Author: Laurie Gauer
Dear LFUU Members and Friends,
I have been so inspired by the resilience of Minnesotans! Those targeted and those supporting and standing up for them. For not giving in or giving up. Just giving. I’ve read that that’s what resilience is.
Minnesotans exemplify this month’s theme: Embodying Resilience. We GIVE! We are usually first in the nation for philanthropy, volunteering, and civic engagement. The federal administration didn’t do its research when it chose to target Minnesota.
How do Unitarian Universalists rank in giving? Although Christians give more money overall, much of it is to their church, whereas UUs give more of their money to social justice causes and community-based organizations. Giving of our volunteer time is divided between those causes and our churches, many of which, like LFUU, are lay led. Driven by our values and principles, UUs are deeply active in civic engagement, as this month’s UU World Wayfinder e-newsletter highlighted with the recent non-violent resistance taken by UU ministers and leaders:
- UU leaders were in a group of around 100 clergy arrested during an anti-ICE demonstration at MSP airport.
- Unitarian Universalist Association President Rev. Dr. SofÃa Bentancourt and other religious leaders were arrested when they staged a sit-in at the U.S. Senate Office Building to protest the Department of Homeland Security budget.
- UUs were among the faith leaders arrested during a pray-in against the Homeland Security budget at the Portland, Maine office of U.S. Sen. Susan Collins.
How would Lake Fellowship members rank in giving? I don't know what each of you gives outside of LFUU. I do know that the amount of money we all give to LFUU, along with fundraising, meets our expenses. I know we give enough volunteer time to LFUU to do most of what we want to do. And I know that we’ve significantly increased our civic engagement in the last few years.
Has that giving made LFUU resilient? I think it has! It takes a lot of giving to keep a congregation going, especially one that’s lay led. I’ve been a member since 1990 and every year I wondered if we’d make it to another . . . and we did!
What are you giving to keep us resilient?
Yours in Fellowship,
Laurie Gauer