERREN ANDREA JOHNSON KRISTEN A. KURIGA MICHELLE LATTANZIO RODNEY LEMERY JIM LEWIS REBECCA S. LEYSER CHRISTE LUNSFORD KAREN DAWN MADRONE KIMBERLY ANNE MASON MEGAN MATHIESON JUSTIN MCCREARY MIRA MICKIEWICZ ANDRÉE MOL ROSEMARY MORRISON ELIZABETH ANN MOUNT FULGENCE NDAGIJIMANA JANET NEWTON ELEANOR PIEZ JULIE PRICE JOY CHRISTI PRZESTWOR KRISTEN PSAKI C. NANCY REID‑MCKEE JESSICA STAR ROCKERS JOHN ERIC SEVERSON K.C. SLACK SARA SMALLEY JANE BENNETT SMITH ANDREA SPENCER‑LINZIE TARYN STRAUSS GARY R. STRICHARTZ SHELLY THOMPSON PATRICIA TRUDEAU AJ VAN TINE RUTH VANN LILLIAN ZACKRIE THOMAS VINCZEN LEE ANNE WASHINGTON DANIELLE WEBBER KRISTA WEBER‑HUANG SAMANTHA LYNNE WILSON CHRISTOPHER WULFF CRYSTAL ZERFOSS [SINGING "COURAGE, MY FRIEND"] >> I CALL FORTH FROM AMONG YOU, THESE PERSONS, WHO HAVE BEEN CERTIFIED AS A CREDENTIALED RELIGIOUS EDUCATORS: DARLENE ANDERSON‑ALEXANDER TIM ATKINS STEVEN COOPER DAYNA EDWARDS MARGUERITE MILLS MIA L. NOREN SARA SAUTTER [APPLAUSE] >> I CALL FORTH FROM AMONG YOU THESE PERSONS WHO HAVE SUCCESSFUL I COMPLETED THE PROGRAM OF STUDY AND ARE NOW CERTIFIED MUSIC LEADERS. CAROLYN BJERKE ALISON VERNON [SINGING "COURAGE, MY FRIEND"] >> I CALL FORTH FROM AMONG YOU, THESE PERSONS, WHO HAVE RECEIVED FINAL WHO HAVE COMPLETED THEIR CAREERS OF FULL TIME SERVICE. LYNN ASHLEY JADE D'AQUILARIVE "JD" BENSON MICHAEL WARDELL BROWN DAVID M. BRYCE DANIEL E. BUDD RICHELLE CARMICHAEL RUSSELL CATHY CARTWRIGHT‑CHOW EMILY A. CHAMPAGNE GREGORY CHUTE SARA CLOE FRANCIS DEARMAN ROD DEBS JULIE FOREST MARY MCKINNON GANZ JANN HALLORAN ANDREA PURDY HEIER HOLLY ELAINE HORN LONE JENSEN BROUSSARD BRYAN D. JESSUP STEVE JEWELL CRUMP PAT KAHN ELIZABETH "KIT" KETCHAM MAUREEN KILLORAN TONY LARSEN MICHAEL R. LEDUC HARLAN LIMPERT BENJAMIN PETER MAUCERE DONNA MORRISON‑REED FREDERIC J MUIR RICHARD ROBERTS DON SOUTHWORTH LORI STAUBITZ PATIENCE GRUBER STODDARD JEROME A. STONE MICHAEL THOMPSON MARION B. VISEL JEAN WAHLSTROM [SINGING "COURAGE, MY FRIEND"] >> WE WOULD LIKE TO CALL FORTH AMONG YOU THOSE PERSONS WHO HAVE RECEIVED FULL FELLOWSHIP AS A UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST MINISTERS. >> I CALL FORTH FROM AMONG YOU, THESE PERSONS, WHO HAVE RECEIVED FINAL FELLOWSHIP AS UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST MINISTERS: RACHEL BAKER REBECCA BRYAN GEORGE A. BUCHANAN MADELYN E. CAMPBELL BRIAN CHENOWITH ELIZABETH CHRONISTER AMY WILLIAMS CLARK KELLI CLEMENT JOHN COOPER JENNIFER S. DANT KALI DEHART JORGE ESPINAD SETH FISHER ANTHONY FISHER ROGER C. GRUGEL ANGELA MARIE HENDERSON SEANAN HOLLAND C. LYNN HOPKINS DARRICK JACKSON JOAN JAVIER‑DUVAL MEGAN LLOYD JOINER DAVID G. KRAEMER SARA EILEEN LAWALL SHERMAN ZOBISH LOGAN THERESA E. MANDEVILLE KATHLEEN MCGRAW LISA MOBAYED KAREN MOONEY PAUL OAKLEY NASTASHA OSTROM PATRICIA A. OWEN JANET PARSONS SARAH RICHARDS TANDI ROGERS TANDY WILKINS SCHEFFLER CHRISTIAN SCHMIDT MARK SKRABACZ RANDALL SPAULDING TRACY SPRINGBERRY AARON STOCKWELL LINDA THOMPSON SCHUYLER VOGEL EMILY WRIGHT‑MAGOON >> AS ONE, WE PLEDGE OURSELVES TO GREATER SERVICE WITH LOVE AND JUSTICE, STRIVING TO MAKE US ALL FREE. THE LYRICS BY REV. SAMUEL ANTHONY WRIGHT WERE WRITTEN FOR UNITARIAN AND UNIVERSALIST YOUTH AT THEIR 1953‑54 CONTINENTAL CONVENTION WHEN THEY MERGED TO FORM THE LIBERAL RELIGIOUS YOUTH. THIS GROUP SET THE MODEL FOR THE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST DENOMINATIONAL CONSOLIDATION IN 1961. WILL YOU PLEASE RISE IN BODY OR SPIRIT? JOIN US IN SINGING WE WOULD BE ONE. WE WOULD BE ONE AS NOW WE JOIN IN SINGING OUR HYMN OF LOVE, TO PLEDGE OURSELVES ANEW TO THAT HIGH CAUSE OF GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF WHO WE ARE, AND WHAT IN US IS TRUE. WE WOULD BE ONE IN LIVING FOR EACH OTHER TO SHOW TO ALL A NEW COMMUNITY. >> CODY LEWIS ON THE CELLO. >> WE WOULD BE ONE IN BUILDING FOR TOMORROW A NOBLER WORLD THAN WE HAVE KNOWN TODAY. WE WOULD