On our monthly theme, Collective Freedom
Unlike many of our Christian neighbors, Unitarian Universalists do not have a fixed set of scripture to draw from. Our Sunday services and religious education are not built around texts from a lectionary (a sequence of Hebrew and Christian Bible readings that repeat on a three-year cycle). This freedom to plan services around what we consider worthy of our attention is emblematic of Unitarian Universalism: we are open to insight from many traditions and inspired by a range of historical and current events. That said, I often envy my colleagues, because I feel like I start from scratch every Sunday. In addition to choosing topics from an infinite set of possibilities, I also look for novel ways to tie services together over time. The storyline from sequential Bible verses does this automatically in our neighbors’ services. But what is the story that binds us together?
For several years now, we’ve enjoyed the guidance of Soul Matters, a Unitarian Universalist collective that provides material to help us reflect on monthly themes. The themes coming up for next year are September: Beginnings; October: Courage; November: Healing; December: Awe; January: Thresholds; February: Commitment; March: Balance; April: Emergence; May: Play; June: Horizons. You may notice a couple things. First, there are only 10 themes. What do we do in July and August? Second – if you’ve been here for a while – they’re pretty familiar. While the words may be different from last year’s themes, the ideas are similar. And while Soul Matters commissions new readings and researches new content every year, they also recycle a significant amount. So, as much as we appreciate this resource, it is only part of our inspiration for planning the congregation’s collective spiritual reflection and action.
For the summer, the Community Team has chosen the theme of “Collective Freedom.” Our motivation was to draw the energy of Juneteenth and July 4th Interdependence Day through the summer, reflecting on what freedom means outside of nationalism and white supremacy culture, and how to embody it as a community. Two previous Soul Matters themes, June 2025: Freedom and January 2024: Liberating Love, offer some inspiration. Chalice circles and people involved in planning Sunday services and religious education will have access to Soul Matters packets on these themes. But the goal is not simply to “follow” the Collective Freedom theme, but to define it for ourselves and for the community. How do we express our freedom while also expressing our belonging to each other?
Starting in September, we’ll likely be experimenting with a new Unitarian Universalist curriculum: Woven Faith. This series is “lifespan,” meaning that there are distinct offerings for age groups starting in early childhood and extending through elderhood. While Soul Matters has been a rich support for UU spiritual practice and theme-based inquiry, I’m hopeful that Woven Faith would help us go a step further. We would use the curriculum for classes to learn Unitarian Universalist theology and history, but it’s also designed to help us learn UU values in other elements of our shared congregational life — fellowship, leadership development, caring ministries, and justice work.
To launch this summer’s theme of Collective Freedom, I invite you into the process of discerning the structure of our 2026-2027 Whole Church Religious Education programming starting in the fall. As individuals, we are free to choose whatever resources we want for faith development. But we come together as a congregation because we want to learn and grow together. While the Religious Education Team, Director of Religious Education Emily Fraser, and I hold the responsibility for designing programs, we don’t do so in a vacuum. We need your insight and guidance. Only through dialogue will we get free together.
Please learn more about the possibilities for our 2026 Whole Church RE Program and share your hopes and opinions at this survey.