January 2006 Worship Services

Ministerial Cognitions

“I enjoy looking at other people’s roads. They are different from mine And yet basically the same. They all facilitate journey From here to there, And from self to other, And they are all interconnected. ”
-- Joy Cowley Unitarian, New Zealand

As we begin 2006, we might take time to reflect on the year past and to look to the year ahead. As we peek back and glance ahead, we might also reminisce on where our spiritual journeys have take us, and remember to support one another on our journeys into the future.

In this past year, we have certainly been through a great deal individually and together. With Hurricanes Katrina—after which we helped some of the evacuees—and Hurricane Rita—after which we became evacuees, and many of us had to stay away from our homes; some of us, including myself, had to repair our homes—many of us had to take a look at what was really important to us. And many of us had experiences during our dislocation that gave us the opportunity to grow spiritually. Some of us had time to watch humming birds, squirrels, or insects, to open ourselves to nature without distraction; some of us had time to spend with people whose faith was different from our own, and come away with a deeper understanding of and a deeper respect for them; some of us had uninterrupted time with our families, reconnecting in ways we might not have done otherwise.

In this past year, our sanctuary had significant termite damage. We are now unable to use our sanctuary. What has resulted is a re-evaluation of our church building, our visibility in the community, and our resources to make change happen in our facilities. In addition, some of us have noted an increased intimacy as we worship in a smaller space; this is an unexpected benefit as we transition to our future facilities. Also we have affirmed the importance of our shared and rich history as a congregation in Beaumont, Texas; a history that dates back to 1947. This year I also found that there is evidence that there may even have been a Universalist Church in Beaumont at the turn of the century (1900).

In the past year, we have come to realize that there are Unitarian Universalists out there who want to encourage and nurture a liberal religious presence in the Beaumont area. Churches from Massachusetts to California have offered to aid us in many ways. Members from these churches have been to visit us, and talk to members of our congregation about their experiences being a Unitarian Universalist in Southeast Texas. In this past year, our church started a youth group, and the youth attended a Rally of youth from all over the Southwest.

In the past year, members of our congregation attended General Assembly (our yearly denominational meeting), the Southwest Unitarian Universalist Summer Institute (SWUUSI, a week long summer gathering of Unitarian Universalists from Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Tennessee), Spring and Fall district conferences for our district, and various local meetings and workshops.

In the past year, we have had wonderful worship and adult religious education. We even brought in a consultant to help us look at creating vision for the future of our church. This vision workshop and all the events of the past year have give us all opportunities to look at ourselves and our church in different ways. These experiences have given us opportunities to reflect on what is important and transformative on our spiritual journeys.

We have all been on spiritual journeys, individually and collectively, in this past year. Each of our journeys is unique, yet “basically the same. They all facilitate journey from here to there, and from self to other, and they are all interconnected.” Whatever life may bring us, may we always support and encourage each other to reflect on what is truly important and transformative on our interconnected journeys.

Rev. Tom

Worship Services:

Jan. 1

Walking Backward into the New Year by Harold Skiles, member

The congregation will have a chance to burn their regrets as we make a fresh start for 2006.

Jan. 8

Unitarians Ponder Images of God by Pam Saur, member

She will read a variety of personal thoughts about God published by Unitarians in “Inward Springs.”

Jan. 15

The Bumpy Road of Continuous Revelation by Rev. Tom Capo

Within our Unitarian Universalist faith, we often hear ‘revelation is not sealed.’ Many UUs affirm this as one of the basic tenets of our faith—that our faith is always in process; new truths, new understandings, new insights are constantly revealed as we live our lives. Thus, our beliefs can change as we change, and as humankind changes, and as our world changes. Opening ourselves up to continuously being ‘in process’ can be difficult as well as rewarding way to live our lives.

Potluck - Noon

Jan. 22

Our Messy Faith by Rev. Tom Capo

Being a Unitarian Universalist is a messy business. Besides not having any creed or dogma, we are encouraged to seek our own spiritual path. So how do we come together with diverse beliefs, diverse spiritual paths, yet one congregation, one faith? This makes our faith confusing to explain, and at times, messy to practice.

Jan. 29

Selections from ‘The Raft is Not the Shore: A Dialogue between Thich Nhat Hanh and Daniel Berrigan’ presented by Ria Lihs and Donna Birdwell, members