BE ONE IN SEARCHING FOR THAT MEANING WHICH BENDS OUR HEARTS AND POINTS US ON OUR WAY. AS ONE, WE PLEDGE OURSELVES TO GREATER SERVICE WITH LOVE AND JUSTICE, STRIVE TO MAKE US FREE. [APPLAUSE] >> EACH YEAR, AS WE HAVE FOR GENERATIONS, WE HONOR THE RELIGIOUS PROFESSIONALS OF OUR LIVING TRADITION WHO HAVE DIED DURING THE LAST YEAR. INTO THIS SACRED SPACE WE LIFT UP THE NAMES OF THESE LOVED ONES AND DEAR COLLEAGUES. BY SPEAKING THEIR NAMES, AND REMEMBERING THEM, WE HONOR THE LIVES THEY LIVED, THE MINISTRIES THEY OFFERED, THE MEANINGFUL DIFFERENCE THEY MADE TO THE PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES THEY SERVED WITH THEIR LEADERSHIP, THEIR CARE, THEIR WISDOM AND THEIR FAITHFUL PRESENCE. AS WE REMEMBER THESE RELIGIOUS LEADERS, WE HOLD IN OUR HEARTS THEIR FAMILIES, COMMUNITIES AND DEAR FRIENDS AND THE GRIEF THAT ACCOMPANIES TENDERLY OUR GRATITUDE FOR THE LOVE AND THE LIFE SHARED. PLEASE RISE IN BODY AND/OR SPIRIT GEORGE G. BROOKS BEVERLY A. BUMBAUGH VICTOR H. CARPENTER, JR. CYNTHIA J. EDSON DOROTHY M. EMERSON CAROL FINCHER MAX D. GAEBLER RUDOLPH C. GELSEY RICHARD HENRY EILEEN B. KARPELES WILLIAM N. KENNEDY BJARNE O. KJELSHUS RAYMOND G. MANKER ALEXANDER MEEK RAYMOND A. MICHEL JOHN HANLY MORGAN RICHARD JASPER NORSWORTHY CLARK B. OLSEN MARC A. SALKIN WILLIAM CLINTON SAUNDERS ALAN LESLIE SEABURG ARNOLD THAW MATTHEW D. TITTLE PETER W. WEBSTER I WILL NOW READ OFF THE NAMES OF THOSE WHO HAVE PASSED AWAY AFTER MAY 15TH 2019. WE WILL BE HONORING THESE RELIGIOUS LEADERS IN THE FOLLOWING GENERAL ASSEMBLY NEXT YEAR IN PROVIDENCE RHODE ISLAND. TODAY WE REMEMBER DENNIS G. KUBY GENE A. REEVES ERINN MELBY, A BELOVED MEMBER OF THE TRANSGENDER PROFESSIONAL UUS TOGETHER TRUST. MARY L. KNIGHT CAROLYN COLBERT LET US JOIN OUR HEARTS TOGETHER IN A MOMENT OF PRAYER. SPIRIT OF LIFE, SPIRIT OF LOVE THAT HOLDS US CLOSE IN A NETWORK OF MUTUALITY THAT EXTENDS THROUGH THE GENERATIONS, LINKING US TO ALL WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE AND THOSE WHO WILL COME AFTER US. OUR HEARTS ARE HUMBLE IN THE MIDST OF THE PRECIOUS GIFT AND GREAT MYSTERY OF LIFE. WE HONOR THESE PRECIOUS LIVES, THESE LEADERS WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE. IN REMEMBERING THEM, WE REMEMBER THAT WE ARE NOT THE FIRST TO STRUGGLE, TO RISK, TO LOVE, TO CELEBRATE, TO KNOW ANGUISH AND HEARTBREAK, TO BE IN NEED OF FORGIVENESS AND GRACE. IN REMEMBERING THEM, WE REMEMBER OUR OWN RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE FACE OF THE BREVITY OF LIFE ‑ EVERY MOMENT WE ARE GIVEN IS PRECIOUS. MAY WE, IN REMEMBERING THEM, LIVE OUR OWN LIVES MORE COMMITTED TO COMPASSION, TO COMMUNITY, TO ONE ANOTHER, AND ALWAYS IN SERVICE TO THE LARGER CALL OF LOVE AND JUSTICE. I INVITE US ALL NOW INTO A MOMENT OF COLLECTIVE SILENCE TO BE ATTENTIVE TO THE PRAYERS, THE MEMORIES OF THESE DEAR LOVED ONES. THE LONGINGS, THE HOPE, PRESENT IN EACH OF OUR OWN LIVES. I INVITE YOU INTO A MOMENT OF SILENCE. BLESSED BE. >> YSAßE BARNWELL'S POIGNANT SONG "WANTING MEMORIES" DESCRIBES THE PROCESS OF STRUGGLING WITH LOSS, AND USING MEMORY AS A KEY TO "SEE THE BEAUTY IN THE WORLD THROUGH OUR OWN EYES. [SINGING "WANTING MEMORIES"] [APPLAUSE] >> GOOD EVENING. I AM REMINDED TONIGHT THAT ONE OF THE FEW IDENTITIES MORE CHALLENGING THAN THAT OF THE MINISTER IS‑THE CHILD OF A MINISTER. OF ALL THE MEMBERS OF A FAMILY IN SERVICE TO A CONGREGATION, IT IS THE CHILDREN WHO TRULY HAVE NO CHOICE. SO WHEN OUR OLDER SON CRIED FOR HOURS WHEN WE LEARNED OF MY CALL TO THE NEW YORK CITY CONGREGATION I HAD LONGED FOR, WE THOUGHT HE WOULD BE ALL RIGHT. BUT SIX WEEKS AFTER WE MOVED FROM NEW JERSEY, FOUR DAYS INTO HIS NEW THIRD GRADE CLASS, TWO PLANES FLEW INTO THE WORLD TRADE CENTER‑AND MY BABY WAS NOT ALL RIGHT. HE DREW PICTURE AFTER PICTURE OF BOMBS FALLING; WHILE I SPENT HOURS AT CHURCH WITH MY SHELL‑SHOCKED CONGREGANTS, OR TOOK A SHIFT AS A CHAPLAIN