June 2011 - "Showing Up" by Rev. Allison Farnum

June always gets me geared up for General Assembly, our yearly national gathering of Unitarian Universalists.  This year in Charlotte, North Carolina, I can expect the same feeling of running into colleagues and Unitarian Universalist friends, a never-ending chain of hugs, hand-shakes, and "how-are-you?s" that result in glowing conversations in the hallways all over the convention center.  Chance meetings become spontaneous coffee dates in between workshops, and networking amongst strangers makes for fast friends.  General Assembly is also a time to be conscious about how I am showing up, and how we as a religious body are showing up amongst those we do not know.  This Assembly, groups will talk more together about how to be intentional in Phoenix's Justice GA in 2012.  How will Unitarian Universalists witness to the racial profiling and anti-immigrant sentiments in that state?  How will UU's be in right relationship with the humanitarian organizations on the ground in Arizona who have worked tirelessly for years on justice issues that we want to address in one week of an Assembly?  I wonder about how I might show up differently in Charlotte, North Carolina.  Who will be cleaning my hotel room?  Who will be working at the convention center taking care of garbage and waste and working the tea and coffee stands?  

It is a gift to show up for one another at these national gatherings.  I sing in the ministers' choir, and I have the gift of looking out at all the thousands gathered for worship.  And I think of all the ways those thousands in our congregations can show up in their respective communities, a beacon of liberal religion preaching pluralism, creative reason, and love that knows know bounds.  So may UUCFM show up in Lee County as a bright spot for seekers who wish to love this earth and her people.

Happy Summer!
Rev. Allison