Please join us at a Goodbye Reception for Rev. Alex on Summit House lawn on Sunday September 12. 2021

---

August 29, 2021 Sermon
By Rev. Alex McGee
“Looking Upstream, Looking Downstream: So We Go”
For Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Charlottesville

On the occasion of her final sermon as finishing eleven years of service
Please note there are typos that I acknowledge, and that this was written as my script for myself, and that my spoken words might vary as the moment leads me to extemporize.

Come with me

in your imagination

to a time when you have walked in nature

and come upon a bridge. If it helps, close your eyes to see this bridge in your minds eye.

Try to feel the bridge under your feet and sense the railing under your hands, feel the air temperature on your skin

see in your mind’s eye the water under the bridge.

Listen to the sounds of the water

See if you can find smell in the air

See if you can visualize the water flowing toward the bridge —

all the rocks, banks that it touches,

all the fish, insects that live in the water, the animals that feed at the edge.

The plants nourished by the water

Look as far upstream as you can.

Remaining on that bridge, turn now, and look downstream.

See the water flowing away.

Notice details of what is different from this view.

What plants, animals are nourished, and what imprint does the water make on the earth? Look downstream as far as you can see.

And now let that image fade and bring yourself back to this time and place, here in this worship service.

At this moment I am standing on a bridge across a stream

I am looking up at what has already flowed in the last 11 years that I have served this congregation on the ministry staff.

We just heard the singing of Bill Staines, and he described a river this way:

“Ever moving and winding and free
You rolling old river, you changing old river”

Bill Staines uses river as a metaphor for the journey and changes in life.

Right now I am looking upstream

When I began: here, on July 1st, 2010,

Stats

The president of the US was Barack Obama, the mayor of Charlottesville was Dave Norriss, the president of UVA was Teresa Sullivan, and the president of this congregation was Pam Philips.
There was more ice on the polar caps then and there were different statues around Charlottesville.

The population of Charlottesville was 9% smaller than it is today. White people, on average, earned 20% less than they do now, and black people earned 30% more than they do now.

The Church owned a house next door called UHouse.

Babies that were blessed that year are now teens getting their drivers license

Teens that were in Religious Education program then are now adults in congregational leadership

Back then, I printed my sermons on a printer, … and hadn’t yet dreamed of speaking from an iPad, and especially not on zoom.
Stories

I began on July 1, 2010, and four days later, on July 4, one of the members, Kip Newland, called me to tell me that a member named Walter Plunkett had died that day. He suggested I go visit his newly widowed wife, Dee Plunkett. I got in my car, and went. And there began a fondness and annual visits — since she had trouble making it to church— that lasted until Dee died last year. That story right there pretty much sums up what it has been like serving here for eleven years: you all care about each other, we show up, and lives change.

Image/stories

As I look back, many holy moments stand out in my mind, and here are just a few:

• Lunches with the young adults, and later watching them plan their own events;
• seeing couples court, then officiating their wedding, then bring their children to church;
• officiating at marriages for couples who already had had a committed partnership for many decades before marriage was legal;
• funerals in the sanctuary and memorial garden;
• saying goodbye to people who knew it was their last goodbye
• quiet, deep sharing with people in the annual pre-holiday retreat;
• collages and timelines in the Building Your Own Theology class;
  check ins in the monthly Pastoral Visitors program

and so so so much more.

As I look up stream, I give thanks:

Thank you for the amazing ordination ceremony.
Thank you to the three different committees who met with me your reflection and encouragement each over the course of a year to fulfill my credentialing requirements –
Thank you to all the people who trusted me to officiate your wedding and lead a funeral for your loved one.
Thank you to all of you who have tended the spaces in which we staff have our offices.
Thank you to everyone who worked hard to get fair compensation.
Thank you to everyone who put out food and hot water for tea on Sunday mornings—a vital and essential sustenance.

As I look back, I see how we navigated Challenge moments that mark this time frame:
And what I see is that We were responsive together and had Moments of growth.

*August 11 and 12, when the Unite the Right rally occurred in this city. Amid the horror, Positive images that stand out for me are:

– before worship that morning, when those of us who would be leading worship and child care met and stood in a circle and grounded together.

-also, that the UUA President, Susan Frederick-Gray showed up, and Regional staff person Carlton Elliott Smith. We were not alone.

– and, This congregation opened its doors as a safe space on August 12, so that people affected by trauma could come and process in healthy ways.

