Holding Fast to the Power of Love

January 2025

Dear Beloved Community,

As we welcome a new year, we do so amidst a political climate that has left many of us unsettled, fearful, and grieving. The election of Donald Trump has unleashed a tide of racist rhetoric, emboldened hate, and cast a shadow over the democratic principles we hold dear. This moment carries a heavy weight for our community, as the echoes of systemic injustice grow louder and the fight for equity and dignity becomes ever more urgent.

In these times, let us hold fast to the power of love. Love does not shy away from hard truths; it calls us to embrace the full diversity of our identities and experiences and to affirm the sacred worthiness of every person. Love challenges the forces that seek to divide us and reminds us that we are stronger together.
This month, The Mountain Top joins Unitarian Universalists across the nation in the Celebrating Diversity: Bringing Our Wholeness series. Through daily reflections, stories, and resources, we uplift the voices, traditions, and resilience of our beautifully diverse community. This series is an invitation to center our BIPOC experiences, to celebrate the wholeness of who we are, and to resist the narratives that seek to diminish us.

In light of the current political realities, I want to extend my heartfelt support to you—our BIPOC beloveds. You are not alone in your fears or frustrations. Together, we will rise against the coming tide of hate. Together, we will affirm that love is stronger than hate, justice is more enduring than oppression, and democracy is worth defending.

Beloveds, our Unitarian Universalist faith calls us to bend the moral arc toward justice, even in the face of overwhelming challenges. It calls us to be bold in our love and unwavering in our commitment to one another.

We would like to invite you to share in our Finding Your Passion, Constructive Theology and Creative Expression workshop series beginning Saturday, February 1st. The series will be hosted online with local and identity based discussion cohorts. (Please register).

Let us hold each other close as we navigate this moment. Let us find strength in our shared humanity, and let us continue to build the world we dream of—a world where democracy thrives, justice reigns, and love truly knows no bounds.

In love and faith,

AJ
Pastor AJ Blackwood
Community Minister
The Mountain Top: A BIPOC Unitarian Universalist Community