BLUU Nov 2022 Newsletter – First Unitarian Church of Honolulu

Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism. BLUU. Illustration of raised fist attached to a lightning bolt arm.

Nov. 2022 Newsletter

BLUU Leadership Spotlight

“I’m so excited to be here for the next chapter of this organization. The historic meaning of its founding and the contributions of so many to get us to this point are not lost on me.”

-Natasha Walker

BLUU Developmental Board Chair

BLUU’s Developmental Board Chair shares who she is and why she’s excited to be in BLUU leadership at this moment.

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Question: What makes you excited to lead BLUU during this time of transition?

Natasha: I am not a great activist and I’m not always the most inspirational voice, but when I saw the opportunity to lend my skills and expertise where it would be quite helpful, I jumped at the chance to magnify the impact of an organization I care deeply about.

Transitions can be anxiety producing but also signal rebirth, renewal, and growth. I’m so excited to be here for the next chapter of this organization. The historic meaning of its founding and the contributions of so many to get us to this point are not lost on me. I stand on many shoulders to see the potential and nudge us toward the goal.

Question: BLUU’s OCB recently had its first in-person retreat since 2019. What were some highlights for you?

Natasha: Despite working together for several months, it was my second in-person meeting with most of the Board! We were able to focus and connect as we verbalized what we envision BLUU to be, considered the limitations of what we can reasonably deliver in the short term, and grieved what is no longer with us, especially considering COVID.

There are so many opinions on how to make BLUU better, and it’s my job to sift through all of the feedback and actualize where we are going and how to get there. Helping the Board discern how we adjust our approach to bring new perspectives, new energy, and more capacity was at the heart of our discussions.

Question: What’s something people would be surprised to know about you?

Natasha: I was raised on the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico, which shaped a lot of my thinking on marginalization, inequity, and differences. There are so many examples of people living peacefully amidst difference, and many times celebrating those uniquenesses.

BLUU Beloveds Meeting Summary

We want to thank every BLUU Beloved who joined us for our Annual Beloved Meeting in October.

During the meeting, we gave a detailed summary about our work right now. We were excited to share what we learned from our time with AORTA, the collective that supported us doing some organizational culture work.

As we shared with our Beloveds, our work in the coming months will be to integrate what we learned from AORTA with the work of our Natasha Walker, our Developmental Board Chair.

If you are a Black person interested in deepening your relationship with BLUU, we hope you’ll sign up to be a BLUU Beloved today. We will continue to engage our membership in the coming months as we move forward with our organizational restructure work, including revamping our BLUU Beloveds community.

Become a BLUU Beloved

November BLUU Worship

A time to mourn: a meditation on saving ourselves. Sunday, nov. 13, 2022. 4 p.m. Eastern/1 p.m. Pacific.

We are excited for the second installment in a quarterly reflection series by Donté Hilliard, BLUU community member, interdisciplinary educator, and inter-faith clergy. In his own words, Donté says, “I believe collective healing requires collective action (education, reflection, ritual, etc).”

In the first installment, we pondered the role of history and Memory in our collective healing. This quarter we will center our reflection on the role of Mourning, Lamenting and Grieving in the cycle of our collective healing. Is it possible to heal if we do not mourn?

Join us for Second Sunday worship at 4 p.m. ET/1pm PT.

BLUU’s online worship services are Black Sacred Space in their entirety—by and for Black people, with the words and voices of Black folks across the diaspora—and we hope that Black UUs and Black UU-adjacent folks (who share our values) from far and wide will join us!

For our non-Black siblings in faith, please share this invitation with Black folks in your life and community. Getting the word out about BLUU’s gatherings and other programming is one powerful way of lending your support, and we deeply appreciate it!

For all of our services, feel free to come into our BLUU Zoom Room as early as 15 minutes before the start of the service to get settled, say hello to the folks who are already gathering, and listen to the music softly playing as we all prepare for our time together

Pastoral Care

Pastoral care is a model of emotional and spiritual support that can be found in all cultures and traditions. People who provide pastoral care offer support to people in their joys, sorrows, and uncertainties associated with specific life events occurring while part of the community in which pastoral caregivers serve. Spiritual care is a multi-faceted model of support in individuals’ search for meaning, purpose, wholeness, and connection in day-to-day life.

BLUU is blessed with a community filled with pastoral and spiritual leadership. Please don’t forget that the BLUU Ministerial Network has a pastoral care line available for Black folks. You can text or call 984-219-8711 to schedule a time to speak with a BLUU chaplain.

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First Unitarian Church of Honolulu

First Unitarian Church of Honolulu

Sunday Services: 10:00am Click Here for Sunday Worship

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