This week’s Interdependent Web highlights Unitarian Universalist blog posts on military chaplaincy, reconnecting with the natural world, debunking myths about Unitarian Universalism, and more. Check it out at the UUWorld!

I’m thrilled to share the news that I have started working part-time at the Unitarian Universalist Association as the public witness specialist. This position is part of the communications staff group and contributes to the public relations initiatives of congregations and the association. It’s an opportunity for me to further live out my passion for communicating the good news about Unitarian Universalism — a passion that has fueled Looking for Faith.

While that passion for sharing Unitarian Universalism is common to my writing here and to the work I am doing at the UUA, my hope is to keep Looking for Faith as a personal blog about religion and spirituality, just as it has been.

The conversations we’ve had on this site have stirred my faith in a vital way. And I love hearing from those who of you who have been moved by the posts and comments here, whether you are someone who is a longtime UU, someone exploring our faith for the first time, or someone who is deeply routed in another religious tradition and enjoys the conversation. I look forward to continuing our conversation, finding new ways to build relationships with one another and to explore Unitarian Universalism.

What associations come to mind when you think of airports?

Here are a few things that airports make me think of: saying goodbye to loved ones, eating greasy food, pacing the hallways when a flight is delayed, running down the hallways trying to make a connection, making contact with lots of germs (!), and generally being bored out of my mind.

Last Thursday was a welcome exception to that pattern. Shai (my husband) and I flew out of Logan airport down to Baltimore. We showed up with plenty of time to spare, so I headed to a seafood restaurant in the terminal and Shai went off in search of vegetarian fare.

In the restaurant, I hauled my bags through a crowd of people and squeezed into a seat at a long row of tables, each one mere inches from the next. I pulled out a book to read while eating. Then, about halfway into the meal, an older woman sitting next to me, eating dinner with her husband, remarked on my book. We had a lively conversation for the remainder of the meal. As we talked, I noticed that the young man sitting on the other side of me had also started up a conversation with the guy sitting next to him. I wondered how many people end up in unexpected conversations in this airport restaurant, simply due to sitting so closely together.

I was in a good mood the rest of the evening. There’s something heartening about making a friendly connection with a former stranger.

One of the principles of the Unitarian Universalist Association is that our congregations promise to affirm and promote “respect for the interdependent web of existence of which we are all a part.”

Although this principle is often interpreted in environmental terms (we are connected to the trees, the water, to other animals, etc.), it is also deeply relevant to how each of us understands our place within the family of humanity. There are a lot of forces in the world conspiring to make us feel lonely, isolated, and downright frightened of one another. When I consider the atrocities committed by people, I think I’d rather not be so interdependent.

I long to be reminded, again and again, that while yes we human beings can and do inflict terrible suffering on one another, we also help one another experience hope, fulfillment and peace.

That’s one of the major reasons that I go to church. I like the warm feeling I have showing up for worship, small group discussion, or even a simple potluck, and knowing that I’m connected to others in a positive way. I suspect that’s why people are members of congregations in many different faiths. Does the belief system of a given tradition matter? Of course! But so does the feeling of showing up and having someone smile at you, touch your hand during prayer or hug you hello, share a hymn book with you and in other ways affirm that you are worthy of being noticed and cared for.

These are the things that most of us long for when we go to church. And these little acknowledgements of connection are also what we can give one another when we are together in our congregations.

What associations come to mind when you think of church?

At its best, congregational life is not only defined by values, obligations, and rituals — but also by smiles, hugs, eye contact, greetings, invitations to things going on in the church and the myriad other small gestures that affirm our inherent value and our place in the larger family of humanity.

…includes reflections from UU Pagans, coverage of the British General Assembly meetings, and a very funny Emerson-related video.

This is a quick post to congratulate First UU Church of Nashville and Rev. Jason Shelton. On Sunday, FUUN called Rev. Shelton to be their Associate Minister for Music, making FUUN “the very first Unitarian Universalist congregation to call a fellowshipped minister of music” (in the words of FUUN’s board president, Ginger Brown) !!

FUUN’s website has the story, including this quotation from Rev. Shelton:

About this call to ministry, the Rev. Shelton says, “I anticipate helping to grow our congregation in both membership and presence in the community, and in spreading the good news of Unitarian Universalism to a world desperate for its liberating message. And yes, I do expect we’ll all be singing together as we take on this great work. After all, how can we keep from singing?”