For As Far As the Eye Can See, by Rev. Michael McGee, June 12, 2011

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"For As Far As the Eye Can See,"

by Rev. Michael McGee, June 12, 2011

        So, here we are at the end of another church year. Traditionally, this is a time when we celebrate what we've accomplished, and we thank some of our outstanding leaders who have made a difference in the life of our church. We also look forward to the next year to contemplate what we might be able to achieve.

        I’m reminded of a letter to the editor printed in the “British Weekly” a number of years ago. It read...

“Dear Sir: I notice that ministers seem to set a great deal of importance on their sermons and spend a great deal of time in preparing them. I have been attending services quite regularly for the past thirty years and during that time, if I estimate correctly, I have listened to no less than 3,000 sermons. But to my consternation, I discover I cannot remember a single one of them. I wonder if a minister’s time might be more profitably spent on something else? Sincerely.....”

        That letter triggered an avalanche of angry responses for weeks, but eventually a single letter closed the debate:

“My dear Sir: I have been married for thirty years. During that time I have eaten 32,850 meals -- mostly of my wife’s cooking. Suddenly I have discovered that I cannot remember the menu of a single meal. And yet, I received nourishment from every one of them. I have the distinct impression that without them, I would have starved to death long ago. Sincerely.....”

        So, you may not remember many or any of the sermons from this past year or anything else for that matter – actually if you don't remember anything about the year, then I'm seriously worried about you. But my point is that hopefully you have been fed and supported and challenged, and you have grown intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually from being an active participant in this congregation.

        But just in case your memory is faulty, let me remind you of some of the more memorable events from this past year, as well as our purpose for being here. You can read our mission statement in your order of service, but let me sum it up in these words: we are here to be a part of a caring religious community, to grow our souls, and to live out our values in the world. That's simple, but not easy. To achieve this purpose requires your commitment, generosity, and active participation.

        This year we have achieved that purpose well. There are many ways we create community and care for each other, but the major event of our year for building the beloved community has been an audacious capital fund drive that promises to not only renew but transform our congregation. It had been twenty years since our last capital campaign, which was responsible for building the huge addition to this sanctuary. Without that campaign we would have never grown into one of the largest congregations in the UUA, and we would not have been able to make the difference we've made in so many lives.

        This years campaign will help us to reach out to many more people in our community and our world by providing us with the resources we need. You'll hear more about the details at the annual meeting, but I want to tell you how moved I've been at the spirit of renewal we've experienced and the outpouring of generosity. Many people have been involved in the leadership, but I would like to give special thanks and recognition to the two people who have spent so much of this past year making this campaign such a success, Bill Fogarty and Allen Keiswetter.

        Another purpose of our church is to help us grow our souls, and we do that in many ways, including having one of the best religious education programs in the UUA overseen by the talented Rev. Dr. Linda. Our RE program has the most important job in our church: to help our children and young people, and, not so young people, to open their minds and hearts and eyes to the wonders and beauty and challenges of our world. One of the best parts of our RE program is the human sexuality curriculum, OWL, or Our Whole Lives, and I'm proud that our church sponsored a major OWL training for the UUA this year.

        Worship is another opportunity to deepen our spirituality, and not just on Sunday mornings but also with our Christian Fellowship, MoonFire, Fellowship X, and other groups. We began the year with a new sermon series, “The Ten Commandments Renewed,” which has been challenging for the team ministers and hopefully for you as well. Most of our twenty covenant groups used these sermons as a basis for their conversations, giving them an opportunity for deep spiritual work.

        The Creative Arts Ministry has also helped us to grow our souls, reminding us through the arts that we are all one, and they have had an exceptional year, thanks to our creative Creative Arts Director, Bob Griffith and his team. Not only have the adult choir, youth choir, children’s choir, Second Street Singers, three bell choirs, and dancers provided us with excellent music and movement in our worship services, but they have had a record number of concerts, recitals, performances, and art shows. Especially notable was Chalice Theater's wonderful production of “A Midsummer Night's Dream,” as well as a concert here in this sanctuary with 300 choir members from UU congregations around the DC area. And there was a trip to New Orleans for the youth choir to help rebuild that city, and the choir concert last Sunday which was just incredible. How many of you have taken part in the Creative Arts Ministry this year?

