Sunday Service, 9 February 2025
Led by Rev. Dr. Jane Blackall
Musical Prelude: Sundays Well - Caitlin Nic Ghabhainn (performed by Jess Collins, Tara McCarthy and Tara Viscardi)
Opening Words: ‘It is Good to be Together’ by Rev. Linda Hart (adapted)
We enter into this time and this space
to join our hearts and minds together.
What is it that we come here seeking?
Many things, too many to mention them all.
Yet, it is likely that some common longings draw us to be with one another:
To remember what is most important in life.
To be challenged to live more truly, more deeply,
to live with integrity and kindness and with hope and love,
To feel the company of those who seek a common path,
To be renewed in our faith in the promise of this life,
To be strengthened and to find the courage to continue to do
what we must do, day after day, world without end.
Even if your longings are different than these, you are welcome here.
You are welcome in your grief and your joy
to be within this circle of companions.
We gather here. It is good to be together. (pause)
Words of Welcome and Introduction:
These words from my good friend Linda Hart welcome all who have gathered this morning for our Sunday service. Welcome to those who have gathered in-person at Essex Church, to all who are joining us via Zoom, and anyone watching or listening at a later date via YouTube or the podcast. For anyone who doesn’t know me, I’m Jane Blackall, and I’m minister with Kensington Unitarians.
This morning’s service is titled ‘Other Loves’ – last week I half-jokingly said this was going to be an Anti-Valentine’s service – that’s not quite true – but in the week when the traditional model of romantic love is held up as the highest ideal and aspiration, I want us to take a wider view, and to celebrate all those other loves that make the world go round. There are so many different ways in which we might find love, and express love, and honour the other significant others in our lives. As bell hooks said: ‘to love well is the task in all meaningful relationships, not just romantic bonds.’
Chalice Lighting: ‘Love Can Transform the World’ by Maureen Killoran
Let’s light our chalice flame now, as we do each week. It’s a moment for us to stop and take a breath, settle ourselves down, put aside any preoccupations we came in carrying. This simple ritual connects us in solidarity with Unitarians and Unitarian Universalists the world over, and reminds us of the proud and historic progressive religious tradition of which this gathering is part.
(light chalice)
Love is the aspiration, the spirit that moves and inspires this faith we share.
Rightly understood, love can nurture our spirits and transform the world.
May the flame of this chalice honour and embody the power
and the blessing of the love we need, the love we give,
the love we are challenged always to remember and to share.
Hymn (on sheet): ‘The Power of Love’
Let’s sing together. Our first hymn this morning is on your hymn sheet, as they all are today, and it’s called ‘The Power of Love’. For those joining via zoom the words will be up on screen (as they will for all our hymns). Feel free to stand or sit as you prefer and let’s sing up as best we can.
We know that this life brings its share of sorrow
To us, and men and women everywhere;
The knowledge of the world floods in unceasing -
Too much to match with equal love and care.
We stand before the threat of world pollution,
We live in shame that half the world is poor,
We look out from our homes upon the homeless
And wish we had the power to love them more.
We know the power of love can move a nation,
We know that love creates more of itself;
We know the human needs which need attention,
We know the drugs of affluence and wealth.
O power of love already here within us!
Help us to trust - be not afraid to live
In love which works its miracles in details
Of thought and feeling and the will to give.
Candles of Joy and Concern:
Each week when we gather together, we share a simple ritual of candles of joy and concern, an opportunity to light a candle and share something that is in our heart with the community. So we’ve an opportunity now, for anyone who would like to do so, to light a candle and say a few words about what it represents. We’ll go to the people in the building first, then to Zoom.
So I invite some of you here in person to come and light a candle and then if you wish to tell us briefly who or what you light your candle for. I’m going to ask you to come to the lectern to speak this time as I really want people to be able to hear you and I don’t want to keep nagging you about getting close to the handheld mic. And if you can’t get to the microphone give me a wave and I’ll bring a handheld mic over to you. Thank you.
(in person candles)
And if that’s everyone in the room we’ll go over to the people on Zoom next – you might like to switch to gallery view at this stage – just unmute yourselves when you are ready and speak out – and we should be able to hear you and see you up on the big screen here in the church.
