The Meridian
January Read – Defund Fear: Safety Without Policing, Prisons, and Punishment
We’ll start the New Year off right with the book selected as the UU Read for the year. Defund Fear: Safety Without Policing, Prisons, and Punishment, by Zach Norris. Beacon Press writes: “In a time when the most powerful institutions in the United States are embracing the repressive and racist systems that keep many communities struggling…
Start Planning For SUUSI 2022!
Start planning your vacation; in-person SUUSI* is coming back July 17-23, 2022! We’ll be back at the beautiful Western Carolina University campus in Cullowhee, NC, the ancestral home of the Cherokee Nation. The theme next year is “Gratitude”. For more than 70 years we have come together to explore our interconnectedness, delight in the outdoors,…
Why Does the 8th Principle Evoke a Journey?
The 8th Principle begins with the words: We covenant to affirm and promote journeying toward spiritual wholeness… Why evoke a journey? Doing what the 8th principle commits us to doing, working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community, is something that will take time and many steps to accomplish. As with any journey, there may be bumps in…
Help Shape Tallahassee’s Clean Energy Future
Community-wide Meetings are Scheduled for Early December to create a roadmap toward our community’s clean energy future, the City of Tallahassee is hosting another series of community meetings to provide an update on the planning process and seek the community’s input on next steps. To support community-wide participation, multiple dates and venues are available (both…
Sunday’s Share the Plate Partner is Grace Mission
Grace Mission, a transformative ministry for the forgotten, is located in the heart of Frenchtown. It provides meals, clothing, coats and warm blankets, showers, laundry services, backpacks, academic services, medical prescriptions and referrals, eyeglasses and hygiene products — even assistance with securing needed documentation like birth certificates and state photo ID’s to aid employment procurement.…
Celebration of John Whitton’s Life This Saturday
Elinor Elfner would like all to know that a Celebration of Life for John Whitton will be held at the Elks Lodge on 276 N. Magnolia Road on Saturday, December 11th from 11:30 AM-1:00 PM. Elinor was John’s sweetheart and partner for more than 30 years. The event will consist of attendee’s sharing special remembrances of John. …
Opening to Joy
Message from the Minister Greetings Beloveds, During the business of this Holiday Season, I would like to invite you to find and be open to the Joy that surrounds us. Even in the midst of the ongoing pandemic there is joy if we just remember to look for it. This month our theme is Opening to Joy. You will see this through out the Sunday services and for…
An Honest Education is Democracy in Action
The first step to dismantling systemic racism is to guarantee that every American child is taught the authentic history of this country and not some white-centered version that selectively eliminates facts to avoid having the honest discussion that is sorely needed to bring about equity to American society. Engaging students in a factual discourse of…
The History of our Principles
For the past year and a half I have been catching up on UU history and using that information as a guide or platform to learn about contemporary America. I grew up in a Universalist Church and remember the merger of the Universalists with the Unitarians. I don’t remember the initial Six Principles that were…
Beloved Community
Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations are the ends that we affirm and promote in the second UU principle. The end we covenant to affirm in the 8th Principle is more expansive and all-encompassing: “diverse, multicultural Beloved Community.” What might that look like? The phrase “beloved community” was coined by philosopher-theologian Josiah Royce and…
Living into the 8th Principle
White as the norm, the default, permeates our society. Movie reviews never note “an all-white cast with a white-centered narrative.” The store’s selection of makeup has no special section for white skin. I’ve yet to hear a song introduction acknowledging a “Euro-American” composer. Joyful white people in wintry scenes are standard on holiday cards and…
In-Person RE THIS SUNDAY, November 14th
Message from the DRE Hello and Bright Blessings! My goodness, it’s been so long! I am so excited I finally get to share with you that we’re ready to return to some in-person RE and Youth Group activities at UUCT! This process will be much more an intentional unfolding rather than the big back to church celebrations…