Sunny Notes: 06.17.26 - Generosity

When I arrived at BUF very early for Choir Sunday on June 14 to set up for our Dirt Communion ritual, it quickly became “one of those days.” The WIFI was down, and our reliable outside IT guy Eric, who usually works on Sundays, happened to be on a rare vacation, so we were left scrambling...Fatemah, our Steward, notified me that the key for the Fair Trade closet was missing...a block-wide power outage on Saturday had the fire alarm panel on the fritz...it was a hot day, and by the time I was done moving tables, pots, and pouring dirt for my setup, I was a sweaty mess.

But here's what else I witnessed: Our A/V Tech, Quill, responding at lightning speed and bringing in special equipment for the booth that would make a service without WIFI possible...Jeff Copeland exuding flexibility, calm, and patience as we reworked our service plans...Doug Branson helping Fatemah locate the missing closet key...Grace Nyblade and her son, Alex, setting up a table with thank you cards for all the folks involved in music at BUF...the choir warming up for a service for which they'd been practicing for weeks...and so much more than I can mention in this short column.

And then, Choir Sunday began. My heart rate slowed and I settled in to the music. I listened as various choir members shared why the lyrics of the songs in the Frostiana cycle (which are drawn from the poetry of Robert Frost) were meaningful to them. I witnessed Ben’s excellent choir direction, as well as his emotion as he explained the pieces he sang during the Dirt Communion ritual, which were inspired by the recent flight of a condor into Oregon for the first time in 120 years. I watched as the congregation came forward to share soil they'd brought for Dirt Communion—soil that will be used in a community planting on June 28 (if you weren't there on Sunday, it's not too late to bring in a bit of soil of your own—the pot will be kept in the BUF office until June 28, and you're welcome to stop by with some dirt anytime during office hours!).

One of our shared UU values is Generosity. The description of this value says: “We covenant to freely and compassionately share our faith, presence, and resources. Our generosity connects us to one another in relationships of interdependence and mutuality.” Sunday may have presented some challenges, but BUFsters showed up with faith, presence, and resources. I was reminded throughout the day of the relationships of interdependence and mutuality within this congregation as folks stepped up, shared freely, and resolved issue after issue—generosity in action. It takes a village, and BUF is one awesome village!

In gratitude for this village, 

Rev. Sunny, minister