(zoom candles)
And I’m going to light one more candle, as we often do, to represent all those joys and concerns that we hold in our hearts this day, but which we don’t feel able to speak out loud. (light candle)
Time of Prayer & Reflection: based on words by Laura Horton-Ludwig
Let’s take those joys and concerns into an extended time of prayer. This prayer is based on some words by Laura Horton-Ludwig. You might want to adjust your position for comfort, close your eyes, or soften your gaze. There might be a posture that helps you feel more prayerful. Whatever works for you. Do whatever you need to do to get into the right state of body and mind for us to pray together – to be fully present here and now, in this sacred time and space – with ourselves, with each other, and with that which is both within us and beyond us. (pause)
Spirit of Life, God of All Love, in whom we live and move and have our being,
we turn our full attention to you, the light within and without,
as we tune in to the depths of this life, and the greater wisdom
to which – and through which – we are all intimately connected.
Be with us now as we allow ourselves to drop into the
silence and stillness at the very centre of our being. (pause)
As people of faith, we seek to live in a spirit of love,
a spirit of community, justice, and peace.
And yet, in so many corners of the world both far and near,
we see exploitation and coercion, divisiveness and hate.
We struggle to respond to the outer world
and our inner dramas in ways that manifest love.
At times we may fear that love will not be strong enough.
At times we may question whether love really is at the root of all things,
in this world with so much struggle and suffering and discord.
This is the mystery within which we live and die.
These are the questions that haunt our days and nights.
And yet – despite everything – we are not quite without hope.
Our struggles and our questions testify to our longing for peace, for love.
In the stillness and silence of our own heart
we read the imprint of love: a light within.
May it keep hope alive, even through the toughest times.
May it guide us all, through our days, as we seek to act wisely and well.
May it help us to be vessels of compassion for one another and for our world. (pause)
In a few moments of shared stillness now, let us call to mind all those people and situations who are on our hearts this morning, and let us hold them gently in loving-kindness. (pause)
And let us hold ourselves in loving-kindness too. Each of us carries our own private burdens.
So let us rest in self-compassion now as we ask silently for what we need this day. (pause)
And let us take a moment to reflect on the week just gone in a spirit of gratitude; let us notice and give thanks for those blessings, large or small, that have helped to lift our spirits. (pause)
Spirit of Life – God of all Love – as this time of prayer comes to a close, we offer up
our joys and concerns, our hopes and fears, our beauty and brokenness,
and we call on you for insight, healing, and renewal.
As we look forward now to the coming week,
help us to live well each day and be our best selves;
using our unique gifts in the service of love, justice and peace. Amen.
Hymn (on sheet): ‘Who Is My Neighbour?’
Let’s sing again now – it’s one we’ve been learning lately – one of two by the contemporary hymn-writer Amanda Udis-Kessler that we’ll be singing today: ‘Who is my Neighbour?’ At some point we’ll just go for it but this week I’m going to ask George to play it through to remind you of the tune.
Who is my neighbour? Every soul who lives upon the earth.
I have been called to treat each one with dignity and worth,
Working for justice, seeking peace and cultivating care,
Offering hope to those whose lives are laden with despair.
When I can ease another’s pain, I know I’ll do my part.
When I can bring another joy, I’ll open up my heart.
When I have more than someone else, I’ll share the things I can.
When I am tempted to be cruel, I’ll strive to understand.
Who is my neighbour? Earth itself and all the beings there:
Flora and fauna, fish and fowl, the trees that graze the air.
River and prairie, sea and sky I honour and respect.
These are my neighbours. These I vow to cherish and protect.
Oh, may we build a world where all have everything they need.
May we be free from hate and fear, from violence and from greed.
May our lives be tributes to compassion, love, and trust
Till we are kin to all the world and all are kin to us.
Reading: ‘Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places’ by David S Blanchard (read by Roy)
Most of us look for love in only the most obvious places, and as a result, most of us come away disappointed. It’s as if we are still kids in junior school, counting valentines as a measure of what matters. The love that matters is not typically the subject of sonnets or love songs.
There can be love in being told we are wrong. There can be love in sharing a regret. There can be love in asking for help. There can be love in communicating hurt. There can be love in telling hard truths. Most of us find it painful to live at this level of love, but it can be there, even in these most unlikely places. It isn't the kind of love we've been promised in the fairy tales of princes and fairy godmothers, but it is the kind experienced by frogs and dwarfs. It’s the sort of love that can bring us closer to finding the missing pieces of ourselves that we need to make us whole.