AT GROUND ZERO, HE SNUCK INTO THE LIVING ROOM AFTER BEDTIME TO WATCH MOVIES ABOUT WAR. ONE NIGHT, COMING HOME LATE FROM A BOARD MEETING, MY HUSBAND MET ME AT THE FRONT DOOR. "GO TALK TO ALLEN; HE WON'T GO TO BED TILL HE SEES YOU." LOOKING IN WHILE HIS LITTLE BROTHER SLEPT, I FOUND HIM REARRANGING THINGS IN AN OLD BASKET WE HAD. LOOKING UP FROM HIS WORK, HE ASKED ME FOR A PAIR OF MY SOCKS. "WHY DO YOU NEED MY SOCKS, BABY?" "I HAVE EVERYBODY'S SOCKS BUT YOURS, AND GLOVES, AND SOME WATER." BUT WHAT IS ALL THAT FOR, I ASKED HIM. "WELL, IF OSAMA BIN LADIN COMES, WE'LL HAVE TO RUN, HE ANSWERED ME, ALWAYS MY EARNEST BOY. I FOUND SOCKS FOR HIM AND TUCKED HIM IN, THEN ENTERED OUR BEDROOM AND CRIED. TEN THOUSAND NYC CHILDREN WERE AFFLICTED WITH POST‑TRAUMATIC STRESS SYNDROME IN THE WAKE OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER ATTACKS; OUR CHILD WAS ONE OF THEM. HE NEEDED MORE CARE THAN WE COULD AFFORD‑BUT THE LIVING TRADITION FUND WAS THERE FOR US. WE THOUGHT THOSE YEARS OF THERAPY WOULD BE ENOUGH. AND THEY WERE, FOR A LONG TIME. BUT PUBERTY BROUGHT NEWER AND MORE FRIGHTENING CONCERNS, WITH TESTING AND DOCTORS, REHABS AND PSYCHIATRIC CARE FOR OUR EVER‑MORE TROUBLED SON. MY HUSBAND'S INSURANCE PLAN, GOOD FOR ANNUAL CHECKUPS AND BODILY AILMENTS, WAS A SHAMEFUL DISAPPOINTMENT WHEN ALLEN'S DIAGNOSIS WAS PSYCHIATRIC, BUT UNCLEAR. THROUGH THOSE YEARS OF FEAR AND STRESS, THE LIVING TRADITION FUND STAYED BY OUR SIDE, HELPING TO BRIDGE THE FINANCIAL GAP AS WE SEARCHED FOR ALLEN'S HEALTH AND HEALING. ALLEN IS NEARLY 26 NOW; A TALENTED GUITARIST, A GRITTY, INVENTIVE WRITER, LIKE HIS FATHER; A SURVIVOR OF MENTAL ILLNESS WITH A DIAGNOSIS; AN UNDERSTANDING OF HIS CHALLENGES‑AND A FUTURE. IT COULD HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT FOR US‑AND MIGHT HAVE BEEN, IF NOT FOR THE SUPPORT OF THE LIVING TRADITION FUND. ON THIS NIGHT, WHEN WE HONOR ALL THOSE WHO SERVE OUR CONGREGATIONS AND COMMUNITIES, AT EVERY PHASE OF THEIR CAREERS, I ASK YOU TO HONOR THOSE WHO SERVE WITH US‑THE PARTNERS AND PARTICULARLY THE CHILDREN OF OUR RELIGIOUS PROFESSIONALS. YOUR RADICAL GENEROSITY TONIGHT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF SO MANY PEOPLE, PEOPLE WHOSE STORIES YOU MAY NOT KNOW, BUT WHOSE NEEDS ARE JUST AS GREAT AS OUR FAMILY'S NEEDS ONCE WERE. WHETHER IT'S THE DESPERATELY ILL CHILD OF A DRE, OR A SEMINARY GRADUATE OVERWHELMED BY STUDENT DEBT, OR A RETIRED MINISTER MAKING THE CHOICE BETWEEN THIS WEEK'S GROCERIES AND THIS MONTH'S MEDICATION, YOUR GIFTS TRULY MATTER. ON BEHALF OF THOSE YOU HAVE ALREADY HELPED‑INCLUDING THE MCNATT FAMILY‑AND ALL THOSE WHO WILL ONE DAY BE HELPED BY THE GIFTS YOU GIVE TONIGHT, PLEASE ACCEPT OUR HEARTFELT THANKS. THE OFFERING WILL NOW BE RECEIVED. >> ACCORDING TO THE COMPOSER, VIENNA TENG, SOON, LOVE, SOON IS A SONG THAT DARES TO HOPE THAT SOMEDAY, WE'LL LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES, BE BEYOND ALL THIS MESS AND LIVE PEACEFUL, HAPPY LIVES. [SINGING "SOON LOVE SOON"] [APPLAUSE] >> THE FOLLOWING ARE EXCERPTS FROM THE THIRD EDITION OF REBECCA SOLNIT'S BOOK HOPE IN THE DARK: UNTOLD HISTORIES, WILD POSSIBILITIES. "IT IS IMPORTANT TO SAY WHAT HOPE IS NOT: IT IS NOT THE BELIEF THAT EVERYTHING WAS, IS OR WILL BE FINE. THE EVIDENCE IS ALL AROUND US OF TREMENDOUS SUFFERING AND TREMENDOUS DESTRUCTION." "HOPE LOCATES ITSELF IN THE PREMISES THAT WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN AND THAT IN THE SPACIOUSNESS OF UNCERTAINTY IS ROOM TO ACT. WHEN YOU RECOGNIZE UNCERTAINTY, YOU RECOGNIZE THAT YOU MAY BE ABLE TO INFLUENCE THE OUTCOMES ‑ YOU. HOPE IS AN EMBRACE OF THE UNKNOWN AND THE UNKNOWABLE, AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE CERTAINTY OF BOTH OPTIMISTS AND PESSIMISTS. OPTIMISTS THINK IT WILL ALL BE FINE WITHOUT OUR INVOLVEMENT; PESSIMISTS TAKE THE OPPOSITE POSITION; BOTH EXCUSE THEMSELVES