– a few years later, when Minneapolis was full of protests and uncertainty after the killing of George Floyd, our pastoral visitor co-chairs met with the pastoral visitor team of a congregation there, to give them encouragement in their time of need, letting them know that hope was possible based on their experience here

*Another a big challenge moment during this past eleven years, was when the pandemic hit and the building was closed in February 2020, I could not begin to envision how to lead on line worship—I didn’t even have language for it. I was so tired, and so I proposed a few months to get up and running for zoom worship. But a wise board members said, no, if we don’t start now, people will lose traction. We have to do something, even if it is imperfect. And that push to action motivated me,—not only did we get zoom worship going, but on a deeper and more personal level: proceeding with brash imperfection helped me with important muscles for life—to have the courage to step up to meet a need even if I am not sure how to meet it fully yet

Strengths

From my perspective, I see many strengths:

This congregation is caring, service-oriented, social, and loves worship and discussion.

You are so strong in your small groups — the classes, covenant groups, chalice circles, meetings for people with common life experiences: people get support to keep going through a rough spell, here is where they get to know another person and call them friend. This fulfills the human need for contact, to know and be known.

You are so strong in your Religious Education programming: from the nursery a plastic chalice is lit each week, to the teens have service projects, such as the Appalachian Service Project, and, that adults who teach RE learn by teaching. This fulfills the human need for places to grow and to teach.

You are so strong in your Social Action Collection program. On the face of it, this may appear simply to be a way to collect money once a month for a worthy local program. But more than that, it is an education and bridge-building moment once a month —in worship— to be inspired by neighbors thriving despite obstacles. Moreover, these groups are picked once a year in an annual meeting where congregation members bring forth organizations in which they are passionately involved, and representatives sit together and present priorities. This fulfillsthe human need to give and to learn about others in their community.

Those are things that I see as a I look upstream.

Now it is 2021, 11 years since I began journeying with this congregation.

If we turn and look downstream, what do we see?

it is the nature of life, the river of life, that change happens. Changes come in many forms:

*Change is happening as the trees in our area are beginning to let go of their leaves, as the fruits of summer are no longer available, but autumn vegetables are coming ripe. This week, all over town, kids have again been out on the sidewalks in the morning, waiting for the schoolbus. These are signs of change.

*You, yourself, may be experiencing changes now, through illness, leaving an institution, beginning or ending a job or school, or relationship.
* On the world stage, nations and leaders are experiencing change through war and weather, and navigating it with mixed results.

Some times a river forks, and there are two different paths downstream. And that is what is happening now. I will be stepping away from the river of this congregation’s journey.

Different Rivers now

So, we go. Like a river, this life keeps moving.
I have travelled along in this flowing stream with the congregation for 11 years.
Now, I will step out of this stream.
I will still follow my calling of helping people be as whole as possible,
I will still follow my calling to bring fresh vision and voice to help my community,
— I will continue on the spiritual care staff at Martha Jefferson Hospital,
and will begin teaching in their new staff resiliency program.
I will remain faithful to regional and national Unitarian Universalist circles.

After September, I will not be participating in the life of the Unitarian universalist congregation of Charlottesville. Taking a few years away is good advice I have gotten from many people, since it will allow me to process this change, and will free you up to adapt to a new situation. Nonetheless, I will miss you and the loveliness that I find here. I care very deeply, even as I say goodbye.
I have been saying goodbyes in many ways.

*To bring my work here to a close, I have been doing handoffs with committees and staff.

*I will send a note of transition to Torok Istvan at the Oltheviz congregation and Lehman Bates at Ebenezer Baptist Church.

*Last Saturday I sat quietly in the memorial garden and read each name—some I didn’t know, some I knew, some I helped place the plaque and ashes.

*Some of you have asked me for goodbye meetings or given me cards, and I am grateful.

* I hope all of you will RSVP for a slot at the outdoor reception to say goodbyes on September 12.

Challenges to you:

As I say my goodbyes, and step out of the river of this congregation’s journey, I make a glimpse at what is downstream for you. This is your journey to make, not mine, and your board is leading you well through this two year interim with Rev. Linda, and planning for a developmental minister to start a year from now.

how exciting! You are about to embark on a terribly exciting time—if you will only dare to shed the skin you’ve been living in, and see what is possible…

Let me offer an image: A song by a writer named Patrick DeSimio says, “So We Go, turning on through life.” One of the verses says, “Come as mistakes turn into wisdom, come as the rash become the sage.” What he is referring to here is the opportunities to take the wanted and unwanted changes in life, and let ourselves benefit from them.

