RENEWING FAITH

In February, Unitarian Universalism lost Rev. Jeanne Pupke, a friend and mentor of mine who served as the minister of the First Unitarian Church of Richmond, Virginia. Jeanne was, among many things, a dyed-in-the-wool institutionalist.  She often critiqued institutions she was a part of, but always in the service of her care for them, wanting them to be the best versions of themselves.

A frequent topic of conversation between us after I moved to Lincoln was how to build up Unitarian Universalism in Nebraska, emphasizing that while I serve a church in a single community, Lincoln is part of a broader community of Unitarian Universalists living in this part of the world. We are one of four or five Unitarian Universalist congregations in the state (there is a congregation in Scottsbluff, but it is considered part of the mountain west district).

Since I moved to Nebraska, we’ve worked hard to build up formal and informal ties, renewing our shared identity as Nebraska Unitarian Universalists.  Several of those formal ties are happening in the next few months:

• On March 6, I’ll join other members of the Unitarian Church of Lincoln in traveling to Kearney, where I will guest preach at the Kearney Unitarian Fellowship.
• On April 2, Unitarian Universalists across our region will gather to celebrate the installation of Rev. Shari Woodbury as the minister of the First Unitarian Church of Omaha.
• On April 3, Rev. Woodbury and I will exchange pulpits for the morning.  She will preach in Lincoln, and I will preach in Omaha.
• Some time in May, we will welcome Juniper Meadows to Omaha as the new minister at Second Unitarian.
• In June, we will gather in Portland Oregon for the first in-person General Assembly in three years.

I’ve used “we” very intentionally throughout these bullet points. These relationships are not just relationships among religious professionals, they are relationships between our communities. When we deepen the ties between our communities, we see difference, complimentary ways of living our Unitarian Universalism in the world.  If any of these events sound interesting to you, reach out!  We would love for you to join us.

-Oscar