Some of the most loving things I've ever experienced, I haven't been ready for, wasn't looking for, and nearly didn't recognize. A few of them I didn't want. But all of them have changed me, transformed some part of me, filled in a place that I didn't even know was empty.
When the valentine has been tucked away in a drawer, the chocolates eaten, the flowers faded and gone, there will be other legacies of love that will last as long as we do, because they have brought us to know an element of life—part feeling, part idea, part mystery—that once known, is ours to keep.
Words for Meditation: ‘What Comes Next’ by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
Thanks Roy. We’re moving into a time of meditation now. To take us into stillness I’m going to share a poem from Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer – an extraordinary contemporary American poet – she sends out a brand new poem every day on her mailing list and shared this only a few days ago. I can’t help but hear it in the context of what’s unfolding in the US right now – and indeed all the troubles we’re aware of, worldwide – quite overwhelming. Her starting point for this poem is a two-word quote from Diana Butler Bass: ‘Love relentlessly’. Love relentlessly. To speak of love in the face of all the challenges the world is facing can feel a bit feeble… this poem is anything but feeble. It’s a tough ask – that we face reality – and remain centred in love rather than be consumed with rage or despair.
The words will take us into a few minutes of shared silence which will end with the sound of a bell. And then we’ll hear a song. So let’s do what we need to do to get comfortable – adjust your position if you need to – perhaps put your feet flat on the floor to ground yourself – maybe close your eyes. As we always say, the words are just an offering, feel free to use this time to meditate in your own way.
Love relentlessly, she said,
and I want to slip these two words
into every cell in my body, not the sound
of the words, but the truth of them,
the vital, essential need for them,
until relentless love becomes
a cytoplasmic imperative,
the basic building block for every action.
Because anger makes a body clench.
Because fear invokes cowering, shrinking, shock.
I know the impulse to run, to turn fist, to hurt back.
I know, too, the warmth of cell-deep love—
how it spreads through the body like ocean wave,
how it doesn’t erase anger and fear,
rather seeds itself somehow inside it,
so even as I contract love bids me to open
wide as a leaf that unfurls in spring
until fear is not all I feel.
Love relentlessly.
Even saying the words aloud invites
both softness and ferocity into the chest,
makes the heart throb with simultaneous
urgency and willingness. A radical pulsing
of love, pounding love, thumping love,
a rebellion of generous love,
tenacious love, a love so foundational
every step of what’s next begins
and continues as an uprising,
upswelling, ongoing, infusion
of love, tide of love, honest love.
Period of Silence and Stillness (~3 minutes) – end with a bell
Interlude: England's Motorway - Ewan MacColl (performed by Jess Collins, Tara McCarthy and Tara Viscardi)
Reading: ‘Love is Like a Box of Chocolates’ by Sarah Movius Schurr (excerpts, adapted) (read by Patricia and David)
Love: it can be such a confusing word in our language. I can say, “I love my children” and I can say, “I love watching Downtown Abbey.” Love means a lot of different things. People experience love differently, even love that might look the same on the outside.
The ancient Greeks had something that helped: different words for different kinds of love. One is Eros. Eros is the passion that young lovers feel for each other. It’s the romantic head-over-heels love that’s also often connected with physical attraction. Many of us think of romantic love as adorable or even enviable, and it can be. Eros love is what most of the songs on the radio are about. But the ancient Greeks often considered it dangerous because of the out-of-control nature and the way these feelings can get you into trouble.
There’s also Pragma, or long-standing love. Those of us who have been married for a long time know that the crazy new-crush feeling does not last until the golden wedding anniversary. It is something else; it’s a different love. Pragma is based in compromise, in mutual regard and respect, in tolerance. I have heard that when we start a relationship that we Fall in Love; over time we instead Stand in Love. That is Pragma. It makes me sad when I hear that folks think that if the exciting Eros feeling fades it means the relationship is over and you need to move on to a new one. But the love of Pragma, which sounds a lot like “pragmatic” to me, is a fine love that will see you through the hills and valleys that life offers up to us. It’s a comforting and warm love, even if it is not so thrilling all the time.
Then there’s Philia, the love of deep friendship. We have Philia for a comrade who we fought side by side with on the battlefield or in the trenches of a social movement. These are those old school or college friends that we still feel so close to, or the poker group that has met every month for a decade. Philia is more constant than Eros… more reliable and lasting.
