As the autumn season comes upon us with its shorter days and cooler nights, I want to turn our focus back to Stewardship. Just a reminder: The core values of stewardship are: (1) Identity, (2) Trust, (3) Gratitude and (4) Love. I would like to focus this month on Trust.

As a noun Trust means: a firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something; and as a verb it means: to believe in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of. That almost says it all, except as UU’s we are further called upon to build Trust in relationships, in our church and in the whole community. We translate this sentiment by using the language of trusting “a Love that will not let us go.” This calls on us to trust that life’s support comes to us as a gift. After all, it’s all too easy to convince ourselves that life is a foe. So, we need the BBUUC faith community to Trust that life is ultimately a friend. We need that reassurance. We need to know that when we fall or misstep, we can count on being picked up. Trust in Love that won’t let us go is essential, but it is just as important to have Trust in Love that won’t let us get too comfortable.

Trust is inherent in all our defining principles and is essential to building a comprehensive stewardship program. If you have any ideas about how we can better implement such a process here at BBUUC, let me or any member of the Board know, and we’ll incorporate them in our ongoing planning. Let’s celebrate A Year of Stewardship – A Way of Life.

Peace and Love.

Chuck