Quest November 2023
November 2023
“I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.” —Nelson Mandela
Articles
Sin? I’m Against It.
There is a famous joke about early-20th century U.S. President Calvin Coolidge, who was known as a person of few words. Read more »
Brothers of Healing
“Brothers of Healing” is an original song written by CLF member Maverik Storm. Maverik wrote this about the piece: “I hope this can be an anthem for those who are healing, who know brokenness, and those who are committed to advocating for change. I hope that if this song reaches the hearts, minds, and voices of ...Read more »
The Strength of Community
The Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF) is a great community of communities made up of people connected and committed to reminding each other that we are more together, that we can take turns at the resistance, that cultivating and growing communal joy is part of what helps us stay stronger and focused on the ...Read more »
Quest October 2023
October 2023
“The songs of our ancestors are also the songs of our children.” —Philip Carr-Gomm
Articles
Honoring Our Ancestors
Altars, places to honor our ancestors along with displays of that which we experience as sacred, were never part of my upbringing. Read more »
Ancestors
What is your relationship with your ancestors like? What shapes that relationship for you? Read more »
“There once was a child”
There once was a child who found herself standin’ at the edge of time, life she thought—could be so cold and cruel; but then there were brief moments when it could be so sublime. Read more »
Samhain (Learning to Hold Ancestors Close)
In the almost seven months since my beloved mother’s death, I have needed to learn the world all over again. Every seasonal shift, every holiday and tradition lands differently now; every detail of the world exists only in relationship with my grief. Read more »
Quest September 2023
September 2023
“Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.” —Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Articles
Embracing Repair
In a world marked by imperfections and the passage of time, the concept of repair takes on a profound significance. Read more »
Repair
What does repair look and feel like to you? Have you experienced significant moments of repair in your relationship with yourself or others? Read more »
Writing My Wrongs
There is nothing exactly like living in Hell, but there is something close to it: jail and prison. Read more »
Updates from the CLF’s 2023 Annual Meeting
The CLF held its Annual Congregational Meeting on Sunday June 11, 2023. Read more »
Quest for Seekers – July/August 2023
July/August 2023
As a Unitarian Universalist congregation with no geographical boundary, we create global spiritual community, rooted in profound love, which cultivates wonder, imagination, and the courage to act. —Church of the Larger Fellowship Mission Statement
Articles
Intro to the Special Edition: Quest for Seekers
Welcome! Welcome to Quest, welcome to the Church of the Larger Fellowship, and welcome to Unitarian Universalism. This is a special issue of Quest meant specifically for those who are new to the Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF) and Unitarian Universalism, and want to learn more about both. Read more »
Unitarian Universalist Principles & Values
Our Unitarian Universalist faith is bound by covenant — the sacred promises we make to one another — instead of by creed or dogma. Read more »
The History of the CLF
The following graphic traces the history of the Church of the Larger Fellowship from the first Unitarian “Post Office Missions” in the 1800s, through to the present day. To view a larger version of this visual timeline, click on the image below, or on this link. Read more »
Our Flaming Chalice: History & Current Use
In the 1940s, as the German army began to impose its totalitarianism across Europe, many people fled in fear of their lives. Read more »
10 things to know about Unitarian Universalism
Despite the theological diversity within Unitarian Universalism, there are many things that we agree on and hold sacred within our communities. Read more »
Our Theological Mandate for Liberation
Christina delivered the following sermon during a worship service titled “Liberation, Incarceration, and Our Faith,” at General Assembly 2023. Read more »
From Our Members
We love hearing from members and friends of the Church of the Larger Fellowship about what our church community and the wider world of Unitarian Universalism mean to them. Read more »
The CLF: A Teaching Congregation
The Church of the Larger Fellowship is a teaching congregation. Each year, we welcome intern ministers to our staff and community, they serve our church for a two-year fellowship. Read more »
