The UUSE Building Reserve is a special fund established by the Policy Board to be used solely for planned and emergency building maintenance (e.g., replacing the roof, repaving the parking lot, etc.). A healthy building reserve enables us to avoid emergency capital campaigns in the future. Knowing that we can afford to pay for expensive future maintenance gives us financial security and lets us focus on our core mission. The Building Reserve Campaign is an annual and ongoing effort to increase the Building Reserve to a more robust level. We run the campaign at the end of each calendar year. This year’s goal is $30,000. Great news: five lead donors have already pledged $11,600 dollars to our 2026 campaign. Please join them! Here’s the hard truth: the UUSE Building Reserve is not where it should be. In 2022 we estimated that we needed $447,726 for full funding. At that time the reserve was only 13% full. This year, we estimate that we should have $899,183 to fully fund the building reserve. With $136,475 available, the reserve is only 15% full. The annual UUSE Building Reserve campaign is one part of a larger strategy to reach full funding over the next span of years. To reach full funding, the UUSE Policy Board also expects to allocate funds from the annual appeal to the building reserve. Ideally we would be putting $65,000 a year into the building reserve. Here’s the bottom line: It is time for us to secure the future of our beloved meetinghouse. Please consider making a donation to this year’s campaign. What is the building reserve paying for in the current fiscal year? •​Replacing failing windows •​Rebuilding the fencing around the dumpsters •​Repairing our aging sidewalks Please know that your tax deductible contribution to the Building Reserve is separate from your annual pledge to UUSE. Your annual pledge remains vital for ensuring that the congregation can continue operating on a daily basis. Ways to contribute: •​Go to the Donate page at uuse.org/giving (PayPal, Venmo, or Debit/Credit) •​Mail a check or drop it into Annie’s In box, with “Building Reserve” in the memo When you make a gift to the Building Reserve campaign, please stop by the table in the lobby following Sunday services to pick up your puzzle piece and add it to the puzzle on display! In gratitude, our UUSE Building Reserve Fund Campaign Team: Paul Cocuzzo, JenniferMcLeer, Trisha Corey-Lisle, Alex Bernier, Rev. Josh Pawelek

Gathering Music (Mary Bopp and Leah Coloff) Welcome (Rev. Josh Pawelek) Centering Prelude "How Shall We Mend You?" Leah Coloff, vocal Mary Bopp, piano Chalice Lighting and Opening Words "Mending" by the Rev. Nancy Shaffer Opening Hymn #1002 "Comfort Me" by Mimi Bornstein Comfort me, comfort me, comfort me, oh my soul. Comfort me, comfort me, comfort me, oh my soul. Sing with me, sing with me... Speak for me, speak for me... Dance with me, dance with me... Comfort me, comfort me... Time for All Ages Musical Meditation Announcements Pulpit Editorial The 2026 UUSE Building Reserve Campaign Carrie Kocher Joys and Concerns Musical Meditation Offering The recipient of our November community outreach offering is Manchester Senior, Adult, and Family Services. This critical town agency uses the funds we raise to purchase grocery store gift cards to help low-income seniors during the holidays. Offering Music Suite no. 2 in g minor Allemande and Sarabande by J. S. Bach Sermon "Mending" REv. Josh Pawelek Mary Bopp Leah Coloff Closing Hymn #18 "What Wondrous Love" Words: American folk hymn, ad. by Connie Campbell Hart Music: The Southern Harmony, 1835 What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul, what wondrous love is this, O my soul? What wondrous love is this that brings my heart such bliss, and takes away the pain of my soul, of my soul, and takes away the pain of my soul. When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down, when I was sinking down, sinking down, when I was sinking down beneath my sorrows ground, friends to me gather'd round, O my soul, O my soul, friends to me gather'd round, O my soul. To love and to all friends I will sing, I will sing, to love and to all friends I will sing. To love and to all friends who pain and sorrow mend, with thanks unto the end I will sing, I will sing, with thanks unto the end I will sing. Extinguishing the Chalice Closing Circle May faith in the spirit of life And hope for the community of earth And love of the light in each other Be ours now, and in all the days to come.

ICE protest, June 2026 “The central task of the religious community is to unveil the bonds that bind each to all. There is a connectedness, a relationship discovered amidst the particulars of our own lives and the lives of others. Once felt, it inspires us to act for justice”—words from the Unitarian Universalist minister, the Rev. Mark Morrison-Reed. This is the third sermon in my series on the new Unitarian Universalist Association statement of values which our General Assembly adopted in June of 2024. The statement identifies six values—justice, equity, transformation, pluralism, interdependence and generosity—all emerging from love at the center. This morning I am speaking about what it means to value justice as a faith community.[1] This is familiar territory for me, and for you. Justice-making has been a central component of my ministry since the time of my ordination. This is true for many of my colleagues. For better, or for worse, I have a reputation as a parish minister who shows up for justice work at the local, state and, sometimes, national levels. For better, or for worse, you have a reputation as a congregation that, when asked—when organized—engages in justice work at the local, state and, sometimes, national levels. Our reputations our intertwined, but you would have your reputation even if I weren’t your minister. The vision of a more just society where the legacies of white supremacy, colonialism and patriarchy no longer endure, where everyone, regardless of racial, class or gender identity; where everyone, regardless of ability, age, sexual orientation or body type; where everyone, regardless of national origin, immigration statues, language or culture is welcomed in, treated fairly and regarded as fully human—that liberating vision is an animating force in your collective life. You—each in your own way—want to know what you can do, how you can participate in justice movements from the tiniest gestures of care and support to the grandest actions for progressive social change. As I have said many times, though you come to this congregation for many reasons, one of them, certainly, is to be sent forth into the world to live your values, to engage in justice-making, to build the beloved community. I thank you for your willingness to be sent forth, not to evangelize for Unitarian Universalism, but to build a more just society. **** I have some thoughts about the outcome of the mid-term elections on Tuesday that pertain to this topic. You saw the news, right? Yeah, I’m sure very few of you went to bed early on Tuesday. For liberals and progressives, for Democrats, Green and Working Families Party members, it was a great outcome. I don’t interpret the outcome as a blanket endorsement of the Democratic Party and their policy proposals. The Democratic Party remains unpopular. They won so many races because traditional right- and Republican-leaning voters had become disillusioned with the president. They rebuked him for his inflationary tariffs; for his role in the dismantling of women’s reproductive rights; for his failing war in Iran, which, as a candidate, he promised would not happen; for his treatment of immigrants, which has been excessive, violent, deadly and