FROM ACTING. IT IS THE BELIEF THAT WHAT WE DO MATTERS EVEN THOUGH HOW AND WHEN IT MAY MATTER, WHO AND WHAT IT MAY IMPACT, ARE NOT THINGS WE CAN KNOW BEFOREHAND. WE MAY NOT, IN FACT, KNOW THEM AFTERWARD EITHER, BUT THEY MATTER ALL THE SAME, AND HISTORY IS FULL OF PEOPLE WHOSE INFLUENCE WAS MOST POWERFUL AFTER THEY WERE GONE." "CAUSE‑AND‑EFFECT ASSUMES HISTORY MARCHES FORWARD, BUT HISTORY IS NOT AN ARMY. IT IS A CRAB SCUTTLING SIDEWAYS, A DRIP OF SOFT WATER WEARING AWAY STONE, AN EARTHQUAKE BREAKING CENTURIES OF TENSION." "ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN, AND WHETHER WE ACT OR NOT HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH IT. THOUGH THERE IS NO LOTTERY TICKET FOR THE LAZY AND THE DETACHED, FOR THE ENGAGED THERE IS A TREMENDOUS GAMBLE FOR THE HIGHEST STAKES RIGHT NOW." "TO HOPE IS TO GIVE YOURSELF TO THE FUTURE, AND THAT COMMITMENT TO THE FUTURE MAKES THE PRESENT INHABITABLE." >> WE SHALL BE KNOWN BY THE COMPANY WE KEEP BY THE ONES WHO CIRCLE ROUND TO TEND THESE FIRES. WE SHALL BE KNOWN BY THE ONES WHO SOW AND REAPIT INSPIRES US TO KEEP THE GOOD COMPANY WE KEEP AND GO DEEP INTO THE WELL, OUR SOURCE OF CREATIVITY, CONNECTION, AND ABILITY TO THRIVE. [SINGING "WE SHALL BE KNOWN"] [APPLAUSE] IN THE MID‑NINETIES, THE LAST TIME GENERAL ASSEMBLY WAS IN SPOKANE, I WAS WAITING IN THE SEATTLE AIRPORT FOR THE FINAL LEG OF THE JOURNEY AND I BEGAN NOTICING FELLOW UUS ARRIVING FROM OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY. YOU CAN SPOT THEM ACROSS THE AIRPORT SOMETIMES. [LAUGHTER] AN OLDER COLLEAGUE IN A DAPPER TWEED JACKET CAUGHT MY EYE. IT WAS THE REV. NATHANIEL LAURIAT FROM ARIZONA. WHILE FROM DIFFERENT GENERATIONS OF MINISTRY, WE HAD EACH SERVED THE FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH OF SAN JOSE AS OUR FIRST MINISTERIAL SETTLEMENT. HE HAD STARTED HIS MINISTRY IN 1945 AND I BEGAN THERE 40 YEARS LATER. FROM TIME TO TIME, NATHANIEL HAD MAILED ME A HANDWRITTEN NOTE EXPRESSING HIS SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT, PROVIDING A TANGIBLE CONNECTION TO THIS GENERATIONAL ENDEAVOR THAT IS OUR LIVING TRADITION. I TRULY APPRECIATED THESE SIMPLE GESTURES OF RESPECT AND KINDNESS FROM A MINISTER WHO WAS ABOUT THE AGE OF MY FATHER. AS NATHANIEL AND I VISITED IN THE AIRPORT, I SOON DISCOVERED THAT THIS WAS NOT AN ORDINARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY FOR HIM. AFTER 50 YEARS OF PARISH MINISTRY, DURING WHICH TIME HE HAD SERVED 5 DIFFERENT CONGREGATIONS, NATHANIEL WAS AS OF ONE DAY EARLIER NOW OFFICIALLY RETIRED. JUST ONE DAY EARLIER, HE HAD PREACHED HIS FINAL SERMON. I WAS IMPRESSED. A FEW MONTHS SHY OF MY FIRST DECADE IN MINISTRY, I FOUND IT VERY HARD TO IMAGINE SUSTAINING ONE'S MINISTRY FOR 50 YEARS. I HAD NOT EVEN BEEN ALIVE THAT LONG! WE SHARED STORIES AND CONVERSATION ON THAT SHORT FLIGHT, ONE OF WHICH CONTINUES TO INFORM MY OWN MINISTRY TO THIS DAY. NATHANIEL WAS ONLY 23 YEARS OLD WHEN HE WAS INVITED BY THE FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH OF SAN JOSE TO BE THEIR CANDIDATE FOR MINISTRY. ORGANIZED, AND EAGER TO MAKE A GOOD IMPRESSION, HE HAD PREPARED TWO WORSHIP SERVICES FOR THE SUNDAYS THAT WOULD BEGIN AND CONCLUDE HIS CANDIDATING WEEK. HIS FIRST SUNDAY SERVICE WENT WELL, BUT LITTLE DID HE KNOW WHAT WAS YET IN STORE. IT WAS AUGUST 1945, AND THE VERY NEXT DAY AFTER HIS FIRST SERMON, THE US DROPPED AN ATOMIC BOMB ON HIROSHIMA, FOLLOWED BY THE BOMBING OF NAGASAKI A COUPLE DAYS LATER. I TRY TO IMAGINE WHAT IT MUST HAVE BEEN LIKE, AT AGE 23, TO BE FAR FROM HOME, BRAND NEW TO MINISTRY, TRYING TO LAND A JOB. HOW DID HE FIND THE SPIRITUAL AND EMOTIONAL RESOURCES TO MINISTER IN SUCH AN EARTH‑SHATTERING, HISTORY ALTERING MOMENT? EVER SINCE NATHANIEL TOLD ME THE STORY OF HOW HIS MINISTRY BEGAN, I HAVE TRIED TO REMEMBER THAT THERE WILL COME TIMES WHEN WE SIMPLY WILL NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO. HISTORY DOES NOT ALWAYS INFORM THE PRESENT. SOMETIMES WE ARE CALLED TO RELIGIOUS LEADERSHIP IN A RADICALLY CHANGED AND MORALLY TERRIFYING LANDSCAPE. I BELIEVE THAT NOW IS ONE OF THOSE TIMES. FROM DEUTERONOMY 3:19. I CALL HEAVEN P AND EARTH AS WITNESSES AGAINST YOU TODAY THAT I HAVE SET BEFORE YOU LIFE AND DEATH, BLESSING AND CURSE. CHOOSE LIFE SO THAT YOU AND YOUR DESCENDANT MAY LIVE. THAT YOU AND YOUR DESCENDANT MAY LIVE. OVER THE PAST 34 YEARS OF MINISTRY, I'VE TENDED MANY SERVICES OF THE LIVING TRADITION, WHETHER ARRIVING EXUBERANT OR EXHAUSTED, IT HAS BEEN A BLESSING TO STEP OUT OF THE PULL PELT AND INTO THE PEW, JOINING WITH COLLEAGUES TO CELEBRATE THE GENERATIONAL ARC OF RELIGIOUS LEADERSHIP, HONORING THOSE WHO HAVE PRECEDED US AND WELCOMING THOSE WHO WILL CONTINUE LONG AFTER WE EVER HUNG UP OUR STOLES. AS JUNE 28TH MARKS THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE STONEWALL UPRISING, I DO WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO ACKNOWLEDGE WITH DEEP RESPECT AND GRATITUDE THOSE TRANS ELDERS OF COLOR WHO COURAGEOUSLY CLAIMED THEIR OWN FREEDOM, REFUSING TO AQUEOUS TO ANOTHER NIGHT OF POLICE VIOLENCE AND INTIMIDATION. [APPLAUSE] WHILE THE WORK IS FAR FROM DONE AND OUR TRANS AND NONBINARY KIN ARE STILL TARGETED IN CRUEL AND DEMEANING WAYS, I DO WANT TO RECOGNIZE THE GENERATIONS OF QUEER ORGANIZERS, ARTISTS, MINISTERS, AND MOVEMENT BUILDERS WHO HAVE HARNESSED THE MOMENTUM OF LOVE AND OUTRAGE TO CREATE SIGNIFICANT CHANGE OVER THIS PAST CENTURY. I AM PERSONALLY ‑‑ [APPLAUSE] I AM PERSONALLY GRATEFUL. THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE ME PUSHED AND CRACKED OPEN DOORS THAT I WAS ABLE TO WALK‑THROUGH. THEY MADE IT POSSIBLE IN 1985 FOR ME TO ENTER OUR MINISTRY AS AN OPENLY LESBIAN MINISTER. TO HAVE BEEN OFFERED THIS OPPORTUNITY THAT OTHERS HELPED TO CREATE MAKES ME PARTICULARLY COMMITTED TO LIVE IN A MANNER THAT WILL HELP TO PAY IT FORWARD. [APPLAUSE] TONIGHT AS WE RECOGNIZE AND HONOR OUR LIVING TRADITION THAT UNFOLDS THROUGH GENERATIONS OF MINISTRY, LET US ALSO FEEL THE WEIGHT AND THE PROMISE OF THE AS‑YET UNWRITTEN FUTURE. WE HOLD THIS LIVING TRADITION IN TRUST FOR GENERATIONS YET TO COME. SO WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE TODAY IN AN ERA IN WHICH OUR LARGER CULTURE AND ECONOMY ARE RIFE WITH INTERGENERATIONAL INJUSTICE? WHAT SOME NAME AS INTERGENERATIONAL THEFT? HOW TRAFFIC WE MOVE INTO A COMMITMENT TO INTERGENERATIONAL SOLIDARITY? YOUNG PEOPLE ARE PROVIDING POWERFUL LEADERSHIP, CONFRONTING SYSTEMIC RACISM, CALLING OUT COMPLACENCY AND MOCKING THE LIVES AND INSTITUTIONAL INTRANSIGENCE THAT PUTS THEIR LIVES AND THE PLANET AT RISK. THEY ARE ORGANIZING THEIR PEERS, PROCLAIMING THEIR MORAL WITNESS AND REFUSING TO ACCEPT THE UNACCEPTABLE. WITNESS THE LIVID GRIEF OF THE SURVIVORS OF THE MARJORY STONEMAN DOUGLAS HIGH SCHOOL SHOOTING AS THEY CALL OUT THE NRA AND THE BS OF CAUTIOUS POLITICIANS. [APPLAUSE] RESPECT THE MASTERFUL TENACITY OF YOUNG ACTIVISTS IN THE STREETS OF FERGUSON, HARNESSING LOCAL AND NATIONAL OUTRAGE TO HOLD POLICE TO ACCOUNT AND STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST BLACK LIVES. [APPLAUSE] AND LISTEN TO 15‑YEAR‑OLD SCHOOL STRIKE FOR CLIMATE ACTIVE HE IS GRETA THUNBERG WHO, WHEN INVITED TO DAVO TO ADDRESS POWERFUL LEADERS AT THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM THIS JANUARY, DELIVERED A SPEECH THAT WAS HEARD ROUND THE WORLD. SHE SAID, EITHER WE PREVENT TEMPERATURES FROM RISING ABOVE 1.5 DEGREES OR WE DON'T. EITHER WE AVOID CHAIN REACTION OF UNRAVELING ECOSYSTEMS OR WE DON'T. NOW WE ALL HAVE A CHOICE. WE CAN EITHER CREATE TRANSFORMATIONAL ACTION OR CONTINUE WITH BUSINESS AS USUAL AND FAIL. I OFTEN HEAR ADULTS SAY, WE FEED TO GIVE THE NEXT GENERATION HOPE. BUT I DON'T WANT YOUR HOPE. I WANT YOU TO PANIC. I WANT YOU TO FEEL THE FEAR I DO