FROM THE MINISTERS

Rev. Kelly Crocker, Co-Senior Minister

During the lockdown phase of the pandemic, I, like many of you, found solace in taking a walk. Many of us began walking just to get out of our homes where our entire world was confined to spaces we shared with our partners, our children, our parents, or just ourselves. Walking was a way to move in a world that became dangerous and small almost overnight, a chance to remain connected with others outside a computer screen. Walking was also a way to engage the natural world, to remember that interconnected web of life when everything felt disconnected.

In one of my favorite places to walk, there is a path that winds through a row of giant pine trees. Clearly designed, the rows of pine branches weave together to create a cathedral-like path through the woods. It is an astounding space in any season--whether it's the cool shade in summer or heavy with snow in the deep winter.

We often see trees as solitary specimens, bravely and resiliently embracing the seasons each year. They are quite remarkable in all they provide for our world--oxygen, food, shelter. They endure the harsh winters, insect infestations, and humans. They adapt, cope, and endure hardships but they are not solitary.

In recent years, new research has emerged demonstrating the interconnectedness of trees. Scientists are uncovering how the root systems are far more complex than we imagined. For example, when one tree experiences an insect infestation, it will release an immune-like response which is transmitted through the roots. Neighboring trees receive this signal and activate their own response to protect themselves.

When it comes to resilience, trees are wise teachers. Despite the elements, the invaders, the threats, trees teach us that resilience isn't a solitary act. Yes, resilience is our own work. It is how we choose to cope with accepting the reality we face. Yes, resilience is both the character we possess and the skill we hone. But resilience happens in community. When we experience a personal hardship–the death of a loved one, a divorce, a health crisis, or job loss–we choose how we respond, but when we live in community, we do not respond isolated from the care and support of others. Likewise, when we experience hardship on a community or global level, like the pandemic, we choose resiliency as a community, facing the reality we've been dealt with by sharing kindness and resources.

Resilience reminds us that though we must face our hardships, we choose how we respond. And trees remind us that we live rooted in community. May we be resilient in the face of the harsh days of living, and may we know the supportive presence of community, reminding us that we do not face it alone. ◊

When asked to present a Board member’s perspective on this month’s spiritual theme, I was intrigued by the opportunity to reflect on First Unitarian Society’s resilience over the past few years. This reflection also spurred the question of how we can continue building resilience as a community to face challenges that may arise in years ahead and grow in our collective faith and impact.

For several years it seemed that FUS was stuck in liminal space on a threshold between the past and the present–preparing to embark on an exciting new chapter, still rooted in our faith community’s past traditions and rituals and our UU Principles. At that moment, there was a perfect storm of challenges and uncertainties facing our congregation–the retirement of our longtime beloved minister, a series of interim ministers, and a yearlong ministerial search. We were a congregation in transition during a pandemic, learning to engage in a new impersonal form of interpersonal engagement. This was indeed a resilient congregation facing unprecedented challenges.

The seas are now calming. We successfully transitioned through those challenges. This is by no means to say congregational life has necessarily resumed to the way we once knew it, but there is ongoing excitement as FUS adapts, evolves and continues to grow as a faith community, and it’s our resilience–our toughness and capacity to withstand and recover quickly from difficulties–that got us here.

Here is an exciting time in our congregation’s history. We are now implementing a co-ministry model with Team Kelly at our helm. What joy it is to have two unique, passionate ministers working in harmony together at FUS–guiding us in the