There is Ludus, or playful love. Most of us have had the experience of flirting with someone just because it was fun—it didn’t mean anything like a deep connection; it was a kind of mutual game. Ludus is only problematic when it is confused for something different that it is.
Then there’s Agape love: the selfless love for other human beings; we often refer to that love as compassion or empathy. Agape is what keeps nurses warm and friendly as they care for the demented patient, and what urges firefighters to run toward the burning building. The Buddhists call it Loving-kindness. This is the Greek word that you see over and over in the Bible: agape. In fact, the reading from First Corinthians that we so often hear—the one about faith, hope and love—isn’t about the love between honeymooners; it’s about agape.
Last on the list of words for different kinds of love is Philautia, or the way you love yourself. This kind of love needs to be balanced: there’s self-love that is positive self-esteem and a happy self-confidence. That’s good: we need to love ourselves and treat ourselves as valuable people, because doing so helps us take good care of ourselves and provides a base from which we can love others. Then there’s arrogant and narcissistic self-love that can be destructive; it can keep a person focused on themselves alone. That’s not so good.
In the movie Forrest Gump, he says, “Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re going to get.” Is that true of love as well: that you never know what you’re going to get? Well, life is full of surprises, and love can be as well. Yes, Love is like a box of chocolates. Both can involve some choice and some risk. Love and chocolate can bring you joy but can also be kind of messy. Different people have different tastes and different desires. But know that your love and your life is honoured here, as we grow in compassionate community.
Mini-Reflection: ‘Other Loves’ by Rev. Dr. Jane Blackall
Thanks Patricia and David. There’s a saying that used to be used a lot in Unitarian and Universalist churches, as a kind-of covenant, and it starts with the phrase: ‘Love is the doctrine of this church.’ And I don’t think it would be controversial to say that love is what we think we’re about as a community – it pops up on a regular basis in our hymns and prayers – it’s right at the centre of who we are and what we do (or at least what we aspire to do). But, strangely, we don’t often make it the particular focus of a service – possibly because it’s just too big a topic to get a handle on – or too slippery a concept.
At least once a year Valentine’s Day prompts us to give it a try though – hence today’s theme – though the event is (usually) squarely focused on romantic love. The culture we’re immersed in tends to promote romantic love as the absolute pinnacle of human experience, and when we’re young, especially, pursuit of a romantic relationship (our ‘happy ever after’) can become a significant focus. The ideal that’s sold to us is that we can (and should) get all our needs met in one relationship – we will rely on one person for more-or-less everything – sex, companionship, practical support – for the rest of our days. Romantic coupling is presented almost as an organising principle for our lives and society – at least in theory – in reality such relationships end up being rather more of a mixed bag.
Now I’m not saying it’s impossible to have that idealised fairytale experience of falling in love, and staying together for the long haul, with most of your needs being met within that one lasting bond. But it seems to be the exception rather than the rule. And these days many more of us are coming to the realisation that other forms of love, other ways of being in relationship, are just as important (and worthy of our attention) as the conventional coupling we usually celebrate on Valentine’s Day.
I say ‘these days’ – of course this is not new – as we just heard the Ancient Greeks had all these words for other loves many centuries ago: Pragma, Philia, Ludus, Agape, Philautia. They certainly still celebrated eros – the ‘falling in love’ kind of love – the desire that sweeps us off our feet, magnetically attracts us, stirs us to act – a love associated with drama and transformation. But they also honoured pragma – a kind-of mature love you can rely on – the sensible and unglamorous love of committed long-term relationship which endures ups and downs. And also philia – intimate friendship – I say that to distinguish from the more easy-come easy-go connections where the word ‘friend’ is bandied about without that deeper loving connection. Then there’s ludus – playful love – I would say this includes short-lived consensual dalliances where two people delight in each other for a time but know it’s ‘of the moment’ and won’t last. And philautia, which mustn’t be overlooked, that’s all about healthy self-love and self-care.
