Cultivating compassion means opening our hearts to the struggles of our neighbors, near and far, but it also calls us to reflect honestly on the places where we may fall short. Sometimes harm can happen even here, within our walls. We may overlook someone’s pain, miss an opportunity to listen, or speak words that wound rather than heal. True compassion invites us not to turn away from these moments, but to face them with courage, humility, and a willingness to grow together.

There are moments in ministry that mark me; not with fanfare or flashing clarity, but with quiet, undeniable power. One such moment came near the end of my hospital shift during chaplaincy. A nurse called: a patient had just passed. The family wasn’t present. Could Spiritual Health come?

When I entered the room, there was only stillness. No beeping machines, no quiet rustle of family jackets, no whispered goodbyes. Just silence and the presence of something sacred lingering in the air. A small wooden cross rested on the bedside table, anchoring the room in love and faith. I stood at the foot of the bed, breathed, and let the silence speak first. Then I prayed not for applause or thanks, but because love asked me to.

That moment marked me deeply. It was the first time I had ever prayed over someone who had just passed with no one else in the room. At first, I felt the heaviness of responsibility. But quickly it became something else: sacred intimacy. I wasn’t just praying for a patient, I was praying for a soul. I was standing in the gap between absence and presence, between love remembered and love still needed.

This experience reminded me of something I carry close: no one dies alone. Not truly. Because love does not die, connection does not end. Spirit holds more than we can see.

That is what compassion looks like. Not always grand gestures or visible acts of kindness, but showing up in silence, holding space when no one else can, choosing love when nothing compels you but the sacred itself.

When we choose compassion, we choose relationship. We acknowledge both the beauty and the imperfection of community life. We practice repair and forgiveness, knowing that our covenant with one another is not about perfection, but about returning—again and again to love.

Our mission as an enduring liberal religious community in the Unitarian Universalist tradition is to transform lives and care for the world.

Compassion is the thread that weaves this mission together, transforming us within and strengthening us to bring healing and hope into the wider world.

As we move through this month, may we commit to cultivating compassion as a thread that binds us together. Let us meet the world with open hearts and meet one another with grace. In this way, our sanctuary becomes not only a place of comfort but also a place of transformation where love and compassion grow stronger with each passing season.

In faith and love,
Rev. Phoenix Bell-Shelton Biggs

At our board retreat in August the board offered goals for the 2025-2026 year.

I have arranged the boards goals for UUCV for the 2025-2026 year as follows:

Support the new ministry in their efforts to serve their new congregation.

Community

Become more involved in the community 

Learn ways to better demonstrate our values thru community action

Focus on learning and growing from each other’s perspective, experience, and knowledge.

Identify and communicate a vision of the UUCV identity

Efficiency

Improve efficiency in church operations and workplace satisfaction for staff in response to staff concerns

Enhance and strengthen unity by being responsive to member concerns in a prompt manner

Establish master calendar of meetings and events

Confirm and Assert the physical safety of everyone in UUCV

Membership and Outreach

Broaden outreach to those who have left our congregation, to new attendees and to members in need

15% increased membership

Re-up our Welcoming Congregation status

Create a more cohesive congregation 

Host more outside group functions (to show how welcoming we are and to raise money for the church)

Foster greater sense of community with a growing and diverse membership and retain members. 

Generosity and Stewardship

10% increase in pledges/offerings.

Ensure UUCV solvency

Balance budget in 2 yrs - 27 to 28

Grow pledge units by 10%

As these goals are strived for, reached or exceeded we will update the congregation on how we are measuring these metrics, while some are solid and some are aspirational, we believe all are achievable.

The board has decided to offer an additional board member touch point where we will offer a member of the board on duty after service the last Sunday of the month to answer any questions you may have or to just meet someone on the board.  Please feel free to contact any member of the board at any other time you need.  A list of board members can be found in your order of service or on our website.  While caring for the fiduciary duties of the congregation we would like to extend our hands in honoring the inherent worth and dignity of every person.

