Dear People of UUVentura,

And the curve balls keep coming.

In the midst of a pandemic, we are now also in the midst of a new wave of the Civil Rights Movement. The world watched George Floyd die slowly in front of our eyes, under the knee of an impassive police officer. The outrage and the protests were swift and keep growing. I hear outrage, despair, and helplessness. Yet I also see hope, energy, and passion. People who are even glad to be alive at this amazing turning point. We might even be able to change enough and make a real difference at last.

I’ve been reminding myself and others that the pandemic will be a marathon, not a sprint. The same is true of this “new” Movement for Racial justice. We need to be in this for the Long Haul. Remember:

The Freedom Rides lasted 7 months.
The Greensboro sit-ins lasted 6 months.
The Montgomery Bus Boycott lasted 381 days – that’s 1 year, 2 weeks, and 2 days.

The protests arose so quickly, with people of so many backgrounds and races. My spirit leaps, especially when I see the engagement, the power, the commitment of young people. A change is coming with urgency. Yet a few days and weeks will not dismantle the structures of oppression that keep Black, Indigenous, People of Color – in America and around the world – under the knee of white supremacy and systemic racism.

It is our faith that every person is born with inherent worth and dignity. Yet as a predominantly white congregation and denomination, our work of dismantling oppression needs to be engaged on many levels simultaneously. Those of us who are white need to examine our own hearts, to see the ways that we have benefitted from – and even participated in – practices that keep BIPOC oppressed. We need to follow the lead of BIPOC who tell us what they need. We need to listen to the narratives of their lived reality – and believe them.

We have the chance to truly live the mission of our church in ways that actually can make a difference. We have longed for change for decades and centuries. Sometimes we have been part of it. Yet the work of dismantling oppressive systems is far from done, and we get to carry it forward. I, too, am excited and overwhelmed and outraged and committed and despairing and so glad to be alive – on this planet, in this time, with you good people. 

Let us examine our hearts, be accountable to our values and each other. I hope that your spirit leaps at the possibility of being part of the changes we long for. And it will also be often-uncomfortable and hard work. Yet I know we are up for it and up to it.

In the next month, I will be forming a book group to discuss issues of racial justice, especially the work that white people need to do to dismantle racism in our hearts and in the culture. If you wish to join that, or be part of a group envisioning how the church join the struggle, please let me know.

Below are some resources for ways that we can begin this work of justice. There are lots, though these are local and a good place for us to start.

Let’s get to it, and keep going.
With love,
Rev. Dana

Dear People of UUVentura,

The latest word from Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray, president of the Unitarian Universalist Association is the recommendation that we start addressing the reality that we may well not be able to gather in person for worship for a full year.  
 
She writes: “Over the past several weeks, the UUA has consulted with multiple public health officials in order to update the guidance we provided on March 12 recommending congregations stop gathering in person. Based on advice from experts, we continue to recommend that congregations not gather in person. We also recommend that congregations begin planning for virtual operations for the next year (through May 2021). Take a moment to breathe. I know this is significant.”
 
Though this is stark and hard news, my first reactions to her missive were gratitude and relief. Gratitude for real leadership that consults experts and faces reality. Relief for clear guidance that we can begin to make plans around. For the last two months, it has seemed that the ground has been shifting by the hour, the day, maybe the week. Though it is a long time to consider, we can move ahead now with plans and goals. 
 
This may yet be hard to wrap our heads around. Cities, counties, and the state are beginning (hopefully very slowly and deliberatively) to open up. Yet gathering in large groups in enclosed spaces will be the last to reopen. 
 
Alas, as Rev. Frederick-Gray says: “Religious gatherings are highly contagious events. Singing together, the familiarity of people across households, the multigenerational community of children, youth, adults, and seniors—the things that make our congregations so special—also create more risk for spreading the virus.”
 
We have been utterly amazing over the last two months in worship and in so much beyond. The importance of this spiritual community of kindred spirits and shared value has become clearer. We are finding ways to strengthen the ties that bind us together. Our ministries together never stopped being essential.
 
Now we get to take a deep breath, and take a moment to take it all in (once more).
Let the sense of disappointment, even heartbreak wash over you. There is the particular loss of not being able to sing together felt acutely by the choir and our church musicians.  
 
Then we get to ourselves up and take up the creative, long-term planning that will continue to carry us through.  We will still be able to be flexible to changing conditions. We may well be able to gather in small groups – observing all the recommended safety protocols – before May 2021.
 
I am grateful to be a part of a religious tradition that reveres science, human community, and justice. Quoting Rev. Frederick-Gray again: “This pandemic teaches us that our actions directly impact the health and well-being of our neighbors, and so it is imperative that we make choices that keep our congregations and the larger community safer. As COVID-19 disproportionately impacts people with disabilities, Black people, Indigenous communities, Latinx people, the elderly and essential workers, a majority of who are women and women of color, religious communities have a moral responsibility to do all we can to reduce risks for those already at such high risk.”
 
So, let’s all take a moment to breathe.
 
I leave you with something to look forward to next week. Our speaker May 24 will be Tanner Linden, a young man who has grown up in the church and who this community has helped form into a fine young man. Many know the amazing things Tanner has done in church, in denomination, and beyond. He has also worked at the Santa Barbara Zoo for several years. His topic for Sunday, May 24? It’s a Zoo Out There. It promises to be a thoughtful and delightful Sunday.
 
Our mission as a church may be more vital than ever in these times. A large part of that mission is to nurture our children and youth a they grow into kind, compassionate, and thoughtful people. Next Sunday, we’ll get to see an example of doing that. 
 
With love and gratitude,
Rev. Dana