illegal; for his role in dismantling time-honored social safety-net programs in order to cut taxes for the nation’s wealthiest people and corporations; perhaps most significantly for his corruption; for myriad other authoritarian and fascist polices and behaviors; for his hubris. A majority of voters see it now. The emperor has no clothes. And he’s no emperor. For me, this is perhaps the most hopeful takeaway: a majority of voters see it now. Another hopeful takeaway: two avowed liberal Christians won Senate seats as Democrats in conservative Christian states. James Talarico, a Presbyterian minister in training, won in Texas. The Rev. Adam Hamilton, the founder and leader of the 24,000 member, multi-campus United Methodist Church of the Resurrection won in Kansas. They join the Rev. Raphael Warnock, pastor of Atlanta’s famed Ebenezer Baptist Church, in the Senate. There were other Christian clergy who won seats in the House and in statehouse races around the country. While they come from different traditions and likely practice their Christianity differently, they share some broad commonalities. When asked about the values they’ll bring to Washington to guide their policy-making, they often quote a passage from the New Testament book of Matthew, chapter 25: For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was an immigrant[2] and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And [he] will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these [siblings] of mine, you did it to me.’ [3] This passage exposes the fraudulence of Christian Nationalism. Talarico’s and Hamilton’s victories—and Warnock’s before them—expose Christian Nationalism as a morally bankrupt faith that is losing its influence in American society. What I see in these victories—as well as the similar House down-ballot victories across the country[4]—is a recognition among Christians—including many conservative Christians—that Christian Nationalism isn’t actually Christian; rather, it is white supremacy disguised as Christianity. What I see in these victories is a growing American desire—not just a Christian desire—for government that actually cares about people; a re-emerging American understanding—re-emerging because it’s part of our heritage—that a critical role of government at every level is to support struggling people and families through the creation of effective and sustainable public goods and services: affordable, accessible health care, affordable housing, excellent public education, genuine public safety and a robust social safety net. Progressive Non-Christian candidates of faith also took Senate seats on Tuesday. Warnock’s colleague in Georgia, Senator Jon Ossoff, who won his re-election bid, has been candid about the way his Jewish identity informs his politics, saying in interviews that [my Jewish] upbringing “instilled in me a conviction to fight for the marginalized, the persecuted and the dispossessed.”[5] Similarly, though it’s been difficult for Abdul El-Sayed to talk about his Muslim faith because he has faced extreme Islamophobia, the Michigan Senator-elect also says his faith informs his progressive policy instincts. When asked at a forum in July, "What does … holding yourself accountable to something bigger than you mean for … you…?” His response: "If you can't eat food and I have something to do about it, I better do it."[6] My takeaway: People of faith won seats in Congress not by trumpeting divisive culture war issues, but by reminding constituents that we are called to take care of each other, to respond to the least of these, to address historic injustices, to resist and reject authoritarianism and the hateful, community-destroying policies of Christian Nationalism. This gives me hope. **** The message of Matthew 25 and other scriptures like it can be interpreted in multiple ways, not all of which lead to a more just society. I notice that whenever the Matthew 25 Christians link this passage to a social justice vision, an army of detractors inevitably chimes in to say that the text doesn’t actually make this link, e.g., “Jesus didn’t advocate for Medicare for All.” The detractors speak from a variety of world-views. At their best, they point out that the passage is really about charity, or about a pastoral response to people in crisis; but it is not a call to organize for a more just society. I was hungry and you gave me food. When people are hungry, it’s important to support and work with the institutions that feed hungry people. You all donate to the UUSE Ministers Discretionary Fund. Some of the money I dispense to people in this congregation and in the wider community pays for food. It’s a small gesture, though for the people who receive funding for food, it is essential and sometimes life-saving. I am proud that we have this fund and that it can be used for this purpose. Does this gesture create a more just society? No. In a just society, nobody goes hungry in the first place. Feeding hungry people is critical but insufficient. Valuing justice as people of faith requires a deeper engagement. What are the institutional and structural sources of food insecurity and how can we organize to transform them so that people don’t face hunger? I was sick and you took care of me. Yes, we should take care of people living with illness. Is our health care system structured to do that? For those with quality, affordable health insurance, yes. But is quality, affordable health insurance the norm? For too many people, no. By so many measures we live with a broken health care system. Valuing justice as people of faith requires a deeper engagement. What are the institutional and structural sources of our broken health care system, and how can we organize to transform them so that everyone has access to quality, affordable health care? I was an immigrant and you welcomed me. In recent years our congregation has done an excellent job of asking the deeper questions: what would make ours a more just society for immigrants? We’ve worked on in-state tuition at state colleges and universities, drivers’ licenses, health care access for those who qualify for HUSKY, and various iterations of the TRUST Act, which clarifies when local and state law enforcement can work with federal immigration authorities. Some of us worked on the new law that makes it illegal for ICE from entering houses of worship, schools, playgrounds and courthouses. All of this work has helped create a more just society for immigrants in Connecticut. But when the raids and the abductions began en masse, when families started losing breadwinners, when children started losing parents, suddenly there were a host of immediate needs that had to be addressed. That’s when we created our Good Neighbor Teams. For those who aren’t familiar, when one of our partners in the immigrant rights movement contacts us about a financial need, we activate one of our Good Neighbor Teams. Each team has ten members. Each team member is invited to make a donation, usually $40, but if it’s less or more, that’s fine. We’ve activated six teams since we launched the program in March. We raised money for a mom to afford diapers and groceries after her husband was detained. We raised money for a detainee to purchase food and supplies in detention. We raised bond money. Currently, we’re raising money for a mother of two to self-deport to Guatemala to be with her partner who was deported. Does providing funding and other supports in these terrible situations create a more just society for immigrants? Historically, I would have said no. It doesn’t. It doesn’t change anything about the system that abducts and deports. But I am mindful that it is what we are called to do in