DonSense – by Rev. Don Garrett

May: What Does It Mean to Be a People of Creativity?

Creativity is our ability to dream things up and make them happen.
– Peggy Taylor

We’re all familiar with that part in the quote about dreaming. Conjuring up new ideas and images is what creativity is all about. Using the building blocks of “what is,” we – almost magically – make the “not yet” appear in our minds.

But what about that other part? The part about “making them happen.” When we talk about creativity, that half of the equation often gets short shrift. We celebrate the fun piece about dreaming and leave off the hard piece of making our imaginings real. But, as Thoreau said, “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.”

Well, we’ve sure gotten a great start on the “imagination” part. We enjoyed a well-attended church-wide retreat following our April 22 worship service, sitting around tables in the Community Room. First, we shared a light lunch and fellowship. Next, we engaged in some real visioning work, led by our consultant, Mark Bernstein, supported by the leadership of our Action Planning Team.

The first item on the agenda was to explore the question, “Why do we exist?” or, “What is the ultimate purpose of our church?” This gave rise to some vigorous conversations. Then we took turns sharing each table’s ideas with the group.

Then we sorted ourselves into new groups to explore our five top priorities for exploring our spiritual yearnings and dreams for UUCLV. This was inspirational, provocative, and even practical as we considered how we might implement our focus on the top five items from our recent congregational survey.

We took turns exploring questions of creating engaging and stirring worship services; broad inclusiveness, creative outreach, and radical hospitality; Beloved Community; action to advocate for peace/nonviolence, social and economic justice, and the environment; and how we could provide more diverse opportunities for spiritual growth.

This was a great experience, but just the beginning as our Action Planning Team continues the creative work of discerning our future.

Thanks to the team, and thanks to all of you, too! See you in church.
– Don