WUU News

by the Soul Matters Sharing Circle team When we talk of finding our center, it’s natural for calm and rest to be the first things that come to mind. Who would expect anything different? After all, the need for calm is everywhere we look. So, so many of us are tired. We’re overworked, over-busy, over- committed, overly scared. We are often so weighed down by responsibility and worry that it only takes one drop of something unexpected to tip us over. So, yes, we long for rest. Yes, we want to swirl to stop. And yet, helping us find peace and calm is not the…

by Joe Cross, Facilities Manager Pine trees readily cross-pollinate. After WWII, tree biologists developed a faster growing and straighter pine tree from the historic Loblolly Pine. This new pine species became the basis for the new pine plantations or orchards that supply our timber needs by growing taller, faster and with a defined crown and fewer limbs as it grew. Today few of these old, original pines remain. WUU has two magnificent specimens along the Parker/Ironbound Road property line. The girth alone of these two trees is over ten feet in diameter, giving them a diameter of over 3’- 4′, or wide enough for a tabletop. Such width suggests an age of over 100 years. Compare…

by Ellie Ransom, W&M UU Circle Co-chair The Unitarian-Universalist Circle has had some exciting events recently. On the evening of Sunday, December 4th, we held an intergenerational drum circle. There were about 20 of us of all ages. Led by the wonderful Sound Wellness professor Sandy Layman, we had so much fun drumming in community, Later in December, club leaders Ellie, Maddie and Laura “tabled” in Sadler, the main student center at William and Mary. We spent 3 hours handing out liberal pins and spiritual stickers, offering free divination and tarot readings, and spreading info about Unitarian Universalism. So many people stopped by, leaving…

Hello and happy new year, WUU Community! This past month, our sabbatical committee has been extremely helpful in getting me caught up with how the fall was for you. I heard about the excitement of the Fall Arts Festival and the Auction, a newly forming Welcoming Congregation team, and inspiring worship services led by some really brilliant guests. I’m so happy you had a good time! Meanwhile, the sabbatical committee has invited me to share what the fall was like for me too, based on the four framing questions our leaders have been reflecting on as well. So here we go: What was the best…

December was another awesome month at WUU! And a lot of this happened as a part of the seasonal activities: My favorite WUU event is Winter Solstice. It was wonderful to see 60+ participants celebrate the occasion with a drumming circle, a candle-lit service in the sanctuary, a candle-lit labyrinth behind Parker House and ending with a closing ceremony around the bonfire. With the exception of a few older folk in attendance, most of the participants included folk who we seldom see on Sunday. It suggests to me that we need to find more ways to offer spiritual/worship experiences beyond our…

by the Soul Matters Sharing Circle team This seems to me the main problem… How can we contrive to be at once astonished at the world and yet at home in it?… How can this world give us at once the fascination of a strange town and the comfort and honor of being our own town? – G.K. Chesterton The path of wonder seems well worn. It’s a journey that brings us down to size. Just think of those pictures which reveal that our galaxy is just one of billions more. Or think of when you’ve stared into the empty darkness of…

November was another awesome month at WUU! Thanks to Donna Stanford for initiating and coordinating the Arts Fair. Donna reports: 36 participants ranging from 6 to over 90 years of age! New features included creative writers and musicians. Several cited that the Arts Fair, with at least 80 participants, was our primary coming-out-of-COVID event. Thanks Sabbatical Team for your hard work! Please read the nice piece from the Team that is in this week’s Spiral. Thanks to the Worship Associates, Worship leaders (WUU members and guest speakers), Musicians, and AV Team for the wonderful worship services. And, thanks to the coffee makers who enhanced our fellowship…

by the Soul Matters Sharing Circle team I wonder, particularly in a time where everything seems urgent, what the role of pause and breath is, in this season, to help us gear up for whatever this transformational moment we find ourselves in is. Rev. Jen Bailey [We need] space to imagine a new way, and new self. Not moving or pushing but sitting and cultivating… [the goal] is to allow you space and time to reflect on your past, present, and future. To imagine a new beginning. Rev. Sara LaWall What if pushing is only half of it? What if there is time to…