Minister's Musing
Rev. Mark Ward
Unitarian Universalist Church of Asheville
February 2010
We Unitarian Universalists are not especially known for attending well to our history. Even though our religious movement has roots going back some half a millennium and the two respective threads of our history – Unitarianism and Universalism – were organized two centuries ago, our joined association is not quite 50 years old and many of our congregations are not much older. And besides, our religious life is grounded not so much on the teachings of our predecessors as on the journeys we are engaged in, individually and in community, to make sense of the world and live with integrity.
Still, there is much to celebrate in our past, particularly the wisdom, courage, compassion and creativity that others have achieved that can inform our lives today. And so, we are taking time this year to celebrate the 60th anniversary of our founding as a congregation. Elsewhere in this newsletter you’ll read of a couple of specific events coming up that I hope you’ll put on your calendar right away and plan to attend. A task force is at work planning those events and other activities.
In the larger world, 60 years may not seem like many years to boast, though in North Carolina we are the second-oldest UU congregation, after the UU Church of Charlotte, that was founded as a Unitarian church. (There are also two historic Universalist churches still operating in the state that are much older, but that’s another story.)
You’ll have opportunities in coming months to learn more about our history, and we hope to have occasion to honor Members who have been a part of this community for a significant period of time. All of this serves as a reminder that we are not Johnny-come-latelys here. We are an important part of the fabric of this community, a bright beacon of liberal religion that has made an ongoing impact on this state and this religious movement. We’re proud of what we have accomplished and enthusiastic about what we offer for the future.