![]() Ray Wiedmeyer, Beloved Community Communications Team The third part of the series on four practices of the Double Helix Model of Faith Formation and Antiracism Multiculturalism took place at Wellspring Wednesday on November 17, 2022. While the previous two parts of the series were set up to help participants like myself better understand the use of the double helix model in our personal lives, this session moved beyond ourselves to the use of the metaphor in our work among and beyond us—the work we do with each other and in the world outside Unity. To do this, participants sat in a large circle around a smaller circle in the center called “the fishbowl” made up Unity members willing to share their perspective on the “State of the Church.” Over the course of the evening, two groups occupied the center ring, and each took a turn sharing the ways they personally found connection to the church such as being involved in the choir, an outreach team, religious education, chalice circle participant, being a trustee, etc. In each case they were asked to reflect on the current state of the church, how things have changed or not changed over the past weeks, months, and years, and how we were doing as a congregation now in relation to their points of church connection. I found it fascinating and informative how many ways members found connection to the place we call Unity Church. The reflections of each group were then followed by reflections by KP Hong, Unity’s Minister of Faith Formation, and Alfonso Wenker of Team Dynamics, the organization helping us in our work to become more multiculturally competent. Their goal was to share how the double helix metaphor can be used to explore the connection between our faith and the antiracist multicultural work we claim as our goal. KP shared that our goal requires change and often change can be uncomfortable, even painful. Predictability is not necessarily what we should long for, and that if we forgo the same way of doing what we have always done, we may open the way for the positive change. What we know for sure is that real change does not come with some of the old ways of seeing and doing things. He also shared that this takes time. Unity can be the perfect place to do the work which often requires community, but not just any kind of community. It requires a covenantal community in which we do the work together thru hard times as well as, easy times; in which we stay in the room and do the work even when things get really difficult. Alfonso shared that what he was hearing in the individual responses was a sense of ambiguity felt by the congregation, which is a positive sign of a congregation moving along the multicultural continuum. To move out of our place of minimization, of our white privilege, we must be open to change. Being in and getting comfortable with change, with ambiguity, is helpful in this work. For me, this is where I began to see the value of the double helix metaphor. Our progressive, liberal faith holds the keys to becoming multiculturally competent if we embrace our ability to change. Our competency work and our work to see white privilege disappear is the work of creating Beloved Community that we often talk about in our Unitarian Universalist faith. If we are blind to the connection, we may end up shortchanging ourselves and the change we wish to see.
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This Little Light of Mine; Is Mine! Reflecting on A Concert with Artist in Residence, Lester Mayers12/3/2022 Lia Rivamonte, Artist in Residence and Beloved Community Communications Teams ![]() “The idea is to write it so that people hear it, and it slides through the brain and goes straight to the heart.” — Maya Angelou Every once in a while, we are lucky to witness a thing of beauty. In nature, a spectacular sunset, a fall maple ablaze in color, for example, will provoke shudders. In art, a passage of music, a stunning painting may delight and move us, making us grateful to be human. Those of us able to witness Lester’s show on Saturday, November 12, 2022, received such a gift: one of hope, and love, and yes, beauty. Lester and his friends delivered an emotional wallop through poetry and song that described lives of difficult, traumatic relationships impacted by addiction, social and racial injustice, and poverty. Abandonment, neglect, and rejection can be survived if we can muster the wherewithal to believe in ourselves and in our own self-worth despite what the world seems to be telling us. And when that moment comes when we can see ourselves as worthy of love—as it must—it’ll be joyful because just as there is more love, “there is more joy somewhere.” Even in those bluest hours so often susceptible to despair, it is there, rooted in the expansive imagination, and in the embrace of community. And while we know it isn’t that simple, that the road to self-acceptance is not straight nor without potholes, it’s the only one that can lead to love. Okay, so, I’m more than a bit biased—I’m a member of the Artist in Residence Team (AiR)—but the decision to select him for AiR was a unanimous one. The purpose of the AiR program to help advance Unity’s vision of becoming an antiracist multicultural community through art was clear; he was willing and very able. As a performer he is a consummate professional—charismatic with a forceful presence, and as a writer his subject is urgent and timely—self-worth and self-love. His method of expression is both artful and raw at the same time. Nothing, however, prepared me for the care and passion he invested in his culminating work as our Artist in Residence. As a lifelong practitioner and advocate of art, I know that art has the power to reach people in real ways. As UU’s we have a tendency to value head over heart, even though we understand the value of engaging our whole selves. A close encounter with art can change us, touch us in unexpected ways, and expand our perception of what it is to be human. “This Little Light of Mine; Is Mine!” is a gift that will keep on giving. Lester and his talented guest artists, Nubia Monks, Siddeeqah Shabazz, and John Jamison put their hearts into their all-too-brief time on the stage. Unity’s musical director Ahmed Anzaldúa provided grace notes on the piano. In the final moments of the performance, Lester, dressed in priestly robes, conjures up the spirit of civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer, asking her where and how we can find joy in a world so full of adversity. She reminds him in song, “This Little Light of Mine,” and so we all sing it together. View the concert on Unity’s YouTube channel Learn more about Unity's Artists in Residence Program Check out Lester Mayers’ website By Lia Rivamonte, Beloved Community Communications Team On Wednesday, November 9, two members of the Beloved Community Staff Team (BCST), Angela Wilcox and Laura Park, facilitated the second part of a series on using the Double Helix Model for Adult Faith Formation and Antiracism Multiculturalism.
