It’s impossible to practice living in community—loving, flawed, diverse, surprising community—without showing up. It’s that simple . . . and that complicated, because “showing up” often means choosing to forgo momentary enticements or solitary pursuits by bringing yourself to worship, week after week (or as often as possible), not because you might get something out of it but because your presence might matter to someone else, and because only by gathering together can we create that something larger that has the capacity to transform us.
~Rev. Erika Hewitt, The Unitarian Universalist Pocket Guide: Sixth Edition.
Dear Ones,
Thank you for showing up. Over and over again. Thank you for remembering that community isn’t always as much fun as PJ Sundays. Thank you for remembering how much we need you—to survive and to thrive. As our Seventh Principle reminds us, we are connected to one another in ways that we cannot even understand. Thank you for being MVUUF and Unitarian Universalism for the Miami Valley.
Since our January congregational meeting, we sold our beloved Yankee campus for $1.4 million dollars, leaving us a net of $988,000 after closing costs, sales commissions, and mortgage repayment. I urge you to remember that some congregants didn’t anticipate us being able to sell at all, let alone this quickly and for this much money. Although this sale is bittersweet for most of us, I hope you see it for the huge success that it is.
While the Board has been valiantly dealing with the sale and our temporary leasing of the campus through August (when is the last time you have thanked them?), the New Home Task Force has found us wonderful temporary home with St. John’s United Church of Christ (UCC) on Third Street in downtown Dayton. They have offered us a very generous 2-year lease, which we are in the process of finalizing now. How about a BIG thank-you to our New Home Task Force members (John Bierman, Aimé Boyd, 23 Eakin, Shannon Harper, and Maury Wyckoff), after you thank the Board?
Personally, I am excited that we will be more centrally located and accessible by public transportation. I believe this location will help us better live into our identity as the regional center for Unitarian Universalism in Miami Valley. I’m also excited about the opportunities to partner with St. John’s on social justice work and religious education/engagement offerings. We progressive religious organizations need to support one another, especially in Southwest Ohio!
All this said, we are describing the lease with St. John’s as “temporary” because we don’t know how it is going to go. Sharing someone else’s space is completely new for us. We’ve never done this before. Worshipping on Sunday afternoons is completely new for us. Being located downtown is new for most of us (First Church was located downtown until they merged back with Miami Valley Fellowship in 1998). Lots of new things.
For this reason, after our first year with St. John’s, the Board will lead us through a discernment process to decide if we would like to stay with St. John’s or find a new home. The most important thing is to find a home that will allow MVUUF to thrive.
Before we go too far ahead into the unknown future, let’s get back to the things we do know, the here and now, like the good UUs we are, hehe. The New Home Task Force and Board asked me to create and lead a Farewell Task Force that will help us say goodbye collectively to our beloved spiritual home on Yankee. The task force members are the following: Rev. Dr. Alice Diebel (our Affiliated Community Minister), Rachel Feltner, Tim Gemperline, Shannon Harper, and Barb Weber. Please keep a lookout for special events in July and August. You are also welcome to reach out to us individually.
Here is what we already have scheduled so please get out your calendars and save these days:
Sunday, July 21 at 11am
Worship for All Ages: Annual Outdoor Butterfly Service
Sunday, July 28 at 11am Celebration of Life for our
Beloved Yankee Campus
Sunday, August 4 at 11am Worship for All Ages:
Blessing of the Moving Boxes & Backpacks
Sunday, August 25 TBD Move Processional Service
(start at Yankee and end at St. John’s)
Sunday, September 8 TBD First Full Service at St. John’s,
Worship for All Ages: Water Communion
As we have gone through these months of discernment, I have witnessed you being your best selves. Despite the anxiety many of us feel, you keep showing up for one another with love and humility. The MVUUF community that I see now is strong, clear in values and purpose, and committed to MVUUF and to Unitarian Universalism. You understand that there is no perfect community. Instead, you realize that the choice is between imperfect community or no community. You understand that being part of a community is both a privilege and a responsibility. And you know that our little community saves lives.
Before I sign off, I want to remind you that we are not out of the woods yet. I do not say this to scare you or bring you down. I say it so that we remain vigilant in our treatment of one another. Even though the big decisions have passed, we are still in the midst of great stress and change. Extended periods of stress and anxiety reduce our ability to retain information (to remember) and use our healthiest coping tools. Stress and anxiety make healthy communication harder and miscommunication easier. It is harder to act as our best selves when we’re in stress response mode.
Our current state of prolonged stress and anxiety can lead us to behave in ways that we’re normally able to avoid, like the following: assuming bad intentions, judging others negatively, mindreading, talking about someone instead of speaking directly to them, gossiping, and passive-aggressiveness. We still need one another to help us notice when we’re using these unhealthy behaviors. Our Right Relations Covenant is a helpful tool for guiding our own behavior and lovingly bringing each other back to our better selves. You can access the covenant on our website here. While we’re rebuilding our Right Relations Committee, the Committee on Ministry will be connecting folx with resources if they need assistance (please email committee.on.ministry@mvuuf.org).
While I have faith MVUUF will make it through this transition, I don’t know what we’ll look like on the other side. We’re going to have to wait and see how everything shakes out. Love is unpredictable that way—we have no idea how it will transform us. So please keep showing up!
I pray for your health, growth, and flourishing.
With much gratitude and love,
Kellie
Rev. Kellie C. Kelly
she/her/hers (Want to learn why pronouns matter?)
How to Reach Me
My office hours are between 10:00 AM and 7:00 PM Monday through Thursday. If you’d like to talk with me during my office hours, you can schedule a quick call (less than 30 minutes) or longer meeting/visit (60 minutes) using my online scheduler (calendly.com/kellieuukelly) or via email, phone, or text. Choose whichever method is easiest for you. 🙂 I will reply to your messages during my office hours.