On Sunday, I referenced the 2025 Sophia Fahs Lecture, done by my friend and colleague, the Rev. Sean Neil-Barron. You can read the full text HERE and I hope you will. I thought it was the best thing I heard at General Assembly.

In it, Rev. Neil-Barron compares and contrasts the feeling of belonging he experienced at a Pride Drag event with the feeling people have at a political rally when the speaker is urging them to hate others. He says:

We as progressive, rightly criticize the version of belonging that is being offered. This promise of belonging, that is and forever will be, balanced on the edge of a knife held to someone else’s throat.

Our universalist faith, that says that all of us belong, that all parts of you belong. that we all belong together, is the wider, more real embrace.

But that doesn’t mean dispensing with the concept of “belonging.” I think this is the power of community, of knowing that we belong to each other, and to something greater than ourselves – for some, they may think of that as God, or community, or The Force, or our religious tradition.

When you become a member of a local congregation, along with the feeling of belonging comes a sense of ownership. In Unitarian Universalism, this is right and appropriate. As I talked about on Sunday, our tradition – going back to the 1600s – is one of congregational polity. The congregation is the ultimate religious authority, making its own decisions, and taking responsibility for what is done in their little “chosen village.” The religious authority is supreme – for example, the only way one can be ordained a Unitarian Universalist minister is by a congregation. You’ve graduated seminary, jumped all the credentialing hurdles, and still, you are not a “Reverend,” and not ordained. Only a congregation holds that power.

As greater voices than mine have said, along with power comes responsibility. Ownership at Live Oak means that if you see a need, you will probably be empowered to address it. A simple (but much needed and much appreciated!) example happened last week. New member Renee G has served as worship leader and noticed that the worship closet was … well, it was a bit of a mess. She went through the proper channels and authority was gratefully given to her. And wow, what a difference!

As a member, you belong to this church, and we belong to you. If you have ever been part of a conservative “high demand” religion, those words may hit in some kind of a way. But “belonging” can, and absolutely should, exist as a matter of invitation, consent, and mutuality. Belonging doesn’t mean a lack of control or of possession. In a healthy system, it is an element of what James Luther Adams called “voluntary association.” JLA, who was in Germany at the buildup of Nazism, believed that voluntary association was the key to fighting authoritarianism.

We are living through days that often feel dispiriting and scary. But we are not going through them alone. We belong, and we belong together.