The Earth Charter states that we “stand at a critical moment in Earth’s history, a time when humanity must choose its future. As the world becomes increasingly interdependent and fragile, the future at once holds great peril and great promise.” Now consider the words of F. Scott Fitzgerald: “The test of a first-rate intelligence is [...]
We welcome and encourage all who find a sense of community here at UUCWC to consider becoming a member of our congregation. It is easy to become a member of a Unitarian Universalist congregation, because we do not have a creedal test or a set of dogmas that you must assent to believing. It is, [...]
“In the middle of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.” – Albert Camus You may disagree with me, but as I encounter some of the dark, cold, and snowy days of January, I realize that I would not want to live in a world without winter. After the busy, [...]
In December, one can hear many appeals for greater compassion in our world. This focus on compassion comes from many different religious and secular perspectives. The December holiday season brings people together for festive eating, partying, and giving events. In A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens called for a sense of compassion during the Christmas season. [...]
With a bit of colder weather, I thought about having my furnace cleaned and serviced, and then remembered something Fred Buechner wrote in Telling Secrets–A Memoir: “We keep at our jobs whatever they happen to be. We keep the car in repair … and try to get the furnace cleaned once a year. We see [...]
The Charter for Compassion I was inspired and moved when I heard Karen Armstrong speak about Compassion at our General Assembly this past June. Below you will find this Charter, composed by notable individuals from six faith traditions: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism. To watch and listen to Karen Armstrong’s Ware Lecture go [...]
From Rev. Charles I have been a member of the Hopewell Municipal Alliance Executive Committee for the past 14 years and have found it very valuable for me as an area minister and as a parent. The Alliance has promoted something really important for our children called Asset Building. The Search Institute developed 40 developmental [...]
When I woke up this morning, I looked outside and felt so fortunate to live in such a beautiful area. Today, it suddenly feels like autumn. I know that we often just talk about the weather to pass the time of day. But the weather we have been having lately — droughts, hurricanes bringing intense [...]
Compassion and 9/11 As I anticipate the tenth anniversary of 9/11 I have been rereading Karen Armstrong’s Twelve Steps To A Compassionate Life. My sermon series this year is based on this book. The word compassion is often defined as feeling pity, but Karen Armstrong went back to the Latin to demonstrate that the root [...]
I woke in the middle (about 3 a.m.) of the night to a light shining brightly in my bedroom. I felt a sense of relief and joy. Irene had passed leaving our area relatively unharmed, but we had been out of electricity for three days and it was getting old. Again in the scheme of [...]