EVERYDAY AND I WANT YOU TO ACT. BEHAVE LIKE OUR HOUSE IS ON FIRE, BECAUSE IT IS. [APPLAUSE] UNWILLING TO SETTLE FOR ANYTHING LESS THAN THE SPIRITUAL, FINANCIAL, AND POLITICAL COMMITMENT THAT IS COMMENSURATE WITH THE SCALE OF THE CRISIS WE ARE FACING, YOUNG LEADERS ARE CALLING US OUT AND INVITING US IN. GRETA IS RIGHT TO BE ANGRY AND ALARMED. SHE IS RIGHT TO INSIST ON TELLING THE UNVARNISHED TRUTH TO POWER. FOR AT LEAST THREE DECADES, TWICE AS LONG AS SHE'S BEEN ALIVE, CLIMATE SCIENTISTS HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET THE WORLD TO TAKE NOTICE AS THEY WARNED OF HAD OF ALL OF THE DANGER INHERENT IN A WARMING PLANET, ONLY TO HAVE THEIR RESEARCH AND INTEGRITY DISCREDITED BY FOSSIL FUEL FUNDED CAMPAIGNS WORKING TO SEW PUBLIC DOUBT, DISTRUST, AND DISCORD. SO WITH REPORTS FROM REAL CLIMATE SCIENTISTS AND EXPERTS NOT GETTING THE PUBLIC ATTENTION THEY DESERVE, THE HUMORIST AND EDUCATOR BILL NYE THE SCIENCE GUY, HE RECENTLY STEPPED INTO THE FRAY AND BROUGHT HIS SHTICK TO TV ON JOHN OLIVER'S LAST WEEK TONIGHT. SO WE'RE GOING TO TRY AND CHANNEL A LITTLE BILL. [APPLAUSE] ¶ >> HOW DOES THAT LOOK? [APPLAUSE] OKAY. I'M GOING TO NEED YOUR HELP WITH THIS, BECAUSE IN ORDER TO SHARE WHAT BILL NYE TOLD HIS AUDIENCE IN A MANNER THAT IS SIGHTABLE FOR TONIGHT'S WORSHIP SERVICE, I WILL NEED YOUR HELP. SO WHEN I WAVE MY HANDS, WOULD YOU PLEASE CALL OUT A LOUD BLEEP? SO LET'S PRACTICE. YOU READY? >> BLEEP >> ONE MORE TIME. READY? >> BLEEP. >> OKAY. ALL RIGHT. LET'S TRY THIS. FIRST YOU HAVE TO IMAGINE THERE'S A GLOBE OVER HERE. AND I'M TALKING A BLOWER OF TO IT. AND IT'S BURNING. BY THE END OF THIS CENTURY, IF THE EMISSION KEEP RISING, THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE ON EARTH WILL GO UP ANOTHER FOUR TO EIGHT DEGREES. WHAT I'M SAYING IS THE PLANET IS ON BLEEP FIRE. THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS WE COULD DO TO PUT IT OUT. ARE ANY OF THEM FREE? NO. OF COURSE NOT. NOTHING IS FREE, YOU IDIOTS. GROW THE BLEEP UP. YOU ARE NOT CHILDREN ANYMORE. I DID NOT MIND EXPLAINING PHOTOSYNTHESIS TO YOU WHEN YOU WERE 12, BUT YOU ARE ADULTS NOW. AND THIS IS AN ACTUAL CRISIS. GOT IT? >> GOT IT. [APPLAUSE] >> THANK YOU. YES, WE GOT IT. THE REALITY IS SINKING IN, IN PART BECAUSE SO MANY MORE OF US ARE STARTING TO DIRECTLY EXPERIENCE THE CONSEQUENCES. I AM CURRENTLY DEVELOPING A CLIMATE FAITH AND JUSTICE INITIATIVE AT STARR KING SCHOOL FOR THE MINISTRY WHICH INCLUDES TEACHING SEMINARIANS TO BE BETTER PREPARED TO SERVE THEIR COMMUNITIES DURING TIMES OF CLIMATE DISASTER. IT HAS BEEN A SOBERING EXPERIENCE TO REALIZE THAT THERE ARE NO SHORTAGE OF UU MINISTERS, FROM MY STUDENTS TO INTERVIEW, WHO HAVE ALREADY EXPERIENCED THE GREAT CHALLENGE OF MINISTERING TO THEIR CONGREGATIONS DURING MASSIVE HURRICANES, CATACLASMIC * MUDSLIDES, TERRIFYING WILDFIRES, AND THE FLOODS OF BIBLICAL PROPORTION. AS BILL NYE TOLD THE LATE NIGHT AUDIENCE ABOUT CLIMATE SCIENCE, PERHAPS WE CAN ASK JOHN OLIVER TO LINE UP ANOTHER GUEST PROFESSOR TO TEACH THE SECOND HALF OF THE LESSON, ONE ON CLIMATE JUSTICE. AMERICA MUST UNDERSTAND THAT IT GOES BOTH WITHIN AND BEYOND OUR NATION WHO ARE MOST VULNERABLE TO CLIMATE DISASTERS. THOSE WHO HAVE THE LEAST ACCESS TO RESOURCES TO PREPARE, SURVIVE, REBUILD, AND RECOVER ARE ALSO THOSE WHO HAVE MADE THE SMALLEST CONTRIBUTIONS TO CAUSING THIS HOT MESS. [APPLAUSE] CLIMATE INJUSTICE IS LAYERED ON TOP OF CENTURIES OF COLONIALISM AND CONQUEST, STOLEN LAND, AND SLAVE LABOR AND INDIGENOUS GENOCIDE. THERE ARE IMPORTANT SIGNS OF PROGRESS, BUT THERE STILL IS SUCH A LONG WAY TO GO TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND HONORABLY ADDRESS THE HISTORIC NEED FOR TRUTH‑TELLING, FOR REPARATIONS AND HEALING. BUT NOW IS THE TIME TO GO ALL IN TO THINK BIG, TO ADDRESS FOUNDATIONAL ISSUES, MASSIVE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE RESOURCES WILL BE