Why would we think about doing things differently? That’s the basic question whenever we begin looking at possibilities in our personal or congregational lives.  You’ll see elsewhere in this newsletter that the Board has set January 20 as a congregational meeting to talk about exploring a possibility, that of whether we could build a new … Continue reading Jonalu’s Journal — January 2019

As I write, we still don’t know how many people were killed in the California wildfires, though more than a thousand are unaccounted for.  Nor are the Camp Fire and Woolsey Fire yet fully contained.  Environmental devastation on this scale is hard to imagine, much less comprehend. At the same time, on the other coast, … Continue reading Jonalu’s Journal December 2018

As we move into the holiday season, many of us will be visiting with family who we don’t see routinely. And sometimes, there are tensions and even clashes. How do we get through them? I came across a column by a colleague and friend, The Rev. Joanna Crawford, in Austin, TX, which gives a simple … Continue reading Navigating Life — and Holidays — with Feelings

We are Unitarian Universalists.  We are brave, curious, and compassionate thinkers and doers. We are believers in what is good, what is right, and what is just … We are a house without walls, a congregation without spiritual boundaries, and a movement towards a more action-oriented faith in yourself, your god, and your beliefs. Those … Continue reading Jonalu’s Journal November 2018

How do we care about one another? As a congregation, it’s one of our central concerns.  We strive to make UUFM a safe haven for ideas, yes, but for people, too.  So we need to take care of one another. On September 22, fourteen of us gathered to talk about caring in our congregation and … Continue reading Jonalu’s Journal October 2018

“When To Call The Minister” is a piece that has circulated among UU’s — and before that Universalists — since 1957.  Originally written by Universalist minister Peter Lee Scott for the Elm City Universalist Church in New Haven, CT, people have copied and recopied it. Because it has value. Today, we might change it to … Continue reading When to Call the Minister

UUFM wants to be your third place. If home is the first place and work (or school for some of us!) is the second place, the third place is another place where you spend time and make connections with people, a place “where everyone knows your name,” as they say in the Cheers theme song.  … Continue reading Jonalu’s Journal September 2018

Why are you a Unitarian Universalist?  (assuming you are!)  Maybe you came for religious education for your children.  Maybe the social activism drew you in.  Maybe you were looking for a community of support after a difficult time in your life. I stumbled onto Unitarian Universalism forty years ago when the  Southern Baptist theology I … Continue reading Jonalu’s Journal August 2018

Perhaps you’ve noticed we’ve tried some different things during Sunday morning services.  We had some testimonials about how and why people are active in the world.  We had a band do special music one week.  We had a flower ceremony where we created a piece of art with our flowers.  We had an activity as … Continue reading Jonalu’s Journal – July 2018

Rev Jonalu Johnstone offers a summary of Beatitudes for Today, drawn from her reflections on Sunday, June 17: Blessed are black lives because they matter. Blessed are indigenous people because their connection to the earth leads us to redemption from our environmental sins. Blessed are queer people because they celebrate their pride and build their … Continue reading Beatitudes for Today