A message from Scott Shulick, UUCW Board of Trustees President
Our first visit to UUCW as a family was around the holiday time. Taking the lead on finding a spiritual home, my wife Lisa had attended service a few times and, feeling it would be a good fit, suggested we attend as a family. And so along we went.
As we made our way from the front doors to the sanctuary, we were immediately swooped up by Maria O’Connor, the then Director of Religious Education at UUCW. That particular Sunday happened to be the day where the Worship for All Ages portion of the service was a “reenactment” of the Christian story of Jesus’ birth. Maria was looking for “extras” to participate in the retelling.
Our daughter Isabel was offered the role of star. A star, not the star. It involved a sparkly, silver tiara and a wand with a star on the end. Perfect! Easy. She agreed. Our two boys, neither of whom had been to church on a regular basis until that point in life, took a hard pass on the casting offer. Just before the start and frantic to fill roles, Maria asked Carter to be a cow in the stable. He begrudgingly agreed, his face telling all.
The skit was adorable and familiar — a story I’d heard year in and outgrowing up Catholic. But seeing that presented at the beginning of my relationship with UUCW created a powerfully simple bridge — one that connected my past upbringing to what would become my new faith community. It was the beginning of my exposure to our “living tradition” of drawing wisdom and spirituality from many sources from science, poetry, and scripture to world religions, humanist teachings, and Earth-centered traditions. Something I find refreshing and engaging as well as humbling.
Years later, we attended another service in which the story of the nativity was acted out. Feeling a bit more at home during the holidays made it a little easier the second time around to get everyone involved.
Contact Scott Shulick, UUCW Board of Trustees President.