this moment. It’s a piece of a larger strategy to protect immigrants from federal over-reach. We call it post-detention support. It makes life a little easier for people in truly horrendous circumstances. It is the compassionate and morally right thing to do. It is one way for us to say no to anti-immigrant, authoritarian policies which will likely continue despite Tuesday’s blue wave. And it strengthens our relationships with immigrant rights groups across the state who know they can come to us when there’s a need, which means we have a base to build on for future immigration justice initiatives. Seventy people have signed up to be part of our Good Neighbor teams. There’s still one team that hasn’t been activated yet. But there’s room for more. Visit our table in the lobby after the service if you want to join a team. We’d love for you to participate. Truly, it is yet one more way that the religious community unveils the bonds that bind each to all, revealing that connectedness that inspires us to act for justice. I am sending you forth to act for justice! Each in your own way, act for justice. Engage at that deeper level. Ask the deeper questions. Let’s keep unveiling those bonds that bind each to all. Let’s keep experiencing that connectedness. Let’s keep acting for justice. Amen and blessed be. **** [1] I note that while the UUA statement of values replaced the previous statement of principles in its bylaws, our congregation uses both the principles and the values statements. [2] Most modern translations use the word “stranger.” My understanding is that the original Greek word more accurately translates as “immigrant.” [3] Matthew 25: 36-41. New Revised Standard Version. See Senator Warnock’s conversation with Jon Stewart about Matthew 25 starting at 8:20 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kYixqen93U&t=604s. Here’s Hamilton making a brief statement about Matthew 25: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1154398223785659. Here’s Talarico on the Jimmy Kimmel show talking about Matthew 25: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1689618342531042. [4] DeRose, Jason, “How Religion Helped Democrats Win Control of Congress,” NPR, November 4, 2026. See: https://www.npr.org/2026/11/04/nx-s1-6029108/how-religion-helped-democrats-win-control-of-congress. [5] Cramer, Philissa, “Jon Ossoff: Everything you need to know about the new Jewish Democratic senator” The Times of Israel, January 8th, 2021. See: https://www.timesofisrael.com/jon-ossoff-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-jewish-democratic-senator/. [6] Associated Press, “Muslim Senate candidate El-Sayed says faith drives his progressive economic platform in Michigan race” CBS News. July 31, 2026. See: https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/el-sayed-muslim-faith-michigan-senate-campaign/. El_Sayed also talks briefly about this faith here: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1652925026185112.

Gathering Music Welcome Centering Prelude "Room at the Table" by Carrie Ann Newcomer Pat Eaton-Robb (9:00 a.m.) UUSE Children's Chorus (11:00 a.m.) Chalice Lighting and Opening Words "The Task of the Religious Community" by the Rev. Mark Morrison-Reed Opening Hymn "Circle 'Round for Freedom" by Linda Hirschhorn Circle 'round for freedom, circle 'round for peace, for all of us imprisoned, circle for release, circle for the planet, circle for each soul, for the children of our children, keep the circle whole. Time for All Ages Musical Meditation Announcements Joys and Concerns Musical Meditation Offering The recipient of our November community outreach offering is Manchester, Senior, Adult, and Family Services. This critical town agency uses the funds we raise to purchase grocery store gift cards to help low-income seniors during the holidays. Offering Music "Fanfare for the Common Man" by Aaron Copland arranged by Mary Bopp Sermon "To Act for Justice" Rev. Josh Pawelek Closing Hymn "America the Beautiful" adapted from Katherine Lee Bates O beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain! America! America! God shed thy grace on thee, And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea! O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife, Who more than self their country loved And mercy more than life! America! America! May God thy soul refine, Till justice, love and mercy reign, And all hearts are divine! O beautiful for patriot dream That sees beyond the years, Thine alabaster cities gleam Undimmed by human tears! America! America! God mend thine every flaw, Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law! Chalice Extinguishing The flame in our hearts, never ceases burning Closing Circle May faith in the spirit of life And hope for the community of earth And love of the light in each other Be ours now, and in all the days to come.

Gathering Music Welcome & Announcements Centering Prelude "If ye love me" Composed by Thomas Tallis Performed by the following members of the Vernon Chorale: Kate Adams Lisa Corriveau Rebecca Harris David Klotz Emily Letourneau Steve Westerberg Liz Whitely Introduction by David Klotz We are joined today by the Cameo Ensemble, whose members are representatives of The Vernon Chorale. The purpose of The Vernon Chorale is to provide a forum to learn and refine choral singing and to educate audiences through the presentation of choral music concerts while supporting young musicians. The Chorale has an upcoming concert at St. Bernard Church in Rockville on Saturday, December 5 at 7: 30 p.m. If you have any questions, the ensemble members will be available after the service at coffee hour. Chalice Lighting and Opening Words Opening Hymn #318 "We Would Be One" Words by Samuel Anthony Wright Music by Jean Sibelius Mary Bopp, piano We would be one as now we join in singing our hymn of love, to pledge ourselves anew to that high cause of greater understanding of who we are, and what in us is true. We would be one in living for each other to show to all a new community. We would be one in building for tomorrow a nobler world than we have known today. We would be one in searching for that meaning which bends our hearts and points us on our way. As one, we pledge ourselves to greater service, with love and justice, strive to make us free. Time For All Ages Lego Ritual Joys and Concerns Musical Interlude Offering The recipient of our November Community Outreach is Manchester Senior, Adult and Family Services, which provides social work and conservator services to any Manchester resident over age 18. Social work services can include providing information, guidance, assistance completing applications, advocacy, referrals, and outreach/wellness checks. Services are provided in-person (office, home, community), by phone, email or Zoom. Offering Music "Locus iste" Composed by Anton Bruckner Performed by The Vernon Chorale Reflection - Sid Soderholm Reading - Liz Garmise Excerpts from essay "Train Yourself To Always Show Up" By Rabbi Sharon Brous Closing Hymn #124 "Be That Guide" Words by Carl G. Seaburg Music by Thomas Benjamin Mary Bopp, piano (3 verses only) Be that guide whom love sustains. Rise above the daily strife: lift on high the good you find. Help to heal the hurts of life. Be that helper nothing daunts-- doubt of friend or taunt of foe. Ever strive for liberty. Show the path that life should go. Be that teacher faith directs. Move beyond the old frontier: though the frightened fear that faith, be tomorrow's pioneer! Extinguishing the Chalice and Closing Words Closing Circle May faith in the spirit of life And hope for the community of earth And love of the light in each other Be ours now, and in all the days to come.

