Dear Beloved Community,
Our theme is Interdependence – another in our series of themes suggested by Soul Matters that are taken from the Article II Revision process.
If you needed proof in recent years of the value of remembering our interdependence, you could easily start with the pandemic and the increasingly uncivil discourse of the last few years. Nothing reminds us that we accomplish more together than separately than the anger we felt when we were forced to be more alone than usual. Moreover, when people fail to recognize that compromise and democracy are in their common interest, then we come to know more acutely than ever the flaws in our institutions.
The fruits of interdependence only reach us when we are open to them. One could even argue that the future of human progress over the last century has been defined by greater and faster connections – through technology, information, and the internet – that have made the truth of our interdependence plain. Through the speed of communication, for example, we know almost instantly about elections, climate change, war, artistic innovations, and nearly anything we might choose to learn about what people elsewhere are experiencing. At the same time, however, these same tools can be used to misinform and degrade – and we need to be clear about how we use them.
When we value interdependence, we are able to build lateral relationships, not just hierarchical ones. We are capable of reaching out to our neighbors, and also accepting help when we need it. Interdependence tempers a sense of pride, greed, and envy, and makes us think cooperatively.
I hope that you have an opportunity to join us and bring your full, whole, holy, and curious self this month. We continue to move from strength to strength through the energy of many.
For those of you interested in signing the membership book, we will have a Q&A Session on April 14th after the service. If you can’t make that date, no worries! There will likely be other opportunities and sessions in the near future, and you can always contact me at [email protected], or contact me through the church office at (631) 765-3434, if you have any questions about what being a member of this fantastic beacon of liberal religious tradition on the North Fork entails!
I will be celebrating earth day by highlighting the voices of BIPOC environmentalists on April 21st. Many more events are highlighted elsewhere in the newsletter. Again, if you need to reach me for any reason, please contact me through my email or the church office.
Regards,
Rev. Valerie Freseman