Friends, get yourself to General Assembly.
Yes, it's expensive. Yes, it's a lot of days to be away. Yes, it means getting on airplanes (usually), but do this and get a gianormous boost to your faith and knowledge to do justice work, connecting and loving to heal our world and ourselves.
I just got home, and my mind is swirling, but I wanted to put down a few thoughts I got this week in Charlotte.
1. There are a lot of us.
I am blown away at what 4,000+ Unitarian Universalists look and sound like. And when I went out for meals and could see every surrounding table populated with UU eaters and every elevator and every sidewalk, I felt as though I was living in a UUtopia. This was cool!
2. Compassion and Connection are enough, if both are verbs.
It's all about how we are together, our compassion and our connections. It is not enough to have freedom of Belief, we must act on our beliefs. Instead of going to church, we must be a people Doing Church.
3. There is more to know, but that can't stop me from jumping in.
From workshops on Dynamic Religious Education For All to lectures on How to Make Unitarian Universalism the Faith of the New Millennium, or from worship with youth, participating in a Standing on the Side of Love Rally for LGBTQ rights to representing my fellow Religious Educators at the Annual Program Fund Lunch, there is a lot going on a lot to be a part of and a lot to DO.
4. We make mistakes.
This being the 50th anniversary of the merger of Unitarians and Universalists, much history was told during workshops and worship services. I learned some of the ugly stories. I also heard how brave people of our community stepped forward to challenge leaders and demand we do better. We hold each other accountable so we can learn from our mistakes.
5. I can learn more watching Gini Coulter run plenary than reading 3 books on Congregational polity.
She. Is. My. New. Hero.
6. Work Hard, Rest, Laugh with Friends...then get back to work.
I am pretty sure I have the best friends/colleagues in the universe. Thank you all for keeping me sane, recharging my batteries and helping me fill in the gaps.
please watch the archive footage of General Assembly 2011 in Charlotte! Especially the Sunday Service.
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