COMPASS ROSE: THE UU SAN MATEO BLOG

by The Committee on Ministry The Committee on Ministry (COM) is a team comprised of UUSM’s professional minister(s) and individuals selected jointly by UUSM’s Board of Trustees and the minister. In addition to our new contract minister, Rev. Laura Thompson, serving on the Committee on Ministry are Richard Davis, Kathy Kinner, and Kathy van Leuwen. Combined, the lay members have been active at UUSM for a century and served the congregation intensively in the areas of governanc

By Rev. Laura Thompson Beloveds, Having spent the last couple of months settling in and getting to know you, I am now ready to begin leading us on our shared Developmental Ministry journey. What is Developmental Ministry? Developmental ministry is a time of intentional reflection and action — a sacred period in which a congregation takes stock of its life, renews its sense of purpose, and strengthens the structures that support its mission in ways that are meaningful and sust

Greetings from the UU Church of the Philippines. May this message find you all well and in good spirits! As you may have seen on the...

PRACTICING RESISTANCE, our congregational theme for the month of January, is a challenging subject that has many aspects you can explore in this month's PRACTICING RESISTANCE ministry packet . In this time of political turmoil, however, I invite you to read about my own practicing-resistance journey, and also to explore what path your resistance practice has taken you so far, and where you might want to go with it in the future. January 20, 2017: Inauguration Day: Despite my

As I began to explore CHOOSING HOPE, our congregational theme for the month of December, I thought: this is going to be easy! Who doesn't want to choose hope? After all, no matter how dark things may become on any given day, "The sun will come out, tomorrow" (at least according to Little Orphan Annie). That sense of optimism provides relief from having to do anything; just wait for a while, and all be just fine! But once again, our friends at the Soul Matters Sharing Circle i

As I began to explore Nurturing Gratitude, our congregational theme for the month of November, I wondered about the pairing of those two words. "Gratitude is essential," says Rev. Scott Tayler, founder of the Soul Matters Sharing Circle. "We aren't built for constant striving and the pursuit of more. Instead, we need moments of pause in which we are filled and replenished by the large and small wonders of the world." Practicing gratitude passively may not be sufficient, howev

I thought it would be easy to create a reflection about Cultivating Compassion, our congregational theme for the month of October. After...