Sometime around the Thanksgiving holiday, the mailings start to come.  Every good and helpful organization I have ever donated to, or might ever want to donate to, sends me their special holiday appeal letter. They are anxious to ride the spirit of generosity and giving that hangs in the air during the winter holidays, like the smell of baked goods and the ever-present Christmas music playing in all the department stores.

But this letter is not about asking you to give. Not this one. This one is sharing how we in the Pacific Western Region have been giving! You might remember that several months ago we let you know about grants we were offering to congregations to help them live into a better future of growth and inclusivity. This grant money was collected at regional events in past years and was sitting in the bank, waiting for the right moment. Like some mythic being from an ancient holiday tale, we are living the spirit of generosity and giving money to congregations with good ideas on how to spread the spirit of generosity even further.

Here are just a couple of examples of generosity in action. The Bellingham UU Fellowship in Northern Washington is bringing in specialized facilitators from the community to train people in the difference between Whiteness and White Allyship, identifying polarization frameworks, and increasing a sense of unity and belonging. Our grant will join with other funding they have secured to sponsor this great program. And they are working collaboratively in this training with our smaller congregations in Blaine and in Skagit Valley, sharing this great resource.

Our church in Honolulu, Hawaii will use grant money to improve their ground-floor building access through upgrades in their community garden. This not only gives them the chance to appreciate the natural beauty of the earth even more fully, but to have Covid-safer outdoor meeting space, and to live our values of inclusivity by making an accessible ground-floor space for children and families. They will share these improvements with others who use the building, including the local synagogue.

As time goes on, we will ask our grant recipients to share their stories with you in this newsletter – how this money helped them live our UU values in the world and share the spirit of generosity throughout the year. And just a reminder that our Pacific Western Regional Assembly will be held from February 4th – 6th, 2022. Our theme is Reflect, Rejoice, Renew! We look forward to learning and celebrating with you either in person in sunny San Diego, or comfortably online. We can share more stories of generosity: generosity offered, and generosity received.