First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa

...and so we come to the end:

You've read the intro.

You've done the guided tour.

You've checked off the boxes, met with the minister, and written a credo.

What do you do now?

You choose. Every day, every week, every moment, you choose. This course isn't designed to tell you what to do, but to help you find out what is possible. If you want a jumpstart, here are some suggestions. Ultimately everything here is a suggestion, a prompt, an encouragement. You are your own spiritual leader; others offer guidance, hope, perspective, and alternative wisdom.

If there is any kind of activity you've avoided or had a consistent excuse for during the entire guided tour process, go do it. Just once. Did you avoid committee meeting activities? Volunteering? Publicly visible things? Part of spiritual growth is examining your resistances. Part of it is being able to articulate the reasons behind your choices. If you choose not to do it, try writing about why.
If you haven't yet joined a committee or choir or other small group in the congregation, try it. You can choose a short-term commitment (like setting up the annual holiday fair) or a longer-term one (serving on the building committee for three years); a more involved one (serving as a youth advisor) or a less involved one (helping to prepare the newsletter for mailing once a month). Let your passions drive you; they are wonderful indicators of where your core spiritual self lies.
Commit to two regular spiritual practises, perhaps one weekly and one daily. Weekly might be going to church every Sunday, or walking for an hour in a park, or singing sacred songs with a Gregorian Chant group, or painting the sunset from your living room. Daily might be meditation, or singing for ten minutes in the morning, or playing tai chi in your front yard, or drinking a cup of tea with absolute awareness. Find something that is meaningful for you. Try articulating why it is meaningful, but don't worry if you can't. Spirituality sometimes reaches deeper than words.
Start a group, a committee, a column in the newsletter. Make a monthly potluck. Talk to the minister, the board, the appropriate committees, make flyers, make phone calls, make change the way you want it.
Get some pulpit time and use it wisely. Plan an entire worship service and execute it. Choose everything, starting with liturgy. If the minister disagrees with your choices, meet and talk about it. Be prepared with reasons why you want to do things your way, and plan to compromise.
VisitorSpotting: have you been with your congregation for a year or two? Feel qualified to show someone around and answer questions? Volunteer to give a tour, or just plan to target one visitor every Sunday. Say hello, show zir around, introduce yourself, find out what zir interests are. If ze likes singing, introduce zir to the choir director during coffee hour. If ze is curious about paganism, help zir find the contact for the pagan circle or CUUPS chapter.
Know someone who might like this course? Suggest it. Encouraging each other's growth is part of living in spiritual community. If they're interested, offer to be a spiritual companion, meet with them once fortnightly to discuss what they're doing, thinking , and experiencing.
In The Artists Way, Julia Cameron discusses the idea of an "artist's date"--a time set aside for you to feed your inner creative self, by yourself, once a week. She asks readers to commit to it and it is a difficult discipline, once a week by yourself to nurture your artist with outside influences. It is difficult, but very useful. I suggest something similar, a "spirit date". Once a week. Two hours. You and something to nurture your spiritual self. Could be a walk in a meditation garden or two hours of looking at gorgeous watercolours or lying on the floor with profoundly moving music washing over you...or it could be a shopping trip for that meditation cushion, sometimes. Feed your spirit; it is as hungry as your body, or hungrier.
Find a rhythm that works and live in it for a while. Adjust, and live some more. Unitarian Universalism is a way of life. There is an ebb and flow to this be-ing, active cultivation and fallow times. Neither one can be without the other, and the richest harvest comes from balance. Give generously; ask honestly; act in love.

Good luck, and blessed be. Go in peace. Amen.

lead me onward in my search

lead me backward

take me home

A Quirky Intro to Unitarianism and Unitarian Universalism by Leela Sinha
Self Study Guide to UUism	If you like things in order . . . Introduction to the guided tour: . . . . .. take me all the way home If your mind loves a search . . . Menu by Subject general information about Unitarianism and Unitarian Universalism history polity general theology personal theology Religious Exploration political/social action involvement at First Unitarian, Ottawa, Ontario CANADA
...and so we come to the end: You've read the intro. You've done the guided tour. You've checked off the boxes, met with the minister, and written a credo. What do you do now? You choose. Every day, every week, every moment, you choose. This course isn't designed to tell you what to do, but to help you find out what is possible. If you want a jumpstart, here are some suggestions. Ultimately everything here is a suggestion, a prompt, an encouragement. You are your own spiritual leader; others offer guidance, hope, perspective, and alternative wisdom. If there is any kind of activity you've avoided or had a consistent excuse for during the entire guided tour process, go do it. Just once. Did you avoid committee meeting activities? Volunteering? Publicly visible things? Part of spiritual growth is examining your resistances. Part of it is being able to articulate the reasons behind your choices. If you choose not to do it, try writing about why. If you haven't yet joined a committee or choir or other small group in the congregation, try it. You can choose a short-term commitment (like setting up the annual holiday fair) or a longer-term one (serving on the building committee for three years); a more involved one (serving as a youth advisor) or a less involved one (helping to prepare the newsletter for mailing once a month). Let your passions drive you; they are wonderful indicators of where your core spiritual self lies. Commit to two regular spiritual practises, perhaps one weekly and one daily. Weekly might be going to church every Sunday, or walking for an hour in a park, or singing sacred songs with a Gregorian Chant group, or painting the sunset from your living room. Daily might be meditation, or singing for ten minutes in the morning, or playing tai chi in your front yard, or drinking a cup of tea with absolute awareness. Find something that is meaningful for you. Try articulating why it is meaningful, but don't worry if you can't. Spirituality sometimes reaches deeper than words. Start a group, a committee, a column in the newsletter. Make a monthly potluck. Talk to the minister, the board, the appropriate committees, make flyers, make phone calls, make change the way you want it. Get some pulpit time and use it wisely. Plan an entire worship service and execute it. Choose everything, starting with liturgy. If the minister disagrees with your choices, meet and talk about it. Be prepared with reasons why you want to do things your way, and plan to compromise. VisitorSpotting: have you been with your congregation for a year or two? Feel qualified to show someone around and answer questions? Volunteer to give a tour, or just plan to target one visitor every Sunday. Say hello, show zir around, introduce yourself, find out what zir interests are. If ze likes singing, introduce zir to the choir director during coffee hour. If ze is curious about paganism, help zir find the contact for the pagan circle or CUUPS chapter. Know someone who might like this course? Suggest it. Encouraging each other's growth is part of living in spiritual community. If they're interested, offer to be a spiritual companion, meet with them once fortnightly to discuss what they're doing, thinking , and experiencing. In The Artists Way, Julia Cameron discusses the idea of an "artist's date"--a time set aside for you to feed your inner creative self, by yourself, once a week. She asks readers to commit to it and it is a difficult discipline, once a week by yourself to nurture your artist with outside influences. It is difficult, but very useful. I suggest something similar, a "spirit date". Once a week. Two hours. You and something to nurture your spiritual self. Could be a walk in a meditation garden or two hours of looking at gorgeous watercolours or lying on the floor with profoundly moving music washing over you...or it could be a shopping trip for that meditation cushion, sometimes. Feed your spirit; it is as hungry as your body, or hungrier. Find a rhythm that works and live in it for a while. Adjust, and live some more. Unitarian Universalism is a way of life. There is an ebb and flow to this be-ing, active cultivation and fallow times. Neither one can be without the other, and the richest harvest comes from balance. Give generously; ask honestly; act in love. Good luck, and blessed be. Go in peace. Amen. lead me onward in my search lead me backward take me home
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