Bainbridge Island Pride was a joyful day of celebration, support, and flourishing. Twelve Cedars congregants helped make our booth possible by securing our reservation, setting up, greeting visitors, donating books, managing take‑down, and tending to all the little pieces in between. Deep thanks to Sandy Spears, Dean Sampson, Mary Romeo, Nancy Philip, Jeff Philip, Nancy Dowey, Liz Motter, Rod Kempkes, Naomi … Continue reading Flourishing at Bainbridge Pride: Reverend Margo

June 19 marks the day the last enslaved people in the United States were finally informed they were free. Since 1866, communities have gathered on this date to remember, to honor, and to celebrate. As one of the oldest continuing African American holidays, it invites us to pause and remember a moment of long‑delayed freedom. And that liberation is rarely a single event; it’s a … Continue reading Juneteenth Holiday: Reverend Margo

Last night I attended a Side With Love forum which featured a panel discussing our democracy, specifically what we are celebrating on the 250th anniversary of our country. Side With Love is sponsored by our national Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), and the panel featured our UUA President, Sofia Betancourt. I spent much of the hour thinking about recent action by the Department of … Continue reading Side with Love: Reverend Margo

Last Saturday, five of us, from the Cedars UU Church, attended the Inauguration of the InternationalPeace Pagoda. The Pagoda is located on land at the Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action inPoulsbo is directly adjacent to the Bangor Nuclear Submarine Base. While I was anticipating thebeauty of a sacred Buddhist ceremony, and fully appreciating the indomitable spirit required to bring … Continue reading Flourishing Together – Lessons from the Peace Pagoda: Reverend Margo

As more details become available from the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night, we are trying to make meaning of how such things are possible. We are thankful that the shooter was stopped before he made his way down to the ballroom and that the wounded Secret Service Officer is recovering but asking ourselves when the … Continue reading Living Our Values in the Aftermath of a Shooting: Reverend Margo

Of all the themes this year, Embracing Possibility is arguably the closest to the core of our faith. Historically, where others saw sin and depravity at the center of the human state of being, Unitarians and Universalists saw goodness, given by God and shared with one another.  As the centuries and decades went on, even though for many the faith … Continue reading Embracing Possibility: Reverend Margo