As I glimpse downstream at where as you might go, turning on through life, I would like to offer some challenges.

First, Harness your financial power. Keep re-examining your beliefs and assumptions about money.

The way the world uses currency and the frontiers of space are literally changing. This congregation will be more effective and nimble, when it is part of that new reality. I dream of the day when the finance committee will be the most coveted committee to serve on

When you are financially strong, you can better serve the increasing population in Charlottesville, and the students who live in the neighborhood around the congregation’s building. The welcome message of UUism can be life-saving for people who feel alone and different.

Second, honor your covenant with the UUA. Don’t be untethered. Just one example: If your child was in the summer programming called Feefie and you liked the workbook they received about self awareness and community responsibility, keep in mind that UUA funds designed that resource. The Unitarian Universalist Association, exists solely as a covenant between congregations, with shared funds and decisions.

Third, keep up your congregational partnerships with the Oltheviz Unitarian congregation in Transylvania and the Ebenezer Baptist Church here in Charlottesville.

Listening to them, they may tell you something important about opportunities for policy change and advocacy: such as

– the role of the US in placing missiles in eastern Europe?

– the role of international environmentalists in preventing mountain top removal in economically struggling countries?

– our role in educational opportunities for black youth in Charlottesville?

And these kinfolk may offer spiritual insight about why they find the life of Jesus a source of spiritual wisdom.

Their ministers, Torok Istvan in Transylvania, and Lehman Bates at Ebenezer, are ready to connect.

Fourth, see institutional change as a way to widen your circle of concern. Although anti-racism work may be scary, uncomfortable, or have gone very badly in the past, take heart that it is a life-long learning. Like any muscle, it takes practice, and once it gets stronger, using it is easier and more fun.

Finally, I commend to you to dream new dreams.

Dream new dreams as individuals.

A religious community can be a place to grow in ways you didn’t know possible. People grow spiritually as they move from one type of activity to another in the church – gardening, finances, board, teaching, and so on. Let other people bring you along, and bring other people along. Sure, volunteer to do things you are already good at—we need your skills, but also, show up for things that make you nervous—we need your growth.

And, dream new dreams, as a congregation.

This year, your second year of interim, and after that, Developmental ministry, is a special time to step into the river and see where you are headed next. A time to read the water together read the rapids, read the rocks, and practice your boating skills. So we go. So we go, turning on through life.

CLOSING: SO WE GO
Benediction
My dear ones…
What an honor to have journeyed alongside you. Thank you! I bid you well as your river continues, and as I put my boat into a different river.
I finish and send you forth with these words:
May peace and light always surround you.
May you be protected from harm, and may you not harm others, and may you make it right again when you do.
May you welcome those in need, and allow yourself to be helped.
May you let your light shine as a beacon in this world.
Amen.
So we go, turning on through life.

---

June 6, 2021 Sermon
By Rev. Alex McGee
“Seasons”
For Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Charlottesville

By Rev. Alexandra McGee, MDiv, BCC
For TJMC UU, now Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Charlottesville,
For service June 6, 2021, on occasion of return from Sabbatical, and grant funding news, and on Flower Communion Sunday

Hello to everyone. This is my first Sunday back with you all since the end of December. Wow. And what an unusual time this is!

For the past five months, I have been gifted by you all with extra time for rest and renewal on my sabbatical. Thank you! I slept plenty, ate meals peacefully, walked in the woods a lot, revitalized my yoga practice—both physically and philosophically. I did self care by catching up on financial and home management. I read a wide range of books— including Unitarian history, environmental economics, and childrens’ novels about thriving despite adversity. I have insights to share with you, and in the coming months, I will share them in sermons.

During my time away, I had a few conversations with Linda about the financial status of the church. I reflected on how I might handle change in the budget, both for my well-being and the congregation’s well-being. Then, right as I was returning, Sean, the congregation’s administrator, got the news about the federal covid relief grant which was not funded.

You all have a great church board. These leaders spent many hours hashing out options and implications. I hope you will honor them as they lead you through this time of change.

And, I am so deeply sad about departing from you at the end of the summer.

But, you know what else is true? I am coming into this moment well-rested.
And you know a truth about rest? It allows one to see broadly.
Rest literally shifts the brain chemistry to be open to many options.
I know from my yoga practice, deep rest allows flexibility.

