Minister’s Letter — February 2007

Dear Friends,

Fifty years ago, in 1957, a few local members of the White Plains Community Church decided to look into the possibility of forming a UU congregation in the vicinity of Croton-on-Hudson. Twelve interested people held a meeting in Croton and it was voted that the Unitarian Fellowship of Briarcliff, Croton and Ossining be formulated.

The first order of business, after adoption of by-laws, was the establishment of a Sunday School for about 35 children in the Community Nursery School in Croton. Adult programs were added next. In 1959,the growth of the Sunday School forced an expansion to include the Bennett Conservatory of Music. Finally, in 1963, the congregation purchased the Boscobel Methodist building, where we continue to meet today. And the rest is history, as the saying goes.

Of course, much has happened in the interim. The Fellowship has had its ups and downs. When I was asked to serve as the Fellowship’s part-time minister in 1990, we had about 40 active members and no RE. While the early years had had a very active Religious Education program, those young people grew up and moved on and growth of the Fellowship diminished.

Now, of course things are quite different. We have over 130 members and friends and a very active RE program and more groups and meetings and activities than I can count. In the early days, most of our members were humanists, atheists and activists and not much interested in spirituality as it was associated at that time with fundamentalist religion and biased against science. Today, our “religious” beliefs remain diverse, in fact, even more so, and while we still have many who define themselves as humanists we also have more people who consider themselves Christian, theist, Buddhist, pagan, and many who are interested in the spiritual aspect of life. This diversity and renewed spiritual interest is true of the entire denomination.

But for me, the most important experience has been my association with some of the finest people I have ever met–people who are less interested in religious dogma and more interested in ethics and values, and how we can live our lives with meaning and active compassion as good citizens, parents and partners and with whom I can share the experience of “ultimacy”–that which is greater than all, yet present in each. We are also a welcoming congregation, which means we welcome all men and women into our Fellowship regardless of sexual orientation and seek their leadership. For me, becoming a Welcoming Congregation was one of the most important milestones we have reached in my tenure as your minister.

Our founders made it possible for us to enjoy that kind of inclusive spirit which has led to the camaraderie, activities and personal relationships we enjoy at the Fellowship today. But I believe many of you are also here because you know that developing a religious and spiritual life is important. The secular world won’t help. Material success and personal victories only go so far. Religion, as I understand it, is our human response to the dual reality of being alive and having to die. We know we are going to die and therefore question what life means. And we seek to live in such a way that our lives will be worth dying for. We nurture that life through our connections with one another, caring for one another, and service to the world.

Religion is being aggressively challenged these days and in many respects, I believe rightfully so. But the kind of “religious faith” we adhere to is not an other-worldly faith or dogmatic faith, but one that is deeply human in the best sense of that word. Ours is the faith of a beloved human community with an active world-view and an inner nurturing that multitudes are seeking. For that reason, I believe we have a responsibility to reach out to the community and invite and welcome its citizens–gay or straight, married or single, of all ethnicities– to join us. I think we are doing this now better than ever, but we can do more.

For all the above reasons, I also believe we should celebrate our wonderful Fellowship. We do that to some degree every Sunday. But on March 3, we will celebrate our GOLDEN 50th ANNIVERSARY at our Gala Auction and Entertainment Evening and on March 4 at our worship services. Mark these dates, watch for more announcements and make your plans to be there! We have much to be thankful for and much to celebrate! See you at the Fellowship!
Jim Covington