Agape is the one which most frequently gets mentioned in religious contexts – more universal – sometimes traditionally translated as ‘charity’ but I tend to connect it with ‘compassion’ – a generalised benevolent fellow-feeling for the well-being of others whoever they may be. It’s a slightly tricky concept to get a grip on, but I found a really interesting take on it in an essay by the philosopher Myisha Cherry, who wrote: ‘agape is not an affectionate feeling nor does it require ‘liking’ the beloved. Instead, love is an attitude. The reason for loving the beloved is unmotivated and groundless therefore, agape is not aimed at a selective few but rather all members of the moral community. [The only grounds for loving is because they are human.] It involves understanding, goodwill, respect, and active concern. Agape is not passive or weak but active and tough. It desires the common good, resistance to injustice, and restoration of the beloved community. Although agape is generalized love towards everyone, it often is expressed differently to particular people.’ She also mentions that agape includes concern for the distress or needs of others, and it also involves action, namely, helping. (pause) A helpful take on agape from Myisha Cherry which draws out its connection to social justice.
Culturally, societally, as I said before, we do tend to put these different forms of love into a hierarchy, with this all-consuming romantic love at the top, and the ‘other loves’ as also-rans. We see this played out in various ways – in the past I have certainly been guilty of disappearing into romantic relationships and neglecting my friendships for a time (until the gloss wore off) – and I have also been on the other side of that equation on numerous occasions when I felt I’d been ‘dumped’ by friends who were suddenly giving all their time and attention to their latest flame instead.
Today’s service theme was inspired in part by this book ‘The Other Significant Others: Reimagining Life with Friendship at the Centre’ by Rhaina Cohen. It contains stories of people who have defied convention by choosing a friend as, in some sense, a life partner – co-owning a home together, or co-parenting, or being committed caregivers to each other in later life – and as the book’s blurb says ‘these stories unsettle widespread assumptions, including the idea that sex is a defining feature of partnership, and that people who raise kids together should be in a romantic relationship… Cohen argues that we undermine romantic relationships by expecting too much of them, while we diminish friendships by expecting too little of them… she insists that we recognise the many forms of profound connection that can anchor our lives. This book challenges us to ask what we want from our relationships – not just what we’re supposed to want – and transforms how we define a fulfilling life.’
I won’t try to summarise the stories in this book – I couldn’t do them justice – but I found it fascinating to read about how people realised that a platonic friendship was their most important relationship – the one connection they wanted to build their life around – their ‘significant other’. More generally, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that there are all these different ways of doing relationships, and there are lessons to learn from people who are being thoughtful and reflective about making less conventional choices and sharing their lived experiences. I’m thinking particularly of the asexual and polyamorous communities, from whom we might learn about approaching our relationships with fewer default expectations as to what sort of relationship it will turn out to be.
The Valentine’s Day version of love puts a lot of emphasis on grand passions – big emotions – but love is more than just a feeling. We’ve said before that ‘love is a verb, love is a doing word’ (to quote Massive Attack). When I was at Heythrop College some years ago studying the best-titled philosophy module ever – ‘Love, Sex, Death and God’ – I discovered that the philosophers had a whole range of perspectives on love: yes, it can be a feeling or emotion which comes upon us spontaneously, but it can also be an attitude we hold, an action or behaviour we engage in, or a sustained commitment.
bell hooks, in her classic text ‘All About Love’, wrote: ‘Learning faulty definitions of love when we are young makes it difficult to be loving as we grow older. Most of us learn early on to think of love as a feeling. When we feel deeply drawn to someone, we cathect with them; that is, we invest feeling or emotion in them. That process of investment wherein a loved one becomes important to us is called “cathexis”… and most of us “confuse cathecting with loving”... If we remembered that “love is as love does”, we would not use the word in a manner that devalues and degrades its meaning. When we are loving we openly and honestly express care, affection, responsibility, respect, commitment, and trust.’
And feminist theologian Carter Heyward has said: ‘Love does not just happen. We are not… puppets on the strings of a deity called “love.” Love is a choice—not simply, or necessarily, a rational choice, but rather a willingness to be present to others without pretence or guile. Love is a conversion to humanity—a willingness to participate with others in the healing of a broken world... Love is the choice to experience life as a member of the human family, a partner in the dance of life, rather than as an alien in the world or as a deity above the world, aloof and apart from human flesh.’
Words from Carter Heyward. Love is a choice – and we need to choose love – more so now than ever. In this world of perma-crisis and precarity, we can (we must!) still turn to one another for comfort, solidarity, and practical support. As the social safety nets we might have expected to rely on are cut, community building and mutual aid networks become ever more crucial, and all this is love in action.