The rest that I gained on my sabbatical means that I am not approaching this moment from a stress reaction (and I’ve learned in my life that my usual stress reaction is to be rigid, to have limited vision), but instead I am approaching this moment from a perspective of seeing: Seasons.

Seasons.

So, I’d like to offer some reflections about seasons.

Now, today is Flower Communion Sunday. The blossoming of flowers is a very clear mark of a season. You might have a certain flower that you look forward to for many months—knowing that it only blooms a certain time of year. You may keep track:
of when it will bud,
then begin to open,
then flower.
And from experience, you may know that the flower will eventually, with time fade, and the plant will return to just being green, and do its deep work of making flower buds for next year.

These kinds of seasons are visible in nature, and generally predictable every year. This predictability can give a certain kind of reassurance.

But, some seasons in nature don’t follow an annual cycle. Consider:
We see the moon get brighter and dimmer over about 28 days.
Some cicadas come every seven years.
Halley’s comet comes every 75 or 76 years.
Over a lifetime, a person has more and more chances to watch diverse seasons, and learn to watch for new and different patterns.
These seasons that we can watch in nature, can be a metaphor for seasons in our lives.

Perhaps you can recall a time when you felt an inner readiness, and watched to see if the world was ready for your blossoming. Perhaps you can recall a time when you felt full of bloom, and knew the environment around you shared in that full bloom. Perhaps you can recall a time when you felt a fading in you or around you.

Seasons occur throughout the life of an individual, the life of an organization, the life of a country. These seasons are what create the story-lines in our lives. Seasons, and how people handle them skillfully or not, are significant enough, that they make dramatic plots in fables, myths, books, movies, songs, and theatre. The characters who miss the signs of seasons in their lives often end up lost, lonely, wasting their time and other people’s time. In short, they suffer. By contrast, the characters who sense and follow the signs have more fruitfulness. They may still experience pain, solitude, and waiting, but they are not suffering, because they have a perspective of a greater harmony.

By season, I mean any time there is a building of energy, a sustaining of energy, and then a waning. I am making a clear distinction here between a season and a time of crisis. A time of crisis is a disruption: such as a pandemic, or, a political leader without decency. Right now, though, I’m talking about seasons that have a natural ebb and flow of enthusiasm, passion, or growth.

That could mean seasons such as longing for parenthood, a season of longing to create art, a season of longing to offer public service. At some point, each of these seasons of longing will pass, whether they are fulfilled or not. If the external factors weren’t right, then the person could not act on their longing and bring it to fruition.

Another thing that can happen, is that a person forgets to notice the seasons.
Now, just as is it possible to get so busy
with cars, phones and computers
that one forgets to stop and smell the roses,
so to speak,
it is also possible to get so caught in up in things
that we miss the cues for seasons in our lives.

Learning to sense seasons, and not to miss them, is part of the process of maturing spiritually. I have been grateful in my life for spiritual practices that have taught me to watch for spiritual seasons. I’m grateful for prayer time, meditation time, spiritual conversations, reading spiritual autobiographies, and good old-fashioned sleep that leaves me well-rested enough to notice with open eyes and a fresh perspective, what is going on around me. I’m grateful for Buddhist teachings about: not fearing change, but having curiosity and compassion during change. I’m grateful for a contemplative chant from the Taize Community Singers that reminds me watch and wait.

In addition to spiritual practices, a person can benefit from spiritual mentors. Consider again the metaphor of seasons in nature. Sometimes we turn to specialists to tell us when a season is beginning or ending…such as the meteorologist who tells us the beginning of hurricane season. Knowing that, one can safely plan a trip, or, prepare for power outages. Similarly, in our lives, we may turn to a spiritual guide to help us discern the seasons in our lives, and how to move safely and well with them.

And finally, just as airplanes stay safe
because air traffic controllers tell them
when the storms are passed and safe for landing or take off,
so, we need an inner, spiritual, air traffic controller.
We need an inner monitor
for the seasons and changes around us…short term and long term changes…
so that we can respond skillfully.
Then, we can land, and we can take off…
and not miss the seasons and changes in our lives.

My wish for each one of you listening here today on this zoom worship, is to fully live each moment of the changing seasons in your life, and to wait and watch as long as you need, to sense the cues of how to flow with them.

I will close now with a story from my work as a chaplain in the hospital. One day, I was with a family who was gathered round an elder who was dying. All day, they shared stories, held her hand, read text messages from family far away, and gave updates to loved ones who could not travel to say goodbye. And then, one very special text message arrived. A great-grandchild had been born. There were many tears. Tears of joy, tears of sorrow. But together, they were honoring the seasons of life beginning and ending.

