Dear Friends,

Happy New Year! As we enter this new year, it seems so many of us are holding both hope and hesitation in our hearts. We long for the peace we envision; yet we are anxious about our collective future. We hold grief and worry alongside gratitude and joy, as we strive to live our values in the world.

In these times, I find hope in the intentional community we are growing at UUC– and in our commitment to bring our message of liberating love (this month’s Soul Matters theme) beyond our doors. This month I invite you to consider the ways your life might embody that love which is centered on mutuality and freedom for both yourself and others. And I invite you to consider the ways that we might do that work together of living our message of liberating love here in the heart of downtown Stamford and beyond.

You will find in this eblast, and in our Sunday services and faith formation opportunities, many invitations to do this work. I invite you to reflect on your own experiences in the UUC community through the Membership Team survey, to help create the strategic vision for our congregation. I also extend a personal invitation to join me:

• At the Vespers Contemplative Musical Service on Wednesday, January 10th, as we lift our voices in a message of liberating love that radiates through our souls and into the evening streets.
• At the Martin Luther King Jr. Rally and March at Bethel AME on Monday, January 15th, as we dedicate ourselves to living King’s message of hope and justice in partnership with our Stamford community.
• At the Connecticut Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Gathering in New Haven on Saturday, January 20th, as we build our denominational power to have a greater impact on state and national legislation that upholds our UU values.

Friends, we are just beginning a brand new year. Let us amplify our message of powerful liberating love in a world where it is so desperately needed! I wish you all many blessings of peace, love, and joy in 2024.

Rev. Terri