Gathering Music (Mary Bopp) Welcome and Announcements (Rev. Josh Pawelek) Centering Calling the Quarters "To the Four Directions" Music by Mary Bopp Words adapted from Joan Goodwin's "To the Four Directions" Jenn Richard, vocals Mary Bopp, piano Chalice Lighting "What is Remembered Lives" by Starhawk and Lauren Liebling Opening Hymn #1009 "Meditation on Breathing" by Sarah Dan Jones Members and friends are invited to bring their photos and mementos to the altar. When I breathe in, I'll breathe in peace When I breathe out, I'll breathe out love. Story "The Next Place" by Warren Hanson Hymn #1002 "Comfort Me" by Mimi Bornstein-Doble Comfort me, comfort me, comfort me, oh my soul. Comfort me, comfort me, comfort me, oh my soul. Sing with me, sing with me ... Speak for me, speak for me ... Dance with me, dance with me ... Comfort me, comfort me ... Joys and Concerns Musical Meditation Offering MARC, Inc. provides the opportunity for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live meaningful lives of independence, choice, inclusion, and continuous personal growth. MARC, Inc. was founded in 1952 by seven families who were working together to support their children who were living with disabilities. Today, they have a campus on Sheldon Road in Manchester where they provide multiple services and programs, in addition to managing eleven residential homes. MARC supports almost three hundred individuals from twenty-seven towns in the Greater Hartford area. UR Community Cares UR Community Cares' mission is to keep older and disabled neighbors supported in their homes and active in their communities. Their programs include: "Neighbors Helping Neighbors," which provides volunteer support so that older adults and people with physical disabilities can live safely at home; "Cycling Without Age Manchester," which deploys an e-bike rickshaw to provide free recreational rides for older and disabled residents in Charter Oak Park and along the East Coast Greenway; the UR Community Tech Center, which offers free technology support and volunteers to answer questions about smartphones, tablets, laptops; and UR Vision Resources, a 100-page printed Blind/Vision Impaired Directory to ensure more people know what services are available. Offering Music "Starlight" by Muse Jennifer Richard, vocals Mary Bopp, piano Andy Ricci, bass Rev. Josh Pawelek, drums Remembering Our UUSE Ancestors Remembrances Reading "We Remember Them" Structured by April Rosario, with words by Sylvan Kamens & Jack Riemer Closing Hymn #103 "For All the Saints" Words by William Walsham How Music by Ralph Vaughan Williams For all the saints who from their labors rest, who thee by faith before the world confessed, thy name most holy be forever blest. Alleluia! Alleluia! Thou wast their rock, their shelter, and their might; their strength and solace in the well-fought fight; thou, in the darkness deep their one true light. Alleluia! Alleluia! O blest communion of the saints divine! We live in struggle, they in glory shine; yet all are one in thee, for all are thine. Alleluia! Alleluia! And when the strife is fierce, the conflict long, steals on the ear the distant triumph-song, and hearts are brave again, and arms are strong. Alleluia! Alleluia! Extinguishing the Chalice Closing Circle May faith in the spirit of life And hope for the community of earth And love of the light in each other Be ours now, and in all the days to come.

