Exactly one year ago I began filling RVUUF’s free pulpit on the Sunday of the annual Water Ceremony. This second year of Developmental Ministry, I return from study and vacation time on the very same Sunday as we gather-in from the summer months and share our stories with each other while pouring water into the common bowl, a symbol of our interconnectedness.

September is the month when in-gathering ceremonies are happening all over the country for Unitarian Universalists and most congregations will celebrate with gratitude having lived through fires and smoke or heat and hurricane threats or family arguments or loss. Some people leave the area to get away for a while and others of you stayed in the Rogue Valley.

It doesn’t really matter where you spent your days of summer, though it’s always interesting to hear about where you traveled. However, it does matter how each of us responded to what happened over the summer and what meaning we have made of our summer.

The Water Ceremony will give you a chance to articulate/share the meaning you’ve gleaned and how your experiences may have changed you or your view of life. Everyone is invited to bring a small container of water, tell about what’s been meaningful for you during the summer, and pour the water into the common bowl. All the water and the stories will be collected in the common bowl and used the following week to dedicate three more children at RVUUF.

Symbolically the stories you tell and the water you pour will be interwoven into the lives of these young children and their parents in ways that create meaning for many years to come. See you on Sept. 13!

Be sure and register for the Soul Matters Program on the website beginning Aug. 31. Ideally registering for a Soul Matters Circle (8-10 people) through the Survey Monkey link is best. Though we want to offer the same program materials to any one who is interested.

As an individual you can register on the website where it will ask your name and email address, not needing to fill out the survey. If you are part of an existing group (i.e. men, women), only one person needs to register and attend a training on Sept. 15, from 4 to 5 p.m. in Emerson House taught by Rev. Nan. Questions about Soul Matters? contact Rev. Nan (minister@rvuuf.org) or Mary Rexford (mrex@lithiawater.com) or anyone you see on Sunday wearing a purple button that says “Ask me about Soul Matters.”