Church of the Larger Fellowship UU Worship

It is easy today to imagine the world we live in the most dire of views. How do we therefore also hold onto our imagination of a world of peace and liberation?

In order for prison abolition to be possible, we must create a society that makes it so. That begins with imagining what the post-abolition world is like, because only then can we begin to work towards it. As CLF prepares to engage our denomination in the study of abolition, we will begin by activating our imaginations.

What does it feel like to live in a liberated world where everyone thrives and we center care and love? "It feels like spring." This question was asked to a group of UUs during a workshop on expanding our imaginations. When I heard this response, I felt it in my body. We'll explore the role of imagination in transforming our world.

Come with me, and we'll be in a world of pure imagination. In that world, we will dream of what can be--not to detach us from what is, but to make something better possible.

When does bearing witness become a radical theological act? How do we provide sanctuary for those whom our society wants to remain hidden? We will bear witness together and in doing so honor humanity, worth, dignity, and love.

How can witnessing ourselves and each other provide spiritual direction and resilience in our times of great upheaval? Soren Austenfeld (he/they), Music Director at First Parish in Malden, MA, shares a reflection from his experience of voice change as a transgender man and his work in gender-affirming voice education.

The story of Pandora’s Box is best known as the story of the curious woman who unleashed evil, mayhem and chaos on the world. But, what many leave out is the last item in the box, hope. We need hope more than ever and we will look for the ways holding on to a hope that transforms society.

What does it mean for us UU’s to bear WITNESS in these times? Must our witness and that of our co-conspirators be uniform and monochromatic? How does one’s social context impact what witnessing looks like? Join us as we begin exploring our February theme of Witnessing.

NOTE: the image used here by Nikki Free is a AI generated variation of an original work by Navi Robins.

Beth Murray has served CLF and provided leadership for our Worthy Now Prison Ministry for 20 years, and is retiring at the end of the month. We will celebrate Beth and her example of leadership and service as we say goodbye.

If the purpose of our service is to give rise to the world that we know is possible, we must learn how to make it a reality. Inspired by a new book co-edited by Elandria Williams, we will tap into what E called “collective and ancestral wisdom” in order to explore the qualities that we can cultivate in ourselves and our communities to move everyone forward.