Stewardship: a Bridge to Belonging

I feel my giving has little to do with ‘business’ and all to do with the sacred work of transforming our world to become more just and fair. I give joyfully and look forward to working with others to do the same.  -- Laurie Ross

My daughter Zoe always loved to read. When she was six or seven, we were both looking for something a little more challenging than typical first-grade fare. A friend suggested Harry Potter—and we were hooked! All of the Harry Potter books were out by that time and we devoured all seven over the next few years.  When she was in third grade, we went to a StArt on the Street festival. Paul Ropp was there with flyers for the First Unitarian Church of Worcester’s own Hogwart’s[1] style summer program. We were very interested, but the dates didn’t work for us that summer. I kept my eye out for more Harry Potter themed activities. The following spring, the church held a Hogwarts event. I signed my kids up. When I picked them up, I asked them how it went. While I don’t remember anything specific about the activities, I do remember Zoe saying that all of the other children were really nice and she felt welcomed.

The way she said ‘nice’ sounded as if these children were uniquely nice in some way; more so than children she was encountering elsewhere. That both made me sad and also intrigued. When the dates

for Hogwarts were announced I quickly signed up both Zoe and Eli. They were immediately swept away by the magic of the experience—the dedication and creativity of the adults; the quality and meaningfulness of the activities; and the relationships they formed with other children of varying ages. I decided to go to the Sunday service between the two weeks of camp. And then I was swept away. I found the service to be exhilarating and liberating.

Hogwarts ended. We finished our summer activities and the kids went back to Muggle school. But I found myself wanting to go back to First Unitarian for Sunday services. I started to read about the seven UU principles. I was amazed that there was a religious tradition based on core beliefs that I held. When services started in the fall, I brought the kids back. I couldn’t believe how welcoming and friendly everyone was. People went out of their way to greet us and get to know us. I started to understand what Zoe meant when she said the children were so ‘nice’. Over that first year, I fell in love with the music and the ways the values of Unitarian Universalism were expressed. I got involved in the Social Justice committee and my children enthusiastically participated in the Faith Development program.

Although I have never done anything like this before, getting involved in Stewardship this year made a great deal of sense to me. Reflecting on my few years at the church, I realized I was eager to give to the collection each week. I wanted to support the mission of the church in ways I could. But giving in a sanctuary was new for me. I grew up Jewish. While “tzedakah”,  the forms of charity that support justice and fairness, is deeply engrained in Jewish tradition, one cannot handle money on Shabbat. The reason for this is complex, but largely based in the idea weekday activities of commerce should not be conducted on Shabbat; therefore money is to be avoided. But at First U, I feel my giving has little to do with ‘business’ and all to do with the sacred work of transforming our world to become more just and fair. I give joyfully and look forward to working with others to do the same.

I am so glad Paul Ropp handed us that flyer years ago. That small entrance into the First Unitarian Church of Worcester has opened up a whole new world for me and my family…a little like when Harry received his invitation to Hogwarts.

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[1] First U’s Hogwart’s Program is now called Wiagora