“Amazing Grace” – one of the most familiar and beloved hymns in the Christian world. It is a song about transformation: “I once was lost, but now am found.” I’m not the same person I was. I’ve grown. I’ve changed. In collective terms: We are not the same people we were. Together, we’ve grown. Together, we’ve changed. Together, we’ve transformed. This is the second sermon in a series on the six Unitarian Universalist values. This morning’s value: transformation. I want to share reflections on some transformations in our Unitarian and Universalist history that, for me, illustrate how, over time, liberal religious people consistently let go of older, more traditional ways of thinking about and practicing our religion, and embrace new ways in response to changes in the wider world—new scientific discoveries, new cultural expressions, new technologies, new social, economic and environmental conditions. Liberal denominations, congregations, clergy and theologians do not wall ourselves off from the world. We encounter the world; we embrace what we deem good in it; and we challenge what we find problematic. Through this process of encounter, embrace and challenge, we are inevitably transformed. I’ll speak about this dynamic in Unitarian Universalist history. Also, because it is National Coming Out Day, I want to say a few words about coming out as transformation. One of my guides in this discussion is the Unitarian Universalist Rev. Dr. Paul Rasor, who I believe is now retired as the Director of the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom at Virginia Wesleyan College, and with whom I had the privilege of studying liberal theology in seminary. In his 2005 book, Faith Without Certainty, he says “like any other human endeavor, theology reflects the influences of its own social context. But while some theologies have sought to minimize this influence or even to separate from the larger culture, liberalism has embraced it. Among other things, this means that religious ideas are often adapted or restated in terms of the language and values of contemporary culture. It also means that theology often looks to the natural and social sciences, the arts, and other cultural sources in formulating its doctrines and other theological claims.”[1] Rasor calls this the central characteristic of liberal theology. He refers to it as “meditation” or “cultural adaptation”[2]—meaning that liberal theology—and by extension liberal denominations, congregations, clergy and lay leaders—mediate an ongoing dialogue between religion and the world. Through this dialogue, liberal religion slowly transforms. One of my favorite examples of religious transformation is the impact of the 1859 publication of Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species. The late historian of Universalism, Ernest Cassara, writes: “Darwin’s theory that life presently on earth evolved by adapting through natural selection held in it the greatest challenge Christianity had faced since Copernicus and Galileo. If Darwin was right, the Bible’s account of God’s instantaneous creation of [humanity] and other creatures was wrong. Evolutionary theory was in direct contradiction to the creation story in Genesis.”[3] Many Christian denominations rejected Darwin’s theory in 1859, and are still rejecting it today. Among Universalists, Cassara says, initial resistance eventually “gave way to a willingness to entertain the idea—however cautiously. Universalist thinkers in the vanguard insisted that religion had nothing to fear from science. By the 1870s they began to display an open sympathy which allowed them to begin the task of adapting the faith to the new scientific [theory].”[4] On Unitarian side, many historians point to the late 19th-century theologian Francis Ellingwood Abbot as a leader in adapting religious thought to evolutionary theory. The historian Sydney Ahlstrom described Abbot as “the first American theologian to develop a system of religious thought in complete consonance with Darwinian evolution.”[5] The historian David Robinson said Abbot “saw evolutionary philosophy as the first opening of an insight into the universe as an evolving organism.”[6] Or consider the Rev. Eleanor Gordon, assistant minister to the Rev. Mary Safford at the Unitarian Church in Humboldt, Iowa in the 1880s. In addition to running the church’s Sunday school, she was also principal of Humboldt’s public school. The historian Cynthia Grant Tucker says that “Gordon insisted that her students approach whatever was studied in the scientific spirit. Instead of simply accepting what was offered to them as fact, they were expected to use their powers of observation and reason to form their own perceptions of truth…. [As a result,] she was frequently called before the school board by its trinitarian members for teaching what they referred to as flagrant ‘Unitarianism.’ Generally, this meant teaching evolution, or anything that smacked of it, and this, [Gordon] learned, could be nothing more than telling a physiology class that the thumb’s position across from the other fingers was what had made all the arts of civilization possible.”[7] Apparently, there were “no such problems in Gordon’s Sunday School, where the youngsters … were studying Darwin and Emerson and reading Scripture in the light of the higher biblical criticism before they had reached the age of twelve.”[8] Remarking on changes within liberal religion in response to Darwin, the British Unitarian doctor and scientific researcher, W.B. Carpenter, in an 1882 address to the National Conference of Unitarian and other Christian Churches said “If any one, a quarter of a century ago, had ventured to assert that within twenty-five years from that time we should be able to study the Chemical and Physical conditions of every body that the telescope can render visible with the highest powers possible to use—that we should be able to follow by its means the actual progress of that great Evolution of the physical universe which is now regarded as beyond the reach of discussion—every one would have believed [them] a dreamer.”[9] And yet, in a Unitarian Sunday School in rural Iowa, children were studying the theory of evolution as part of their religious education curriculum. That is, in response to the theory of evolution, Unitarians and Universalists of the 1880s were not the same religious people they had been 25 years earlier. They were growing. They were changing. They were transforming. In more recent history, in response to the social ferment of the 1960s, we’ve seen significant transformation as a result of Unitarian Universalism’s efforts to understand and dismantle its own sexism, racism, white supremacy culture, homophobia, transphobia, ableism and more. I’ve preached previously about the successes we’ve had as a denomination, like the 1977 “Women in Religion” Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly resolution, which opened the door to women having equal access to leadership positions within our faith, and which resulted in the UUA becoming the first mainline denomination in the world to achieve gender parity among its clergy. Or our Welcoming Congregation work, launched in the late 1980s, which has opened doors for LGBTQIA+ people to openly and proudly