Creating Theology Together – CUC 2018 Eastern Regional Gathering

Our Board President Susan and I attended the Canadian Unitarian Council’s Eastern Regional Gathering under the theme of Creating Theology Together.  This three-quarter day workshop was held on Saturday 17 November 2018 in Kingston, ON., with about 20 participants from Eastern Ontario and Québec, under the direction of Rev. Linda Thomson. 

The day included conversation in pairs around a text adapted from Walt Whitman and three Chalice Circles for sharing on, What brings the deepest meaning to your life?  I found both these structured sharing activities very rewarding.  However, I’d like to say more  about the first workshop-type activity of the day after the Gathering in; it was a World Café with four tables and three questions.  Some participants rotated after each question.  

I’ll focus just on the first question, which was, What religious questions are most important to you? My first reaction was that religious questions are not important to me. Then, it struck me that the search for truth in one’s own heart is an essential quest and, in a sense, is religious.  Keith Baxter from Estrie spoke about reverential naturalism, including awe and gratitude. The discussion around this concept helped me make more sense of words we often use, such as holy or sacred space.  A space in which our reverence for life helps us see beyond the frictions of daily life and connect us to the inherent worth and dignity of each person before us.