My friends, I feel in this tender way about this moment with you all. I have returned from a five month sabbatical. I will finish up my 11 years of service to this congregation in September. Between now and then, the congregation will vote on a new name. Very likely, we will gather in the beautifully renovated sanctuary again. New members will join and a new year of religious education will begin. New story lines will unfold in this congregation, and in the world.

But at this moment, right now, let us pause, Let us take a deep breath, and watch, and wait, together.

Join me in a moment of mindful breathing.

See if you can feel your inhale.

See if you can feel your exhale.

Like seasons changing.

Notice if there’s any pause or stillness after you breathe in…..or before you breathe in.

This way of mindful breathing is a tool you can use anytime to remind you to notice change in and around you, and to flow more peacefully with it.

Blessed be. Amen.

---

To the UUC Congregation From Lorie Craddock, Board President:

June 4, 2021

Dear Friends,

I’m writing as Board President with news about our budget, along with a letter from our Assistant Minister, below.

Sadly, last Friday, we learned that our congregation, like many others, was not funded for a second federal covid relief grant.  In previous months, our UUC Treasurer, Stan Walker,  along with the Finance Committee had wisely prepared a backup budget for this unfortunate scenario and in collaboration with staff, they discussed options for the best use of our limited funds.

Now, using the backup budget from the Finance Committee, the Board has decided to recommend to the congregation that the Assistant Minister position be phased out after this summer.  No one wants this outcome.  The person serving as Assistant Minister, the Rev. Alex McGee, is a beloved member of our staff and has diligently served our church community with wisdom, kindness, and compassion for ten years.  I can assure you, we left no stone unturned in our commitment to a balanced budget, and wanting to keep Alex on staff.  Yet, the needs and resources of the congregation have changed over the past ten years and we now have approximately 150 fewer members than when Alex was hired as our Assistant Minister.

We will still have our congregational meeting tomorrow, June 6, to vote on the name change and new leaders but we must defer the budget vote for a few weeks.  Our bylaws state we must publish any proposed budget ten days before a congregational meeting to allow time for everyone to look over the new information.  With regards to this requirement, a second congregational meeting that includes a budget vote will now likely be at the end of June.

On Sunday, June 13, we will have an informational session after the worship service for board representatives to answer your questions about our newly proposed budget.  Meanwhile, if you want to look at the newly proposed budget, here are links to a pie chart and line items.

Please know that I write this letter with a heavy heart and that your elected board has devoted time, heart, and mind to present the best outcome we can find for our community.

In faith,

Lorie Craddock,
Board President

To the UUC Congregation From
 Assistant Minister Rev. Alexandra McGee

June 4, 2021

Dear Beloved Congregation,

As I return from my five-month sabbatical, I say a hearty and well-rested thank you for the generous time of renewal you gifted me.  And, as I return, I am learning, along with the staff and board, of the new information about financial resources unavailable from the covid grant.

Although I am deeply saddened, I am not surprised, since I know the many budget challenges the congregation has faced.  For many years, I have listened as this board has navigated a deficit budget, including during the departure of a lead minister and the pandemic. I have also watched this congregation since 2001 when the church was growing, and now in recent years, it has been getting smaller.  Every congregation has seasons, and with wisdom, they can be navigated to make space for new blossoming.  I firmly believe in the lay leadership and staff leadership of this congregation, especially the skills of your current interim minister, Rev. Linda Olson Peebles.

My priority is always the health, mission, and vision of the congregation.  I believe that this is a good time to lay down the role of Assistant Minister for this congregation.

Please know that my contract, as is standard, stated that I would serve a year after my sabbatical, and I have always been fully committed to doing so.  But, our shared church leadership has deemed that financially impractical under the circumstances.

From now until early fall, I look forward to saying hello again after my sabbatical and preparing for goodbyes.  I have shared so many joys and sorrows with people in this UU community, and I look forward to celebrating them and wishing you well as I go into a new chapter, and as you go into a new chapter.

I have learned so much during the pandemic about living with uncertainty, and I am confident with hope and courage about what lies ahead.

In peace and gratitude,

Alex
Rev. Alexandra McGee, MDiv, BCC

“To hear more from Alex reflecting on Seasons, read her sermon from Sunday June 6 by clicking on this link: https://uucharlottesville.org/sermons/june-6-community-worship/