participate in our congregations as members, leaders and clergy. Or our denominational work on welcoming and including people with disabilities. Or our denominational antiracism work, which consistently asks the question: how do we as a historically white denomination welcome, include and empower black, indigenous and people of color within our congregations? And how do we hold ourselves accountable to the goals and vision of black, indigenous and people of color organizing for justice in the wider community? This work is far from complete; but because of it, we are not the same people we were at the 1961 founding of the Unitarian Universalist Association. Together, we’ve grown. Together, we’ve changed. Together, we’ve transformed. Our congregation was certified as a UUA Welcoming Congregation in 1999—almost 30 years ago. Because so much has changed in the wider culture since 1999, and because there has been such cruel and pernicious backlash against LGBTQIA+ people and communities in recent years, our Program Council, along with our Denominational Affairs Committee, has begun pursuing renewal of our Welcoming Congregation certification. Which is why I want to remind us that today is National Coming Out Day. This observance was the brainchild of two activists, Rob Eichberg and Jean O’Leary, who wanted to capitalize on public momentum from the October 11th, 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. The purpose of that march, among other things, was to dramatize the federal government’s inaction in confronting the AIDS crisis. The following year, on October 11th, 1988, Eichberg and O’Leary launched National Coming Out Day both to give people the safety of a community in which to be themselves, and to build the power of the gay rights movement by increasing its visibility.[10] As a cis-gendered, hetero person, I don’t have my own story of coming out. There’s a part of me that isn’t entirely comfortable commenting on what is a very personal, often very painful experience for LGBTQIA+ people. But as your minister, I also don’t feel comfortable not commenting on what it means to come out—especially on National Coming Out Day. I’ve been wondering about the act of coming out as an experience of transformation. Many people describe the experience as transformative, but not necessarily in the sense of becoming a new person. It’s more commonly an experience of leaving behind the person one was raised to be—a false person, a conformed person, a mask, a façade—in order to become and live as the person one has always been at their core, the true self, the actual self. This is who I really am! Or as Lady Gaga sings, “I'm beautiful in my way / 'Cause God makes no mistakes / I'm on the right track, baby / I was born this way.” And though coming out can be painful, especially when family, friends and community refuse to accept your true self, it is also often an experience of liberation, joy, peace and coming home. Having said that, I was recently moved by the reflections of a United Church of Christ minister, the Rev. Heather McDuffee, who suggests that coming out isn’t always a return to one’s original self. In her sermon, “Be-coming Out,” she says, “Thanks Lady Gaga, but I wasn’t really ‘born this way.’ I grew this way: like a bent tree, adapting to wind and water, salt and sun.” She continues: “I lost a lot: my husband, my job, my sense of self. But, thank God, I also gained a lot…. I have an amazing life: a new girlfriend, a new definition of family, a new definition of ministry. Be-coming out has been a long process. But it’s my process. Be-coming out taught me about being human and about being spiritual. Be-coming out shows all people that we can adapt, grow, and emerge victorious.”[11] For everyone in this UUSE community who has come out, or who is contemplating coming out, I want to acknowledge and celebrate your transformation, no matter how you understand it, in all its messiness, pain, joy and liberation. And for all of us, I want to celebrate this positive aspect of our Unitarian Universalist history, our decades of work as a denomination and as an individual congregation—work that is not finished—expanding our welcome to LGBTQIA+ people and to so many more who are marginalized or demonized by the wider culture. When I contemplate that work, I realize: We are not the same people we were. Together, we’ve grown. Together, we’ve changed. With the aid, perhaps, of some amazing grace, together, we’ve transformed. Amen and blessed be. [1] Rasor, Rev. Dr. Paul, Faith Without Certainty: Liberal Theology in the 21st Century (Boston: Skinner House Books, 2005), pp. 12-13. [2] Rasor, Faith Without Certainty, p. 11. [3] Cassara, Ernest, Universalism in America: A Documentary History of a Liberal Faith (Boston: Skinner House Books, 1984) p. 36. [4] Cassara, Universalism in America, p. 37. [5] Rasor, Faith Without Certainty, p. 14. [6] Robinson, David, The Unitarians and the Universalists (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1985) pp. 209-210. [7] Tucker, Cynthia Grant, Prophetic Sisterhood: Liberal Women Ministers of the Frontier, 1880-1930 (Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1990) p. 51. [8] Tucker, Prophetic Sisterhood, p. 51. [9] Carpenter, W.B., excerpt from a speech delivered to the National Conference of Unitarian and other Christian Churches at Saratoga, U.S.A., September, 1882. Republished as “Science and Religion” in Reasonable Religion (London: British and Foreign Unitarian Association, 1893). See: https://www.unitarian.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/1893_Reasonable_Religion.pdf. [10] I am drawing this history from Sosin, Kate, “The History of National Coming Out Day Contains Both Pride and Pain,” at Them.Us, October 8, 2021. See: https://www.them.us/story/the-history-of-national-coming-out-day-contains-both-pride-and-pain. [11] McDuffee, Rev. Heather, “On Be-Coming Out.” See: https://www.uua.org/worship/words/homily/be-coming-out-homily.

Gathering Music (Mary Bopp) Welcome & Centering Prelude: "What Does the World Require of You?" by Jim Strathdee, arranged by Pawel Jura Performed by Mary Bopp at 9:00am and UUSE Choir at 11:00am Chalice Lighting and Opening Words "Fire Strike" by Margaret Noodin translated by the author from the original Ojibwe Opening Hymn #318 "We Would Be One" Words: Samuel Anthony Wright Music: Jean Sibelius Time for All Ages I Can Learn to Be Brave by Mariann Edgar Budde Announcements Introductions, Joys and Concerns Musical Interlude Offering Offering Music Largo from Concerto #5 in f minor by J. S. Bach Reading "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost Reflection - Jane Penfield Closing Hymn #115 "God of Grace and God of Glory" Words: Harry Emerson Fosdick Music: John Hughes Extinguishing the Chalice "The Flame in Our Hearts Never Ceases Burning" Closing Circle May faith in the spirit of life And hope for the community of earth And love of the light in each other Be ours now, and in all the days to come.

