My Tuesday started with a text scam in which someone pretending to be me was trying to get you, my faithful and generous congregation members, to send them gift cards. The text read, “This is Rev Eileen Wiviott I urgently need a favor from you, kindly reply me as soon as possible thanks.” I’m glad those of you who received this message or something similar realized this didn’t sound like me.
While this is annoying and frustrating, it’s a relatively minor inconvenience. No real damage was done (this time) and it was actually nice to hear from some of you, who I hadn’t talked to in a while, checking to make sure I knew the scammers were at it again. So why do these text and email scams get so far under my skin? Because it plays fast and loose with the fragile and precious gift of trust. I wish we didn’t have to use our well-honed doubt and skepticism (read discernment and wisdom) on this kind of nonsense. But, alas, we cannot control the forces that would prey upon kindness. What we can do is to fortify ourselves and our relationships with mutual and well-earned trust.
With all that contributes to the widening chasm of societal mistrust, it’s hard to know what and who we can count on, which is why we need communities of faith like ours more than ever. We need our covenantal community to practice building and maintaining trust, which expands our capacity to live fully and withstand the necessary risks of relationship.
Trust is a precious commodity. It is a sacred gift given by choice from one to another. Trust is the foundation upon which Beloved Community can be built. It is the glue that holds us together through all kinds of weather so that we can keep working to make the world more loving, equitable, and whole. Trust can take a long time to nurture and grow. It cannot be coerced or stolen, but it can be lost in an instant with a harsh word or thoughtless action. In our Covenant of Engagement, we express the aspiration to ‘trust others’ intentions and give each other the benefit of the doubt,’ which doesn’t mean we ignore the impact of our actions or words. As we work to Widen the Circle of Concern, we need to be able to trust one another to speak our truth, knowing it will be received with courage and an open-heart.
It was wonderful to be able to return to the sanctuary with many of you this past Sunday and even more of you joining us from home. We have managed to stay together as a community through so much upheaval and uncertainty, trusting that we will continue to be there for one another as we struggle to be our best selves and respond to life’s challenges. Despite all there is to doubt and fear, I trust the power of our collective. I trust that we are stronger, more loving, more beautiful, and more filled with possibilities when we work together and trust one another.
So, you can trust that this request is genuinely from me. Please be on the lookout for the pledge drive materials which should be arriving in your email inboxes early next week and consider what support you are able to give to our shared mission, nurturing the human spirit for a whole made whole. Turning in your pledge forms on time and contributing what you can to keep our congregation thriving, is an act of trust in one another. It is an act of faith to share your gifts of time, energy, and resources, trusting they will be put to good use. Let’s keep practicing faith and trust in the power of Beloved Community, by sharing what we can and trusting in one another.
With love and appreciation,
Eileen
Practicing Beloved Community at UCE 