Soundings : Blue Boat

soundings

Running for Someone Else’s Life

We re-post an excerpt of this story from the Standing on the Side of Love blog, reminding us how much stronger are the bonds of love than of hate. – Ed. May 07, 2013. This post was written by Helene Newberg. Helene is an avid runner and a member of First Parish Unitarian Universalist in Arlington, Massachusetts. Marathon 2012 In 2012, I was out of town on Patriot’s Day. Watching social media for Boston Marathon news, I started seeing reports that a student was found drowned in a local pond, less than a mile from our house. My heart sank; I did not want to believe that a child maybe from my community could die…
Equal Marriage in Rhode Island

The Rev. Peter Morales, president of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), issued the following statement applauding the legalization of same-sex marriage in Rhode Island. -Ed. Standing on the Side of Equality Today, we celebrate marriage equality in Rhode Island. I want to thank and applaud all who worked tirelessly to secure this victory. Rhode Island now joins nine states and the District of Columbia where same-sex marriage is the legal right for all committed couples. In each of these states and the District of Columbia, Unitarian Universalists were at the forefront of the efforts to secure marriage equality. As a religious community, Unitarian Universalists are called to affirm the worth and dignity of every person regardless…
Because You Can’t “Over Engage”

We repost an excerpt of this thoughtful reflection by David L. Odom from our friends at Building Faith on involving youth more fully in congregation life and mission. This post originally appeared on the Duke University Faith and Leadership blog – Ed. Overinvesting in the Young When American congregations hear “overinvest in the young,” they frequently think of stretching the budget to hire a full-time youth minister or find some other way spend more money on high school students. Unfortunately, youth ministries are often segregated from the rest of the church. Pouring money into a typical youth program can result in young people being more lavishly entertained and, at the same time, more isolated. “Overinvesting”…
Approaching Inclusion and Equality

Today the barrier against openly identifying as LGBTQ in professional sports in the United States fell when a current player, twelve-year veteran of the National Basketball Association affirmed his homosexual identity. Throughout the recent months we have followed the evolution of Marriage Equality, and reform of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) exclusionary policy banning participation of people who identify as LGBTQ. The BSA is set vote on the issue in May, and the United States Supreme Court is scheduled to rule in June. – Ed. Jason Collins is the first athlete from one of the four major professional sports leagues in the United States (NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB) to openly identify as homosexual. In…
A Shelter in the Storm

On Tuesday night I, like the rest of this city and the country, was struggling with what do in the wake of the tragic bombings of the Boston Marathon. Boston is my adopted hometown for now, and I felt a very strong connection to Monday’s events, even though I did not personally know anyone who was injured. I’ve walked down Boylston St. where the bombs went off many times, and could easily have made a fateful decision to go down to watch the marathon that day; also, a young boy who was killed lived only a few blocks from me. So I attended one of the candlelight vigils that were blossoming around the city in…