Springtime and gardening go together and have us imagining Beloved Community as a garden. Imagine the soil of Beloved Community as the ground of being that nurtures Unitarian Universalism. What do we want to cultivate? How do we handle the weeds? Will everyone be welcome? Camille Dungy’s book “Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden” provided inspiration for this sermon.

Clergy couple Mel Hoover and Rose Edington are co-ministers Emeriti of the UU Congregation in Charleston, West Virginia. Retired from congregational ministry in 2014, they continue their ministries through MelRose Ministries, with a focus on creating Beloved Community that considers the intersections of racism, classism, sexism, and environmental justice. Wishing to be closer to their granddaughter (and her parents) prompted their move to Bellingham in 2020.

Topics: Anti-Racism, Human Relations