“Time is of the essence” and “time is money,” are two phrases deeply etched in our way of thinking about time. The first is actually a legal phrase referring to the time in which one party must complete its contractual obligations to the other party; the second is said to have come from an essay written by Ben Franklin entitled, “Advice to a Young Tradesman.” Why we persist in lifting up these very limited notions above all other interpretations of time says something about how entrenched we are in practices that continually fail to serve most people, under most circumstances. We were about 20 congregants gathered in the Parish Hall, some who attended the first of the series on the previous Wellspring Wednesday. We were curious and eager to learn the best way forward on the journey towards spiritual deepening and becoming antiracist—Unity’s Double Helix—a model that offers the dimension needed to hold all the complexities of this lifelong process. Borrowed from the scientific prototype, the double helix is “a pair of parallel helices* intertwined about a common axis,” DNA being the prime example. Laura led us in the song, “Come, Come, Whoever You Are,” fitting for the evening’s objective to explore how our spiritual practices serve as tools to cultivate spirituality and antiracism. As individuals—whoever you are—we all have access to these tools, and as Unity congregants we are long familiar with the idea that a daily spiritual practice can nurture our deepest selves, helping us to become more aware of who we are and what we value. Tonight we were to enact them in real time using Chalice Lighting, Circle Practice, and Meditation. For the Chalice Lighting, Rev. Kathleen Rolenz read aloud the poem, “Praise Song,” by Barbara Crooker, a lovely and timely ode to Fall closing with the line, “Though darkness gathers, praise our crazy fallen world; it’s all we have, and it’s never enough.” We were asked to share with the group what we were grateful for at that moment, or what we could give praise to in the spirit of the poem. Chalice Lighting has become the opening ritual at every Unity small group gathering. While some gatherings begin with lighting a chalice and a standard prayer or quote, a carefully selected reading and the sharing of responses to it can enhance the purpose of and/or increase a feeling of closeness within a group. This takes time, and asks that each person be fully present, allowing for the possibility of transformation. It is antithetical to the sense of urgency that so often dictates how meetings are run regardless of the circumstances and the emotional climate in the room. It follows that in order to break the hold that dominant culture has over us we must re-think how we work together and how we operate with respect to time. This is a complex issue, however, as dynamics in any group can be challenging to negotiate—one minute for one person can easily morph into 15 for another, and the need to “get something done” is real. How do we take care of an individual’s needs as well as that of the group? Goals and process must be understood and agreed to in advance for fairness and equity to prevail. “Perfection is the commitment to habitual self-doubt.” Angela shared this quote by embodiment coach, Prentis Hall. The idea of perfection was the inspiration for our Circle Practice and it is too often prioritized in our endeavors. Grouped into circles, we passed a token to invite participation by each member of the group wishing to share thoughts on the question, What am I glad I didn’t get right the first time? Apart from consideration of the question, when asked how this practice felt one member of the group replied, “Regenerative.” Drew Danielson then led a 10-minute guided Meditation to ground us further in the present and in the work. Practiced in solitude, meditation can increase our sense of wellbeing, bring a sense of calm, and restore balance. Practicing silent contemplation in a group setting offers a different type of “communion” and feeling of wholeness. Part of the point of this gathering was to give people an opportunity to go deep quickly, the second level of Unity’s Double Helix, with an added dimension—to “engage in antiracist multiculturalism together.” Whether among strangers, colleagues, friends, family or all of the above, there is a unique dynamic that we can expect will be different every single time. In order to embody ways that allow us to truly see one another, recognizing our commonalities and our differences, we have to strengthen the muscles that expand our capacity. How do we disrupt white supremacy culture and the patriarchal systems that perpetuate it? Counter them with our own. Sister Henrita of The Christine Center always concludes meditation sessions with the words, “We are doing this because the world needs it.” Sister is elderly and can come across as a little gruff. Her words sound defiant, but now I see what she is getting at. We develop rituals and practices that reflect our values of inclusion and cultural adaptation and engage in them often so that they embed into our daily lives, shaping how we interact with one another. We are journeying towards the Beloved Community and just as Sister tells us, the world needs us to do this. Note: *(helices—plural of helix, the wire wound uniformly in a single layer around a cylinder or cone)—Google |
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Beloved Community ResourcesUnity Justice Database
Team Dynamics House of Intersectionality Anti-Racism Resources in the Unity Libraries Collection Creative Writers of Color in Unity Libraries The History of Race Relations and Unity Church, 1850-2005 Archives
June 2024
Beloved Community Staff TeamThe Beloved Community Staff Team (BCST) strengthens and coordinates Unity’s antiracism and multicultural work, and provides opportunities for congregants and the church to grow into greater intercultural competency. We help the congregation ground itself in the understanding of antiracism and multiculturalism as a core part of faith formation. We support Unity’s efforts to expand our collective capacity to imagine and build the Beloved Community. Here, we share the stories of this journey — the struggles, the questions, and the collaborations — both at Unity and in the wider world.
The current members of the Beloved Community Staff Team include Rev. Kathleen Rolenz, Rev. KP Hong, Rev. Lara Cowtan, Drew Danielson, Laura Park, Lia Rivamonte and Angela Wilcox. |