Quest June 2023
June 2023
Look on every exit as being an entrance somewhere else. —Tom Stoppard
Articles
Navigating Transition
The months of May and June often bring transitions related to academic promotions, graduations, and other milestones related to the culmination of years of dedication and hard work. Read more »
Transition
How do you relate to transition? What role has transition played in your life? Read more »
Rethinking the Transition Out of Prison
“Transition” has become a byword in the corrections field over recent years. It has come to encompass classes bearing such fanciful titles as “Thinking For A Change,” “Crossroads,” “Men In Transition” and “Ethical Choices.” Read more »
The Gift of a Sensitized Soul
My experience has taught me that many adults who seek a new spiritual connection have, like myself, been particularly sensitized to the suffering of the world. Maybe some people have been taught to be sensitive in this way. Read more »
Beyond the “End”
Do you believe in heaven? Then there is no end. Do you believe in hell? Then there is no end. Read more »
Quest May 2023
May 2023
Wonder is the beginning of wisdom. —Socrates
Articles
What A Wonder-Full World
Often, when people find out that I was a scientist before becoming a minister, they make assumptions about how my brain works, or about how I must see the world. Read more »
Article II Reflections
In a recent Quest article titled “Embracing the Living Tradition,” Rev. Dr. Michael Tino shared more about the work of the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Article II Study Commission, and the changes they are proposing to our Association’s Bylaws. Read more »
Gratitude
Prison life has beaten the hell out of me. It has helped me to learn not to be hardheaded, when God is trying to teach me something. For these lessons, I thank God. Read more »
Quest April 2023
April 2023
Without leaps of imagination or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning. —Gloria Steinem
Articles
Keep on Imagining
Suzelle and Brad have been pen pals for years. They wrote this exploration of imagination together. Read more »
UUA General Assembly – Pittsburgh – June 21-25, 2023
Would you like to represent the Church of the Larger Fellowship at General Assembly (GA) this summer? Read more »
Quest March 2023
March 2023
The best way out is always through. —Robert Frost
Articles
Persistence is a Group Activity
When Rev. Michael Tino reached out to me and asked me to reflect on persistence, I laughed and laughed. Read more »
Persistence
What is the value of persistence? When have you struggled with it, or felt its benefits? Read more »
A Class on Fear
The purpose of this class is to give the tools necessary to confront deeper issues based in fear. Read more »
Notice of the CLF Annual Meeting
To all members of the Church of the Larger Fellowship, Unitarian Universalist… Read more »
Quest February 2023
February 2023
Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born. —Anaïs Nin
Articles
A Space Where There Is No Other
“Where do we find that space of connecting, of belonging. Really, that space where there is no other.” — bell hooks Read more »
Friendship
How do you cultivate and sustain friendship? What role does friendship play in your life? Read more »
Embracing the Living Tradition
“We are writing this in pencil, not etching it in stone.” — from the Article II Study Commission Report 1/17/23 Read more »
untitled flowing thoughts
A little girl said to her make-believe best of friends: “Today, I shall light a white candle. Read more »
General Assembly
Would you like to represent the Church of the Larger Fellowship at General Assembly (GA) this summer? Read more »
Quest January 2023
January 2023
Nobody’s free until everybody’s free. —Fannie Lou Hamer
Articles
A Hard-Won Hopefulness: The Journey to Liberation
In 2019 the Rev. Bill Sinkford and the wonderful staff at First Unitarian Portland invited me to join them for “Seminary for a Day,” when we reflected together on how our inherited liberal tradition is accountable to the theological work of liberation. Read more »
Liberation
What does liberation mean to you? What does it feel like, and how do you access it? Read more »
The Learned Among Us
The following is adapted from a sermon that Aisha gave in CLF online worship on Nov. 6, 2022. A few years ago, I was having a conversation with a friend about learning to love myself fully, especially my body. Read more »
New CLF Member Database Includes a Donor Self-Service Portal: We Need Your Help to Migrate to a New System!
The Church of the Larger Fellowship is migrating our member and donation database. Our new system, called Church Center, allows you to see your history and make changes. Read more »
Issues
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