UU Fellowship to Offer 5-Part Online Exploration of Lessons Learned in Pandemic

With many predicting that lasting societal changes will occur in the aftermath of the global pandemic, members of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Plattsburgh want to take time to explore — with others — lessons that could be learned from the crisis.

To facilitate this exploration, Rev. Nicoline Guerrier will host What Matters Now, a five-session program designed to deepen individual and collective responses to the challenges — and opportunities — brought forth by the crisis. 

Free and open to the public, the program will run from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays, May 13-June 10, online via the Zoom videoconferencing platform. Attendees will be asked to do a small amount of prep-work prior to each session. The themes for each week are as follows:

  • May 13, Session 1: The Present Moment. Drawing on participants’ experiences, the group will take stock of what is unique, critical and unsettling about the present moment. 
  • May 20, Session 2: Pre-existing Conditions. Race, economic inequality, immigration status, where people live and how they make their livelihoods — these are just a few of the many conditions that impact how the present moment is playing out. This session will ask how individuals can look beyond their own experiences to deepen our understanding of what is called for in these times.
  • May 27, Session 3: Meanwhile, the Earth … Worldwide lockdowns and decreased consumer activity have given parts of the Earth a brief reprieve, but, as activist Greta Thunberg says “our house is still on fire.” This session looks at the climate lessons offered by the present moment.
  • June 3, Session 4: “Roots Hold Me Close/Wings Set Me Free” Named after a lyric in a song by Carolyn McDade, this session explores how the religious and wisdom traditions of the world have often nourished two polarities: the yearning for comfort and the call to liberation. It looks at how these traditions might provide sustenance. 
  • June 10, Session 5: How Now Shall We Live? This session invites attendees to look to the future. It asks, “If we seek to ground our lives in what matters now, what commitments might we make, both individually and collectively?”

Those wishing to attend can register at by May 8. A link to the gatherings will be forwarded upon registration. 

For information or to register by phone, contact Rev. Guerrier: minister@uuplattsburgh.org or 518-565-6708.