MOBILIZED. THE QUESTION IS, WHERE? AND IN WHOSE INTEREST WILL THOSE INVESTMENTS BE MADE? IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO LEVERAGE THIS MOMENT AND THIS TIME OF GATHERING MOMENTUM TO ADVANCE EQUITY, TO CREATE CLIMATE JUSTICE. IT IS TIME NOW, AND WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE. NOW, NOTHING SLOWS MOMENTUM LIKE GIVING UP HOPE. AND HOPE IS NOT OPTIONAL FOR THOSE WHOSE LIVES STRETCH OUT INTO THE NEXT 70 YEARS. FOR ME, OPEN IS NOT A FEELING TO HAVE OR NOT HAVE. IT IS A VIRTUE TO BE CULTIVATED, A RELIGIOUS PRACTICE THAT NOURISHES YOUR SOUL. AS REBECCA SOLEMAN INSTRUCTS, HOPE IS NOT THE BELIEF THAT EVERYBODY WILL BE FINE, HOPE IS AN EMBRACE. UNKNOWN, AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE CERTAINTY OF BOTH OPTIMISTS AND PESSIMISTS. WERE WE TO TRANSLATE THIS IDEA INTO UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST THEOLOGY, TO ME IT SOUNDS A LOT LIKE OUR TEACHING THAT REVELATION IS NOT SEALED. OUR YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULT LEADERS ARE STEPPING FORWARD AND INTO ACTION AND THEY DO DESERVE OUR ENGAGED SUPPORT. [APPLAUSE] OUR CHALICE LIGHTERS THIS EVENING, ALLEY AND AMELIA, ARE ORGANIZING UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS TO CREATE CLIMATE JUSTICE AND LEVI LIVES ON A BARRIER EYE LEND IN FLORIDA THREATENED BY THE RISING SEAS. WITH THE SUPPORT OF OUR CHILDREN'S TRUST, LEVI AND 20 OTHER YOUNG LEADERS FROM ACROSS THE U.S. ARE SUING THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO SECURE THE LEGAL RIGHT TO A STABLE CLIMATE AND A HEALTHY ATMOSPHERE FOR CURRENT AND ALL FUTURE GENERATIONS. THEY'RE GOING TO STAND UP. [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE] ALLY AND AMELIA? THANK YOU. THIS IS SUCH FOUNDATIONAL WORK AND I'M SO GLAD TO HEAR YOUR ENTHUSIASTIC APPLAUSE FOR THEIR LEADERSHIP. NOW, IN OCTOBER OF 2018, JUST LAST YEAR, THE INTERNATIONAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE, THE GLOBAL BODY OF LEADING CLIMATE SCIENTISTS ISSUED A NEW REPORT. WHAT MOST CAUGHT MY ATTENTION WAS THE DEADLINE. IT WAS SO MUCH SHORTER THAN I HAD IMAGINED. SO THE EARTH HAS ALREADY WARMED 1.1 DEGREE CELSIUS ABOVE PREINDUSTRIAL LEVELS. IF IT WE HOPE TO LIMIT THAT WARMING TO NO MORE THAN 1.5 DEGREES AND AVOID CATASTROPHIC CLIMATE IMPACTS, THEY SAID WE ONLY HAVE UNTIL 2030 TO REDUCE EMISSIONS BY 45%. AND BY 2050, A MERE TWO DECADES LATER, WE MUST BE FULLY CARBON NEUTRAL. REALLY? BY 2030? THAT'S ONLY 11 YEARS FROM NOW. BUT AS A SUNDAY MORNING SERMON WRITER KNOWS, THERE'S NOTHING LIKE A REAL DEADLINE TO SHARPEN THE MIND. [APPLAUSE] I'VE BEEN REALIZING THAT I NEED TO SHIFT MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE CLIMATE CRISIS AND REPARATIVE CLIMATE JUSTICE, FROM A CAUSE AMONG CAUSES AN EXISTENTIAL DEMAND, LIKE DISMANTLING WHITE SUPREMACY THAT NEEDS TO BE WOVEN INTO ALL ASPECTS OF MY LIFE AND MY MINISTRY. [APPLAUSE] I HAVE TO ADMITTED THAT AFTERNOON 11 YEAR WINDOW MAKES IT MUCH MORE CONCRETE. I CAN COUNT OUT THE YEARS. 2019, 2020, 2021, ALL THE WAY THROUGH 2030. I TRY TO IMAGINE HOW OLD I AND MY LOVED ONES WILL BE AND THEN I THINK, WHAT DO I NEED TO STOP DOING TO FIND TIME TO PRIORITIZE THIS WORK? HOW MUCH TIME TRAFFIC I TAKE OFF WORK TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PIVOTAL ELECTION IN 2020? WHILE I HAVE BECOME A TRAIN RIDER INSTEAD OF AN AIRPLANE FLYER, MY OWN LIFE IS FAR FROM CARBON NEUTRAL. WHAT STEPS AM I, ARE WE ABLE TO TAKE TO BECOME MORE CONSISTENT, A PART OF THE SOLUTION AND LESS A PART OF THE PROBLEM? THESE ARE CORE QUESTIONS FOR ALL OF US AND FOR ALL OF OUR INSTITUTIONS TO ANSWER OVER THESE NEXT 11 YEARS. WHAT A VERY STRANGE THING TO FIND ONESELF AT SUCH A WATERSHED MOMENT IN THE HISTORY OF THE PLANET, WHEN THE LIVES OF GENERATIONS TO COME DEPEND, IN LARGE MEASURE, ON WHAT HAPPENS DURING THIS RELATIVELY BRIEF WINDOW OF TIME. IF