UUFSMA: “A Matter of Conviction” [] *ONLINE*

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Online Service
“A Matter of Conviction”

Speaker: Rev. David Usher

Sunday, May 3, 2020
10:30 am

Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/414604040 
Password: 294513

By Joseph Plummer

UUF Secretary

The Unitarian Universalist mantra has long been that deeds not creeds provide the criteria for exercising ethical judgment. Today that injunction sounds like a conundrum in a world where the minimum distance for safe personal encounters has become six or more feet — with masked faces everywhere. Meaningful action translates more often into virtual interaction. Is it sufficient to confine a world view to the Internet?

Zoom into this Sunday’s Online Service with lifelong Unitarian Rev. David Usher. In the solitude of pandemic, he will ask what indeed are we doing in this world where every good deed feels removed from our fellows? In our situation, what deeds can fulfill the UU covenant?

Finding answers to those questions is a tough challenge when “the interdependent web of life” is infected by a virus trying to kill you. One can strive to make one’s place of self-quarantine a “just and peaceful world,” especially if living with children.  Must we limit our “search for truth and meaning” to Google?

Returning via Zoom to San Miguel and a UU Fellowship sequestered here and elsewhere,  Rev. Usher has spent much of his life becoming aware of the unfamiliar, first as a young “jackaroo” in the Australian Outback, then as a student at Oxford University, and, throughout his career as a minister in England, New Hampshire and California. Now retired he challenges audiences to look for meaning in extraordinary times and encourages listeners to seek inspiration wherever they find themselves.

Throughout Sunday’s service, Pianist Paula Peace will share music to celebrate commitment to the “interdependent web of life” and offer comfort during this time of isolation.

To participate in our online Sunday Service, visit the Fellowship’s website at www.uufsma.org and click on the Zoom Service button displayed on the home page. If requested, enter password: 294513. Sign-in between 10:15-10:25 am.

Through grants and awards, UUFSMA donates fifty percent of all income it receives to support nonprofit organizations that provide health, educational, and environmental services for underserved communities in the San Miguel region. Please support this work by clicking on the home page’s Donate button. Now more than ever, your support is essential.

Due to the arrival of the coronavirus in San Miguel de Allende, UUFSMA has indefinitely suspended Sunday services and other gatherings. We advise members and friends to follow the advice of reputable public health authorities, such as the Centers for Disease Control and to contact our Affiliate Minister or Care Team for needed assistance. The UU Fellowship welcomes people of all ages, races, religions, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

Our fellowship was born in 1987 when a small group of expatriate religious liberals came together to meet as Unitarian Universalists in San Miguel de Allende. The fellowship has been active and thriving ever since. Every UU church has it’s own flavor, and we are no exception. We are a combination of expats and visitors, each actively engaged and contributing to this wonderful Mexican community we love. Because there is a coming, going, and returning aspect, our spiritual community is extremely fluid.  There is a magic in San Miguel which draws us in and binds us together—both as members of the church and of the larger community. Our programming is led by visiting ministers, community leaders, and church members, so the variety is lively. We have opportunities to meet as UU’s each week at discussion groups, breakfasts, luncheons, and in various other ways. Depending on the season, attendance fluctuates between 40 and 140. Our primary focus is on funding social action within the surrounding community. We love good music, good discussion, good food, and having visitors. We invite you to join us any Sunday morning.

Members regularly post updates and information on this site. We also post meeting minutes and announcements there.

To join our Yahoo group site click on this link:

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/UUFSMA/info

Click on “membership”and follow the directions.

Posting a notice on the Yahoo site is easy. Just go to your regular mail browser, type in the address line: uufsma@yahoogroups.com , type your message and hit send!

We encourage you to use this site to communicate with other local UUs.