        As for living our values in the world, our Social Justice Ministry, under the dedicated leadership of Rev. Carlton, has made a big difference in many lives. Immigration has been the focus of this Ministry, though there have been many other programs as well. The number of events on immigration here at UUCA are too numerous to mention, but some of the highlights are a journey to Guatemala, which I helped lead, to study immigration from the perspective of the Guatemalan people; an Immigration Summit for our community; book discussions led by Rev. Carlton; a trip to a Virginia detention center; a forum on immigration and agriculture; and a grand Fiesta here at UUCA that we shared with our immigrant friends from the Buckingham Community.

        VOICE – or Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement – has become a vital part of our social justice ministry, and a major action our congregation was involved in was to help those at Greenbriar Housing Project to obtain vital bus service on Columbia Pike.

        Another highlight of the year was the burial of “Don't Ask, Don't Tell,” attended by all the Arlington County board members and spiced up with a jazz band. And our congregation was well represented yesterday at the Pride Parade in DC. There's no doubt that we are an activist congregation that makes a difference in the world.

        I don't have time to mention all of the other special events this year, but let me remind you that we had an excellent intern minister, Natalie Fenimore, and we are all invited to her installation as a Unitarian Universalist minister next October. We're also proud that Natalie Averett, our board chair, was elected to the UUA board of trustees and that Rev. Linda became Rev. Dr. Linda. And I can't say enough good things about our staff, including the amazing Bill Peters, our administrator, and especially our volunteer staff, three of whom are leaving us after years of their generous service. So we will be looking for others to take their place.

        There have been many more activities that I don't have time to share, programs that may be dear to you, that may have changed you significantly as a person, and I'm sorry we can't recall them all. But let's not forget that much of what happens here at UUCA is not big and newsworthy. It's the friendships and fellowship, the laughter and tears, people sharing their joys and sorrows with each other and reaching out when they are needed, the moments of silence and reflection and mindfulness.

        So, are you ready for an exciting year ahead of us? There will be a lot going on. We will say our goodbyes as I retire at the end of the year, giving us the opportunity to celebrate our ministry together over the past 13 years and making plans for future ministry.

        Plans will also be made to bring to life our dreams from the capital campaign, and that will be very exciting. And I would like to see us build on our spirit of renewal for this next year by setting a new goal for ourselves. I would like for us to commit to significantly growing this congregation, not only in spirit but in numbers. Several years ago we reached 1,000, but have now fallen to 917. By the time I walk out that door for the last time, I would like to see us reach 1,000 members again.

        One thousand members is an arbitrary number in a way, but the purpose of such a goal is not really about numbers; it's about making a difference. The more committed members we have in this church, the more people who we can help change for the better, and the more people who can help us change our world for the better. Growing our church and growing our movement means reaching out beyond ourselves to radically welcome others. It means that everyone here will need to share with our family and friends the difference this church and this religion has made in our lives.

        And it means that we will need to open our hearts and minds to a renewed spirit of multiculturalism – because we will never grow, we will never live out our full potential as an activist congregation unless we open our doors wide so that those in our community will feel welcomed to bring to us their gifts. So share your ideas with me and the other ministers and our board, and let's make it happen.

        Here are some more highlights to look forward to for next year: the national conference for UU Musicians in August; a district conference here on racial justice in October; Gini Courter, the moderator of the UUA preaching here in November; and Peter Morales, the president of the UUA preaching here in January; a social justice General Assembly in Phoenix next June; and the continuation of our work for immigration reform.

        We also have an opportunity to grow our souls through one-on-one relationships. VOICE and our capital campaign have taught us the power of one-on-one conversations, and I would like to see us use them to deepen our spirituality.

        And we will have a new sermon series. Yes, the sermon series next year will be … The Big Questions! The Big Questions was our first sermon series ten years ago, and as we did then, we're asking for your help in choosing The Big Questions. E-mail me with any ideas you have. The results will be given next month.

        As you may be able to tell, I'm not taking early retirement. I feel renewed and I'm hoping this will be the best year of my ministry and perhaps even the best year in UUCA's history. But we need everyone of you to join us in living out your passion so that this will be a memorable and meaningful year.

        Isaac Newton, a Unitarian by the way, once said that we stand on the shoulders of giants. I think about that often, all those who came before us whose shoulders we stand upon so that we can see farther into the future. This is our challenge: to see as far as the eye can see what is possible for ourselves as individuals and for our world, to see that we are all one, and that we can change the course of the future so that our world will be a better place, a more humane home, a more just and peaceful planet. Let us stand on the shoulders of giants together, and then let us be the giants whose shoulders others stand upon.