“Ready to live our values out loud”*

Rev. Judy Long’s inspiring sermon on July 5, “Justice for Whom?,” was followed by a lively discussion among members of the Congregation. At that time, a suggestion was made to post a “Black Lives Matter” sign on our corner as a small, but important, step in expressing our commitment to end racism. The idea was greeted with enthusiasm, and the Board was asked to consider the proposal.

In collaboration with SJOT, the Board co-hosted a Zoom consultation with the Congregation to seek additional thoughts. We noted that this feedback would enrich our deliberations, as would some additional e-mail comments. During the consultation, there was a clear and quick consensus that we should post Black Lives Matter at UUFH, and most participants even said they would like to share in the costs. With this feedback the Board discussed and then voted, unanimously, in favor of posting Black Lives Matter. 

The consultation also endorsed the idea of using our Wayside Pulpit board to regularly share additional messages about our enduring values. This echoed a key result from our recent poll, in which two-thirds of all respondents believe we should increase our emphasis on sharing our values with the broader community.  

Your Board is working to be responsive, and to help UUFH move forward at this difficult time. As UUA President Susan Frederick-Gray said at the recent General Assembly, “This is no time for a casual faith, no time for a casual commitment to your values and principles.” There are big things on the horizon and, together, we will continue to rise up to meet them.

Michael Yates
President, UUFH 

*Quote from the UUA General Assembly, 2020