On Sunday October 23rd, members of local Unitarian Universalist congregations led a Vespers service that included songs, stories, speeches, and a prayer. The audience of approximately 60-80 people included many Unitarian Universalists. A leader estimated that up to 12 area congregations were represented, as well as the larger Occupy Boston community.
The Reverend Molly Housh Gordon, who spoke at the event, said the idea behind holding services at Dewey Square was to create an opportunity for church members to get to know the Occupy movement and to get them interested, excited, and energized by it. Initially, she said, she was skeptical of the movement, but quickly changed her mind. Now she finds it inspiring: “This is the raising of hundreds of thousands of voices that have been silenced by the system,” she said. Gordon is the assistant minister of the First Parish Church in Milton.
The Reverend Tom Schade, minister of the First Unitarian Church of Worcester, added that the Faith and Spirituality Working Group had reached out to Unitarian Universalists in their effort to provide an array of opportunities for spiritual practice at the Occupy Boston encampment. During the service, Schade spoke about the value of working together: “Heaven is when we learn to be together. Heaven is when we learn to feed each other. Hell is trying to do it on your own.”
Unitarian Universalist Vespers services are being held every Sunday evening in Dewey Square, normally at 5:30pm. This was the third such event, and was delayed because of the scheduling of Marshall Ganz’s teach-in.
Article by Elisa Mai
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