Rev. Elaine Gehrmann and Worship Associate Katie Hamilton

This Spring did not turn out quite as anyone had planned, but it still seems like a good time to take stock, consider what we can discard or spiff up, and what we can tidy up in order to achieve a sense of renewed clarity, of space and mind and spirit.

NOTE: We don’t know how closely you have been following the news about the protests happening around the country in response to the tragic fate of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, and more.  A number of UUCMP members including your co-ministers attended the local protest in Monterey yesterday morning.

Our service topic today is “spring cleaning”—both materially and spiritually.  It may seem a little incongruous with all of the tragic events of the last few weeks, yet we believe that it is an important message nonetheless.  And we believe that there is an urgency to work on dismantling white supremacy and its structures, to find ways to become more aware of systemic and institutional racism, including in our church, and to work to change these horribly unjust systems of oppression.  This is ongoing work, and it will take more than protests and demonstrations and facebook posts and sermons, although these are all important tools to raise awareness.  

We hope that you can find some messages in this morning’s service that apply to your life– We believe there is room and need for it all. And there are many other opportunities to work on issues of racial injustice, which sadly are not going away anytime soon…please be in contact with us if you would like to do more. We hope you enjoy our service.