YOU ARE WANTING YOUR LIVES AND MINISTRY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE, NOT ONLY IN THE SHORT‑TERM, BUT IN GEOLOGIC TIME, THIS INFLECTION POINT IN HISTORY IS QUITE A MOMENT TO BE CALLED INTO RELIGIOUS LIFE AND SERVICE. SOMETIMES A CALL CAN FEEL LIKE AN INVITATION AND AT OTHER TIMES LIKE AN IMPOSITION. THE STORY OF MOSES' CALL SHOWS HIM OUT MINDING HIS FLOCKS AND MINDING HIS OWN BUSINESS WHEN GOD CALLS OUT OF THE BURNING BUSH AND CHARGES HIM TO LEAD HIS PEOPLE OUT OF EGYPT. MOSES, ALTHOUGH RESPECTFUL, WAS FAIRLY QUICK TO POINT OUT HIS OWN INADEQUACIES, SUGGESTING THAT THE HEAVENLY NOMINATING COMMITTEE CALL ON SOMEONE ELSE. [LAUGHTER] SOMEONE ELSE WITH MORE LEADERSHIP SKILLS, MORE SUITED TO SERVE AND SUCCEED IN THAT PIVOTAL MOMENT. WHILE GOD DID NOT LET MOSES OFF THE HOOK, I AM GLAD TO NOTE THAT HE DID SUGGEST A LEADERSHIP TEAM BE FORMED. [APPLAUSE] WITH A MORE ELOQUENT AIR IN TAKING ON THEIR COMMUNICATIONS PORTFOLIO. WE ARE NOT MEANT TO DO THIS WORK ALONE. I REMEMBER OVERHEARING A CALL TORE A RADIO SHOW WHO ASKED THE PRESENTERS WHAT THEY COULD DO AS ONE INDIVIDUAL TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE GLOBAL CLIMATE CRISIS? AND I LOVED THE RESPONDENT'S BLUNT ANSWER. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO IS TO STOP BEING AN INDIVIDUAL. SYSTEMS CHANGE WHEN YOU JOIN AND WORK WITH OTHERS. [APPLAUSE] THAT'S RIGHT. IT'S SUCH A GOOD POINT. IT APPLIES TO US AS INDIVIDUALS AND TO OUR CONGREGATIONS AND COMMUNITIES AS WELL. WE HAVE SO MUCH TO LEARN, SO MUCH TO LEARN FROM THIS CRISIS, FROM EACH OTHER, FROM THE FORCE OF LIFE ITSELF. ON THE COVER OF YOUR ORDER OF SERVICE IS A PHOTO OF AN OLD WESTERN JUNIPER WHOM I VISIT FROM TIME TO TIME. WHEN SITTING AT THE FOOT OF THIS MASTER, I AM REMINDED OF THE MAJESTY AND POWER OF CREATION THAT FAR EXCEEDS MY GRASP, MY WILL, AND MY TIME ON THIS EARTH. RICHARD POWERS, IN HIS RECENT NOVEL OVER STORY, SAYS THROUGH 1 OF HIS CHARACTERS, PEOPLE AREN'T THE APEX SPECIES THEY THINK THEY ARE. OTHER CREATURES SAY THEY'RE SMALLER, SLOWER, FASTER, OLDER, YOUNG, MORE POWERFUL, CALL THE SHOTS, MAKE THE AIR, AND EAT SUNLIGHT. WITHOUT THEM, NOTHING. IT COULD BE THE ETERNAL PROJECT OF MANKIND TO LEARN WHAT FORESTS HAVE FIGURED OUT. AS I LIVE THE YEARS THAT REMAIN IN MY LIFE, I SEEING TO BE GUIDED BY AND ACCOUNTABLE TO BOTH THE ANCESTORS AND THOSE WHO ARE YET TO COME. WHEN THE CHILDREN'S CHILDREN LOOK BACK TO SEE HOW WE HANDLED THIS MOMENT IN THIS CRISIS, THE IMPACTS OF WHICH WILL PROFOUNDLY SHAPE THE LANDSCAPE OF THEIR LIVES AND THOSE OF GENERATIONS TO COME, WHAT WILL THEY SEE? WILL THE CHOICES WE MADE SHOW THEM THAT BELOVED THEM? THAT WE THOUGHT OF THEM? THAT WE VALUED THEIR LIVES OVER OUR CONVENIENCE? WE ARE BEING CALLED INTO INTERGENERATIONAL SOLIDARITY, TO LINK GENERATION TO GENERATION TO GENERATION. WE MUST RISE ALL TOGETHER THAT WE MAY ANSWER THIS CALLING WITH LOVE. AMEN. [APPLAUSE] >> >> RABBI SHOSHANA FRIEDMAN WROTE OUR CLOSING HYMN WITH YOTAM SCHACHTER, IN 2015. WE SING IT TODAY IN AFFIRMATION OF OUR CALL. NOW IS THE TIME TO LEAD IN LOVE. PLEASE RISE IN BODY OR SPIRIT AND SING THE TIDE IS RISING. TAKE A HAND OR TOUCH SOMEBODY. CONNECT. IN THE WORDS OF REBECCA SOLEMAN, TO HOPE IS TO GIVE YOURSELF TO THE FUTURE, AND THAT COMMITMENT TO THE FUTURE MAKES THE PRESENT INHABITABLE. IT IS TIME NOW. THIS IS WHERE WE ARE CALLED TO BE. CALLED TO SEEING AND TO SPEAK, TO REPENT AND TO REPAIR, CALLED TO PLAN AND TO PRAY, TO ORGANIZE AND DISOBEY, GENERATIONS JOINING GENERATIONS THAT LOVE MAY BE FORSAKEN. IN THIS GREAT TURNING, LET US LEAD IN LOVE AND LEARNING. SO TRULY BLESSED, MAY WE BE ALL A BLESSING. LET US CHOOSE LIFE THAT WE AND THE FUTURE MAY LIVE. AMEN. [CHOIR SINGS "RIVER OF LOVE"] [APPLAUSE] [EVENT CONCLUDES] **********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. 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