A Chautauqua Summer

I'm blogging from Chautauqua Institution in northwestern New York where I am the Minister of the Week for the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship here (by the way, UUCA's Bob Hopper is the president of the Fellowship). Chautauqua is a porch community where people appreciate and celebrate life-long learning, the arts, and natural beauty. Terry and I have been spending part of our summer here for over 20 years, enjoying the inspiring lectures, the excellent concerts, and warm friendships.

As Minister of the Week, I preached a sermon last Sunday at the Hall of Philosophy, which is an outdoor building where birdsong mingles with hymns (see photo above). Around 150 people were in attendance, the largest denominational group worshiping on the grounds, other than Catholics. At the same time every Sunday about a dozen denominations are worshiping, and you can often hear a variety of hymns drifting across the grounds (the Jewish congregation worships on Fridays and Saturdays). The next morning I led a fascinating discussion on the sermon topic of "Heaven On Earth" (sound familiar?). There is also a new UU House here, and it's booked throughout the 9 week season with UUs from around the country, some from UUCA.

I love the religious and political diversity here and the common understanding that learning is a natural and joyful part of life. And I greatly appreciate the opportunity to discover more about our world so that I can bring some of that wisdom back to all of you.

Terry and I will be here until Labor Day soaking up this unique environment, and I look forward to seeing some of you here during that time. I hope the rest of you have Chautauquas of your own this summer.