This is our “Year of Living Covenantally”!
Soul Matters theme: Widening the Circle
Unless otherwise noted, services are led by the Rev. Andrew Clive Millard and take place at 11:00 a.m. on Sundays per the UUFP’s phased plan for resuming in-person programming. You can connect via Zoom at https://uuma.zoom.us/j/920676087 or you can dial-in to 646-876-9923 (Meeting ID: 920 676 087).
February 6th: “The Ways of Truth and Affection”
Covenants take all forms, from the popular Blake affirmation (“Love is the spirit of this church...”) to lists of detailed promises that committee members make to each other, from descriptions of shared values and congregational practices to detailed agreements about how people intend to be with one another. Let’s talk about some of our covenants at the UUFP and how they relate to both our Mission and the larger UU tradition.
February 13th: “Side with Love Sunday”
Thirty Days of Love (January 16th through February 14th) comes to a rousing finale with stirring music, deep-hearted reflection and moving testimonies from fellow UUs. Let’s celebrate this month of political education, collective action and spiritual support for all ages on the topics of Reproductive, Gender and LGBTQIA+ Justice, Democracy and Voting Rights, Decriminalization and Racial Justice, and Climate Justice.
February 20th: “We Have Not Stopped Dreaming”
As we observe Black History Month — and continue to explore the spiritual theme of “Widening the Circle” — join Matthew Pargeter-Villarreal for a reflection on how we embody the immortal words of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. so they speak to us in the here and now in our conversations about the future of inclusion and racial justice.
Matthew Pargeter-Villarreal is Intern at the First Unitarian Church of Albuquerque NM. A graduate of Brite Divinity School with a concentration in Sexual and Gender Justice, Matt had an unexpected ministry during the pandemic: offering worship across twenty-two states in virtual visits to UU congregations of all sizes. Although Matt was born in Massachusetts and grew up in Oklahoma, he will tell you that San Antonio TX is home. Matt is married to Gabriel, and they are the proud parents of a ten-year-old calico named Juliette
February 27th: “Widening the Circle... in Action!”
From January through May 2021, more than twenty UUFP members and friends met in eleven ninety-minute sessions for a detailed reading and critical analysis of the 2020 report from the UUA’s Commission on Institutional Change, Widening the Circle of Concern. Gathering responses from dozens of breakout discussions, a list of seventeen possible next actions was generated, of which four were prioritized by vote of the participants. Four teams have since been working on those priorities. Let’s hear how it’s been going for them and what this important work has meant to those involved/
January 30th: “Nice, Right or Good?”
The late Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods covers multiple themes in its blend of familiar fairy tales. One such theme is morality, including the differences between being nice, being right and being good. “You’re not good, you’re not bad, you’re just nice. I’m not good, I’m not nice, I’m just right,” sings the Witch, who is willing to do what the other characters are not. So are we Unitarian Universalists nice, right or good?