When I arrived in Venice, January 25, 2020, to serve as your six-month Sabbatical Minister, I had no idea what I was getting into. That is, I’d perceived you as a forward-looking, high-energy congregation, and I sincerely respected your Minister. But none of us realized the changes we would face due to the COVID pandemic, … Continue reading The Minister’s Column – Rev. Dennis McCarty
In my years with this congregation, I have often remarked on what a peculiar group we are theologically – atheists and Humanists, Christians and Jews, Buddhists and none-of-the-above. Often we do pretty well at getting along even in the face of our differences. Some of the time, we might even reach a deeper level with … Continue reading An Ethic of Compassion
Minister’s Corner “So provocative!” the woman had said, responding to some of the religious-sounding words she’d heard used at church. Others chimed in: “I’m not comfortable with this kind of language,” and “I’m bothered by these concepts,” and then the sentiment most often repeated, “I just have so many questions.” Questions are what we’re all … Continue reading Comfort, Challenge, and All the Rest
On October 3rd, I announced that I will retire in four months, on January 31, 2022. The Board of Trustees has taken steps toward hiring an Interim Minister to arrive on or near February 1st, 2022. The Board has now been in contact with the Congregational Life staff of the Unitarian Universalist Association to begin … Continue reading Rev. Khleber M. Van Zandt V
I’ve been mulling some past history: On March 8th, 2020, we held our last in-person Sunday service (a total of 22 COVID deaths had occurred in the U.S.). On April 1st, the Board of Trustees decided to officially close the campus (deaths totaled 3,170 in the U.S. to that point). In May, I ‘partially returned’ … Continue reading “Which Way Do We Go?”
I’ve talked to several people recently who are excited to have received the first dose of COVID vaccine. And I’m excited for them. Such a promise of the return to “real life” lifts the spirits, no doubt. And the rest of us should be glad that the medical community has done a miraculous job of identifying and … Continue reading “Good News, and Not-So-Good”