Gathering Music (Mary Bopp) Welcome (Rev. Josh Pawelek) Centering Prelude "Hotel" by Francis Poulenc Arr. by Mary Bopp Chalice Lighting and Opening Words "Turn Scarlet, Leaves" Words by Raymond J. Baughan Music by Mary Bopp Turn scarlet, leaves Spin earth Tumble the shadows into dawn Tumble the shadows into dawn Opening Hymn "I Will Change Your Name" by D. J. Butler I will change your name You shall no longer be called Wounded, outcast Lonely or afraid I will change your name Your new name shall be Confidence, joyfulness Overcoming one Faithfulness, friend of God One who seeks my face. New Member Welcome Introductions (Membership Committee co-chairs) The Charge (Minister) As you take up membership in the Unitarian Universalist Society East, I charge you to share with us who you are. Share your creativity, your experiences, your questions, your doubts, your beliefs, and all your discoveries of life's meaning. I charge you to shake us up with your ideas, to stir us up with your conscience, to inspire us with your actions, and to stimulate our hopes with your dreams of what life can be. Congregational Welcome (Congregation) We welcome you as companions in the search for truth and meaning. We invite you to share in our mission of caring for one another, encouraging each other in spiritual growth, working for justice and peace in the wider community, and living in harmony with the earth. We join our gifts with yours, trusting in the power of community to bring freedom, healing and love. New Member Affirmation (New members) We join the Unitarian Universalist Society East out of a desire and willingness to participate in a liberal religious congregation. We pledge to share our time, energy and gifts; to diligently seek our spiritual truths; and to strengthen the bonds of community. Responsive Hymn "This Meetinghouse" words adapted from Eugene Sander by Josh Pawelek Music by Jean Sibelius This meetinghouse, A place of love and gladness Where all may meet, to seek the common good. A source of strength, to face each doubt and sadness. Where every dream is known and understood. This meetinghouse, ask those who came before, And found themselves, by crossing through its door. Musical Interlude Announcements Joys and Concerns Musical Interlude Offering MARC, Inc. provides the opportunity for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live meaningful lives of independence, choice, inclusion, and continuous personal growth. MARC, Inc. was founded in 1952 by seven families who were working together to support their children who were living with disabilities. Today, they have a campus on Sheldon Road in Manchester where they provide multiple services and programs, in addition to managing eleven residential homes. MARC supports almost three hundred individuals from twenty-seven towns in the Greater Hartford area. UR Community Cares' mission is to keep older and disabled neighbors supported in their homes and active in their communities. Their programs include: "Neighbors Helping Neighbors," which provides volunteer support so that older adults and people with physical disabilities can live safely at home; "Cycling Without Age Manchester," which deploys an e-bike rickshaw to provide free recreational rides for older and disabled residents in Charter Oak Park and along the East Coast Greenway; the UR Community Tech Center, which offers free technology support and volunteers to answer questions about smartphones, tablets, laptops; and UR Vision Resources, a 100-page printed Blind/Vision Impaired Directory to ensure more people know what services are available. Offering Music #205 "Amazing Grace" Words by John Newton Music, Virginia Harmony, 1831 Sandy Johnson, vocals Sermon "Transformation: It's What Liberal Churches Do" Rev. Josh Pawelek Closing Hymn "There's a River Flowin' in My Soul" #1007 in Singing the Journey by Rose Sanders aka Faya Ora Rose Toure There's a river flowin' in my soul. There's a river flowin' in my soul. And it's tellin' me that I'm somebody. There's a river flowin' in my soul. There's a river flowin' in my heart... There's a river flowin' in my mind... Extinguishing the Chalice "The flame in our hearts never ceases burning." Closing Circle May faith in the spirit of life And hope for the community of earth And love of the light in each other Be ours now, and in all the days to come.

Gathering Music (Meetinghouse) Welcome & Centering (Stacey Musulin) Prelude: "Resilient" Words and Music by Leah Song & Chloe Smith of Rising Appalachia Performed by Meetinghouse Chalice Lighting & Opening Words "There is a Quiet Courage" by Rev. Gretchen Haley There is a quiet courage in the choice to let go of the past, in the choice to be present in this new day to live for this hour, this moment and to believe in its possibility - to release the regrets, to stop the spinning stories of what was and is no longer, to accept this gift to believe that we are worthy still of happiness of ease of delight, and hope to believe we have all we need to heal already, and to receive this wholeness with ready hearts and open hands, saying only thank you. Come, let us practice this surrender together gathering up all the brave boldness we know can be found in our bones and blood if we will breathe together knowing ourselves a part of this one life filled with mystery, creativity and power, Changing us, growing us, and calling us into partnership with all that is. Come, let us worship together. Opening Hymn #1015 "I Know I Can" Words by Dennis Hamilton Music by Jeannie Gagne Though days be dark with storms And burdens weigh my heart; Though troubles wait at ev'ry turn, I know I can go on. When sorrow heals my soul And burdens make me strong, Though troubles wait at ev'ry turn, I know I can go on. My sister in my heart, My brother in my song, Though troubles wait at every turn, I know I can go on. And though the journey is long, The destination is near, Though troubles wait at every turn, I know I can go on. So brothers take my hand, And sisters sing my song, When hope awaits at every turn, I know we will go on. Time for All Ages The Brave Potion Authored and read by Sam Taylor Announcements Introductions Joys & Concerns All are free to share briefly (1-2 sentences). Visitors may introduce themselves. Musical Reflection "I Won't Back Down" Words & Music by Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne Performed by Meetinghouse Offertory Continuing our practice of sharing our gifts with the community beyond our walls, fifty percent of our Sunday plate collections for the month of October will be shared with MARC, Inc. and UR Community Cares of Manchester. These organizations serve to connect people with disabilities and older adults with supportive services and community partnerships in the areas of education, employment, self-advocacy, and personal empowerment. You can press the yellow "Donate" button online. Thank you so much for supporting the good work of MARC and UR Community Cares to assist some very courageous neighbors! Offertory Music "Brave" Words & Music by Sara Bareilles and Jack Antonoff Performed by Meetinghouse Sermon "Hope From Courage" Sam Taylor Closing Hymn #1021 "Lean on Me" Words & Music by Bill Withers Sometimes in our lives we all have pain we all have sorrow. But if we are wise we know that there's always tomorrow. Chorus: Lean on me when you're not strong and I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on, For it won't be long 'til I'm gonna need somebody to lean on. Please swallow your pride if I have things you