I will never forget the moment. It was the third and final Wednesday Vespers for Peace and Justice service, crafted to support the UUFM community through the election. The previous vespers service, just the day after the election, had been essential for those who came, reeling from the news. But this third service: would it … Continue reading Note from Pastor Isa – December 2024

Regardless of the outcomes of the elections this month, our body politic needs healing. No doubt this is why our collaborators at Soul Matters chose Repair for the November 2024 theme, and indeed our Community Team voted for this selection when asked for input last spring. But the small group packet we’re using this month … Continue reading Note from Pastor Isa – November 2024

The mutuality of deep listening Most mornings, I spend about 15 minutes on the phone with my Seattle friend Erin. This rhythm of mutual listening gives us compassionate accountability for setting intentions each day – and keeping them. Over the past few months, Erin has been intentional about swimming in the lake near her home, … Continue reading Note from Pastor Isa – October 2024

“meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in” As I sat down to reflect on our monthly theme of Invitation, I immediately thought of the poem Guest House. Coleman Barks wrote the poem in the 1960s, inspired by a much longer text by the 13th century jurist, Islamic scholar, theologian, and Sufi mystic … Continue reading Note from Pastor Isa – September 2024

Notes from Pastor Isa   Our minister, Pastor Isabel, is away on study leave for the month of July. In lieu of a newsletter column, she suggested we share this poem from Worship Web, inspired by Rev. Elizabeth Nguyen’s chapter, “Our Work for Social Justice,” in The Unitarian Universalist Pocket Guide.   To be a Unitarian Universalist … Continue reading A Note from Pastor Isa – August 2024

I emailed the following letter out on July 4th and received beautiful responses. I share people’s response below. Dear hearts, I’ve heard from several of you that the state of our nation and the world weighs heavily on you. I’ve heard the word despair. I feel it in my friend, collegial, and support circles as … Continue reading A Note from Pastor Isa – bonus July 2024

All Kinds of Justice The 18th century Rabbi Elijah of Vilna wrote that “What we create becomes meaningful to us only once we stop creating it and start to think about why we did so.” In addition to thinking, let’s also feel the impact of our creative actions. In order to engage this practice, I’ll … Continue reading A Note from Pastor Isa – July 2024

Renewal As a community, we were renewed on May 4th at the Initiation of Called Ministry and Installation of Yours Truly. It was an afternoon like no other: a ritual and a party, profound and playful. Many UUFM members have told me it truly “felt like us.” My family and friends said “it was so … Continue reading A Note from Pastor Isa – June 2024

Pluralism as play In the picture book A Common Thirst by Gary Boelhower, a mixed group of kids and lambs playing together during a devastating drought uncover a solution that saves their communities. Though the adult goats and sheep had previously sought help from each other, they had given up on any interspecies relationship when … Continue reading A Note from Pastor Isa – May 2024

Choosing interdependence Our Soul Matters themes this year are following the values articulated in the UUA bylaws proposal: generosity, justice, equity, pluralism (next month), transformation (last month), and this month interdependence. What’s different about March and April is that these values are not just practices but core truths: whether we like it or not, whether … Continue reading A Note from Pastor Isa – April 2024