By: Rev. Dr. Harold Marrero
Hello from Colorado.
The mountain air has been fantastic, and the weather out here has been cool and easy, which feels like a small blessing given how hot Miami has been this month. I will not pretend I am suffering. I will also not pretend I am not missing all of you, because I am. Being away from the congregation always reminds me how much I treasure my Sundays with you.
What makes the distance bearable is knowing the work is in such good hands. I am deeply proud of the staff and lay leaders who have kept our June theme, Pride in Motion, moving forward, and who have each brought their own flair to it. This past Sunday, I watched the service live from Denver, and I could not have been prouder of Andie Arthur, both for her words and for the beautiful way she brought our Flower Communion to life. Watching it from a thousand miles away, I felt right at home.
Dan and I also had the chance to visit a sister congregation while we have been here, the folks at the Unitarian Association of Denver, and it was a gift. There is something reassuring about walking into a UU community far from home and feeling the same warmth, the same hospitality, the same open door we try to keep at UU Miami. Wherever you go in the wider UU world, the welcome travels with you. We both felt it immediately.
This coming Sunday, you are in wonderful hands with Derrick Mustelier, who will lead our worship as the Pride in Motion series continues with its third movement, The Voice Within. This is the Sunday we turn toward internalized shame, and it falls, fittingly, on Father’s Day, so Derrick will hold it alongside the themes of forgiveness and moral repair.
There is a voice some of us hear when we are alone. It sounds like us. It speaks the world’s old verdicts. It says you are too much. It says you are not enough. It says you are wrong in some way you cannot quite name. This Sunday, we will listen to that voice without obeying it. We will learn where it came from and trace it back to the rooms where it was first made. And we will begin the slow, faithful work of taking our minds back, healing ourselves and one another through forgiveness and repair. It is tender, important work, and Derrick is exactly the right person to guide us through it.
I also want to take a moment to invite you to something I am genuinely excited about.
On Saturday, June 27, starting at 7 pm in the Sanctuary, UU Miami, Lost Girls Theater, and Pridelines are joining together for the pilot of Lavender Lounge, an evening of music, spoken word, play readings, and a whole lot of fun. For me, this one is personal. Lavender Lounge was originally called the Lavender Saloon, a legacy program created by our very own Luigi Ferrer back when he served as executive director of Pridelines, and it was held right here in our sanctuary. Bringing it back feels like a homecoming. It marks the deepening of our partnership with Pridelines and the growth of a new one with Lost Girls Theater, which Andie Arthur helps lead.
This will be the first of many such evenings at UU Miami. It is a chance to enjoy our community outside the Sunday morning experience, and, just as importantly, a way for friends and neighbors to see our beautiful space and meet our people without the pressure of “going to church.” Many of us know how daunting that pressure can be, especially for those who have been hurt by more traditional models of faith and have no idea yet how genuinely cool we are. Lavender Lounge lets them find that out for themselves.
We will have light bites and drinks. It is open, it is free, and all are welcome. If you would like to come, please RSVP through our website or head straight to uuc.events/lavender. And please, invite your friends. This is exactly the kind of night that is better the more people we bring.
Finally, I want to wish everyone in our lives who has taken up the work of care a special Father’s Day. To the fathers, and to all those who have stepped into that role, whoever they are, blood-related or not. The people who showed up. The people who stayed. The people who taught us how to be cared for, and how to care. You are seen this Sunday, and you are loved.
Have an amazing Sunday!