need to borrow, For no one can fill those of your needs that you won't let show. Chorus Lean on me when you're not strong and I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on, For it won't be long 'till I'm gonna need somebody to lean on. If there is a load you have to bear that you can't carry I'm right up the road I'll share your load if you just call me. Chorus Lean on me when you're not strong and I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on, For it won't be long 'til I'm gonna need somebody to lean on. Bridge: Just call on me brother when you need a hand. We all need somebody to lean on. I just might have a problem that you understand. We all need somebody to lean on. Chalice Extinguishing "The flame in our hearts never ceases burning ..." Closing Words Courage-ing by Rev. Dr. David Breeden We begin with the courage we have, not the power we imagine. Not a fire but a flame cupped against the wind. Courage is the breath before speaking a truth; the hand on a latch; the body rising with sorrow's salt still on our lips. Courage is asking for help. Courage is offering bread. Courage is changing your mind when that practiced road turns cruel. Courage is the voice that breaks silence; the heart refusing the ease of stone. We do not pledge to be fearless. We do pledge to stay near what love asks of us. In hours of darkness, may we be a sheltering people, lamps in the rain shoulder to shoulder, keeping a path that makes the path. Closing Circle May faith in the spirit of life, And hope for the community of earth, And love of the light in each other, Be ours now, and in all the days to come. Postlude Slide Show Courage quotes and slides (pictures via Pixabay)

Elementary (K-4th) Junior Youth Group (5th-8th) OWL (8th-10th) High School Youth Group (9th-12th) Nursery (ages 4 & under) is offered year round except on certain Holiday weekends (Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, Christmas, New Years) Children’s Chapel meets at 10 am/All classes except Nursery & OWL start in the sanctuary at 11am Sept 20 CYM Orientation & Team Planning/Kamora Workshop: Introduction Sept 27 Elementary; JYG; OWL Orientation; HSYG Orientation Oct 4 Elementary; JYG; OWL; 1st day of Children’s Chapel Oct 11 Elementary; JYG; OWL; HSYG Oct 18 Elementary; JYG; OWL Oct 24 Trunk or Treat Oct 25 All Congregation Worship Service (Ancestor Day); OWL; HSYG Nov 1 Elementary; JYG; OWL Day of the Dead Special Event, report directly to Garden Level Nov 8 Elementary; JYG; OWL; HSYG Nov 15 Elementary; JYG; OWL Nov 22 Elementary; JYG; HSYG Kamora Monthly Workshop: Cultural Humility Nov 29 Elementary; JYG Dec 6 Elementary; JYG; OWL Dec 13 Elementary; JYG; OWL; HSYG Dec 20 All Congregation Worship Service (Holiday Music) Dec 24 All Congregation Worship Service (Christmas Eve) Dec 27 NO CYM Jan 3 Elementary; JYG; OWL Jan 10 Elementary; JYG; OWL; HSYG Jan 17 Elementary; JYG; OWL Jan 24 Elementary; JYG; OWL; HSYG Jan 31 Elementary; JYG; OWL Feb 7 Elementary; JYG; OWL Feb 14 Elementary; JYG; OWL; HSYG Feb 21 Elementary; JYG; OWL Feb 28 Elementary; JYG; OWL; HSYG Mar 7 Elementary; JYG; OWL Mar 14 Elementary; JYG; OWL; HSYG Mar 21 Elementary; JYG; OWL Mar 28 All Congregation Worship Service (Easter) & Egg Hunt Apr 4 Elementary; JYG; OWL Apr 11 Elementary; JYG; OWL; HSYG Apr 18 Elementary; JYG; OWL Apr 25 Elementary; JYG; OWL; HSYG May 2 Elementary; JYG; OWL Snow Day/Panel 1 May 9 NO CYM (Mother’s Day) May 16 Elementary; JYG; OWL Snow Day/Panel 2 Last Day of Classes/Classroom Cleanup May 23 All Congregation Service (Flower Communion) May 30 NO CYM (Memorial Day) June 6 CYM Field Day June 13 All Congregation Worship Service (CYM Sunday Service) June 20 NO CYM (Father’s Day)

Gathering Music (Mary Bopp) Welcome (Rev. Josh Pawelek) Prelude "There is a Love" Music by Elizabeth Norton Words by Rebecca Ann Parker There is a Love holding me. There is a Love holding all that I love. There is a love holding all. I rest in this Love. There is a Love holding us. There is a Love holding all that we love. There is a Love holding all. We rest in this Love. We rest in this Love. Love. Chalice Lighting and Opening Words "Invocation" by Angela Herrera (ad. by Rev. Sierra-Marie Gerfao) Opening Hymn #298 "Wake Now My Senses" Words by Thomas J. S. Mikelson Music, traditional Irish Melody Wake, now, my senses, and hear the earth call; feel the deep power of being in all; keep, with the web of creating your vow, giving, receiving as love shows us how. Wake, now, my reason, reach out to the new; join with each pilgrim who quests for the true; honor the beauty and wisdom of time; suffer thy limit, and praise the sublime. Wake, now, compassion, give heed to the cry; voices of suffering fill the wide sky; take as your neighbor both stranger and friend, praying and striving their hardship to end. Wake, now, my conscience, with justice thy guide; join with all people whose rights are denied; take not for granted a privileged place; God's love embraces the whole human race. Wake, now, my vision of ministry clear; brighten my pathway with radiance here; mingle my calling with all who will share; work toward a planet transformed by our care. Story "Swimmy" by Leo Leonni Musical Medication Announcements Joys and Concerns Musical Interlude Offering Our September Community Outreach Ministry recipients are the Manchester Latino Affairs Council and She Leads Justice. The Manchester Latino Affairs Council (M.L.A.C.) was established in January of 2007. Its current mission is to address social issues with a focus on diversity, inclusivity and equality within Manchester's Latino community. She Leads Justice advocates for under-resourced, marginalized women in Connecticut. They work to close the civil legal justice gap and to create state policy for economic security. Formerly know as the Connecticut Women's Education and Legal Fund, their work supports women who identify as cisgender and transgender, and non-binary individuals, as well as people of all marginalized gender identities. Offering Music "Plowshare Prayer" by Spencer LaJoye Pat Eaton-Robb, guitar Sermon "Your Invitation to the Party: Joy, Justice, and the Work of Love" The Rev. Sierra-Marie Gerfao Closing Hymn #131 "Love Will Guide Us" Words by Sally Rogers Music, traditional, arr. by Betty A. Wylder Love will guide us, peace has tried us, hope inside us will lead the way on the road from greed to giving. Love will guide us through the hard night. If you cannot sing like angels, if you cannot speak before thousands, you can give from deep within you. You can change the world with your love. Love will guide us, peace has tried us, hope inside us will lead the way on the road from greed to giving. Love will guide us through the hard night. Extinguishing the Chalice Closing Circle May faith in the spirit of life And hope for the community of earth And love of the light in each other Be ours now, and in all the days to come. About Our Guest Speaker The Rev. Sierra-Marie Gerfao of New Haven is the newly appointed part-time Executive Director of the Connecticut Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry. She also serves as Director of Family Ministries at the UU Congregation of Danbury. She is passionate about building communities of belonging and flourishing.