The Reverend Elena Rigg presents

“The World Needs Our Presence…and our Absence”

About our Service:
“In order to understand the world,” wrote Albert Camus, “one has to turn away from it on occasion.” More than anything else, we must be fully present to both the beauty and the brokenness of the world, if we are to help redeem it. But to be fully present over the long haul, we must sometimes take time away from the world. How do we strike a balance between engagement and retreat?

About our Speaker:
Rev. Rigg is minister emerita of Unitarian Church North, a Unitarian Universalist congregation in Mequon, Wisconsin, just north of Milwaukee. In 2008, when Elena retired from ministry, she was sad to leave the wonderful group of men, women, and children who made up this congregation. She and her husband Dave (a history teacher for forty years) were not sad to leave Wisconsin winters, however, and happily left the snows behind and moved to Fort Myers.

During their seven years in Fort Myers, Elena was active in the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort Myers, where she taught UU history, led a weekly mindfulness meditation group, gave the occasional sermon, and served on the research team of LIFE, Lee County’s counterpart to ICARE. In addition, she was, and continues to be, a member of the Florida Community of Mindfulness, a Buddhist mindfulness and meditation community, which has now established a Practice Center in Tampa.

Last year, Elena and Dave decided to “retire” again while still healthy and move to a retirement community that could offer services and support as they aged. That decision brought them to Atlantic Beach and to the Jacksonville area, which they are coming to know and appreciate. Elena has attended Sunday services at both BBUUC and UUCJ, enjoying sitting in the “pews.” She is very happy to be at BBUUC again – in the pulpit.

Worship Leader: Jim Wood
Accompanist: Marilyn Smart