So in the week to come – maybe on Valentine’s Day itself, this Friday – I encourage you to take a more expansive view on love than the one the purveyors of cards, chocolate, and flowers are selling. Take a moment to appreciate your people – all of your ‘significant others’ – and consider how you can honour established relationships, nurture new connections, and express your love all year round. And if you feel you need more love in your life – of whatever flavour – be it romantic, platonic, playful, compassionate, or self-love (maybe approach that question with openness and let life surprise you) – why not you could make the first move to reach out and connect, as bell hooks said, to ‘openly and honestly express care, affection, responsibility, respect, commitment, and trust.’
I’ll close with a very short blessing from Unitarian Universalist Laura Riordan Berardi:
May we find love in the here and now:
love in our hearts, love for the broken-down,
love for the lonely, love for those yet to feel whole,
love for those in-between, love for those out of our reach.
May we find love, add love, and be love in this world.
And may it be so for the greater good of all. Amen.
Hymn (on sheet): ‘We Belong to One Another’
Let’s sing again. Our final hymn is on your hymn sheet, ‘We Belong to One Another’, it’s another one by Amanda Udis-Kessler, and while it’s to a familiar tune I don’t know if it’s that familiar to us so I’m definitely going to ask George to play this one through before we sing.
We belong to one another. To each other we are bound
As we build a world together full of joy that we have found.
What we are we owe to others. When they need us, we respond.
We belong to one another and we hold a common bond.
We rely on one another at the dawning of our days
When we learn from those around us how to live in loving ways.
As we grow, we need each other and the gifts that we can share.
As our lives come to their ending, how we need each other’s care.
We give thanks for one another, for each heart and hand and face.
We are grateful for the blessings that infuse our lives with grace.
May we offer our abundance. As we’re given, may we give.
In our thanks for one another, may we help each other live.
Announcements:
Thanks to Ramona for tech-hosting and Jeannene for co-hosting. Thanks to Roy, David and Patricia for reading. Thanks to Tara, Tara and Jess for lovely music today, to George for accompanying our hymns, and Benjie for supporting our singing. Thanks to Julia for greeting and Liz for doing the coffee. For those of you who are here in-person – please do stay for a cuppa and cake – we’ve got pear, hazelnut and chocolate cake.
Hannah will be offering her community yoga session here in the church from 12.30pm.
Tonight and Friday at 7pm we’ve got our ‘Heart and Soul’ online contemplative spiritual gathering – this week we’re continuing this morning’s theme as it’s ‘All About Love’.
On Wednesday Community Singing is back! This is such a fun thing to do – two hours of singing classic pop and folk songs, spirituals, a bit of all sorts – it’s the first one back after our winter break. Though as usual do let me know if you’re planning to come in case of last-minute changes…
Next week Margaret will be here for her regular ‘Find Your Voice’ singing class. And that’ll be followed by a ‘Art Play Crafternoon’ – that’s a relaxed space for us to hang out for a couple of hours and get all the art materials out to play with – we’ll be doing that once a month.
This month’s title for the Better World Book Club is ‘Monsters: What Do We Do with Great Art by Bad People’ by Claire Dederer, all our loan copies have gone, but if you really want to come along and are struggling to access the book have a word with me and I’ll see what we can do.
Next Sunday we’ll be back here at 11am when my good chum Lizzie Kingston-Harrison will be joining us to co-lead the service titled ‘We Contain Multitudes’.
Details of all our various activities are printed on the back of the order of service, for you to take away, and also in the Friday email. Or why not take home a copy of our new fancy newsletter?
The congregation very much has a life beyond Sunday mornings; we encourage you to keep in touch, look out for each other, and do what you can to nurture supportive connections.
Time for our closing words and closing music now.
Benediction: based on words by George G. Brooks
Our time together ends; but in the days ahead,
may the love that gives to life its beauty,
the reverence that gives to life its sacredness,
and the purposes that give to life its deep significance
be strong within each of us and lead us
into ever deepening relationships with all of life. Amen.
Closing Music: Flatwater Fran - Phil Cunningham and Two Yellow Goats (performed by Jess Collins, Tara McCarthy and Tara Viscardi)
Rev. Dr. Jane Blackall
9th February 2025