A Note on Recent Projects and Our Commitment to

Fiduciary Responsibility

Dear Friends,

The Board of Trustees understands that a few members of UUCV are worried about the prudence or wisdom of some recent Board actions, specifically the installation of two large monitors in the Sanctuary and the purchase of air conditioning units for the Social Hall and downstairs classrooms. We welcome the spirit in which the concerns were raised, knowing that they spring from a place of deep affection for our community and the desire to see it survive and thrive for decades to come. We assure you that the Board of Trustees takes its fiduciary duties seriously and that our decisions are based on a careful and rational consideration of the short-term and long-term interests of UUCV, as well as the well-being of its members.

For example, the installation of the two monitors was designed to improve
accessibility/inclusion for in-person attendees. Making it easier to see for those with vision
problems or those sitting in the back was certainly a consideration. However, the primary reason was that the monitor’s installation permitted the removal of significant obstacles/obstructions in the Sanctuary’s physical space. Indeed, the Sunday immediately preceding the Board of Trustees, approval of the monitor installation, one of our older congregants tripped and fell on the AV hub located at the front of the Sanctuary. Fortunately, she was not hurt, but UUCV could have faced significant liability if she had been seriously injured or killed. As for the air conditioning units, the Board of Trustees cannot take full credit. They were an independent purchase by the Building
and Grounds Committee utilizing a small fraction of their 2025-2026 budget. Nevertheless, the Board fully supported the idea and the installation. As anticipated, the air conditioners made our Social Hall and downstairs classrooms substantially more comfortable during the summer months, likely preventing a substantial drop in attendance, pledges, and offerings.

Moving forward, we hope that you will trust that your Board of Trustees shares your
commitment to UUCV and takes its fiduciary duties seriously. At the same time, we recognize that trust is earned, so we are actively revising our policies and procedures to be more transparent and encourage congregational feedback. In the meantime, we invite all interested members to attend our meetings. We also encourage anyone with ideas or concerns for the future of UUCV to join a committee and take an active role in our development and evolution.

Together, all things are possible.

In Community,

McKenzie Clark
Vice-President, Board of Trustees

This October, our theme calls us into the practice of Cultivating Compassion. Compassion is not only a feeling but a way of living—a daily choice to see one another with gentleness, to respond to suffering with courage, and to create space where all can belong. Each Sunday we will explore how compassion can take root in surprising ways: in stories once silenced, in the courage to live out loud, in the unconditional love of our animal companions, and in the transformative power of education across the globe. Together, we nurture a spirit of compassion that grounds us in love and calls us to justice.

October 12 – Rev. Phoenix
Addiction, Grace, and the Long Road Home
Addiction is often misunderstood. It is not only about substances, but about seeking relief from pain—pain that too often festers in isolation and shame. In this sermon, Rev. Phoenix Bell-Shelton Biggs weaves together personal story, pastoral encounters, and the Parable of the Prodigal Child to explore the long road of addiction and recovery. At the heart of the story is not condemnation but grace: a God who runs to meet us with open arms, a community called to welcome before judgment, and the truth that every step toward healing is a miracle. Together, we will reflect on what it means to be a church that embodies this radical love—where the lost are found, the wounded are embraced, and no one is left to walk the road alone.

October 19 – Rev. Phoenix
Grace for Wild Paws & Sacred Claws: A Blessing of the Animals
Come one, come all—furred, feathered, scaled, and beloved—for a joyful service celebrating the sacred bond between humans and our animal kin. In Grace for Wild Paws & Sacred Claws, we honor the love, companionship, and wisdom our non-human companions bring into our lives. Through story, song, and ritual blessing, we will reflect on what animals teach us about unconditional love, presence, and our place in the interdependent web of all existence.

October 26 – Mozambique Bursary Team
From Carlisle to Zambezia: A Legacy of Learning
This Sunday, we honor Priscilla Laws (1940–2023) and the Bursary Project she founded after traveling in Mozambique with UUCV’s Bechtel family. In rural Zambezia province, most families live without electricity or running water, and secondary education is out of reach for nearly 90% of girls. The Bursary Project changes lives—supporting girls to stay in school, delay marriage, strengthen their families, and become community leaders. Together we celebrate Priscilla’s vision and the hope it continues to bring.

Join us for in-person worship in our Sanctuary every Sunday at 10:30 am or on ZOOM. or “listen in” (without video) by telephone, by calling 646-876-9923 and entering Meeting ID 550 751 6685