We are formed in community, among family and friends, peers and mentors. And our formation is ongoing – all of us are learning as we go. Sometimes we need to be with people who are different from us, we need a mixed group. … read more.
By Alice Diebel, Intern Minister
The Rev. Mitra Jafarzadeh is on sabbatical
I have been slow to respond publicly to the events of last week. There have been so many and my heart has been breaking. I stand in sympathy and solidarity with Jews across this country, … read more.
Alice Diebel, she/hers, Intern Minister
Rev. Mitra Jafarzadeh is on sabbatical
It seems like ancient history that this country was arguing over which bathroom a person could use. I always wondered how on earth such a thing would be policed. You can use your imagination. But of … read more.
Dear Church,
Today the news brought word of a shooting at a 5/3 location in down town Cincinnati. Right here in our city, some have been wounded and some have been killed.
I know that some of you are shaken by violence so close to home. … read more.
Everyone worth his or her salt was heart-broken by the administration’s separation of child from parent at the southern border of the United States. We were likewise befuddled, given its swiftness and apparent decisiveness in removing children, at the same administration’s inability to reunite all … read more.
Recently, I had the sad honor of officiating a memorial service for a very good man who took his own life. His brothers both spoke so honestly and well of him that my heart was moved. In this time when we are all aware of … read more.
Rev. Mitra Jafarzadeh’s prayer before silent meditation at St. John’s, June 17, 2018.
You may have heard that 2,000 children have been taken from their parents and placed in detention centers in the last 6 weeks. The total number of children in detention is now over … read more.
On July 27, 2008 a gunman walked into the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee and opened fire. In a matter of minutes 2 people were killed and many others wounded. On that day, the youth were performing a musical which included children … read more.
When I was a child in Oklahoma, we had tornado drills in case disaster struck. We would line up in the hall facing the wall, crouch on our knees, tuck our heads and lace our fingers over the back of our necks for protection from … read more.
Dear Church,
This week Alice and I will be in Tulsa, Oklahoma taking a class titled, “Multi-Racial Congregations as Faith Formation.” It promises to be well worthwhile.
This trip means something else to me as well.
From the start of 5th grade until the end of 10th, my … read more.
