More than 250 years ago, John Murray, considered the founder of Universalism in America, extolled the value of preaching “hope, not hell.” What does it mean to lean into hope amid the challenges facing our country today?

If we are to have any hope of addressing and undoing racism and other systemic oppressions, we must start at home- in our personal attitudes and behaviors, in our families, in our congregations, and in our larger association. Are we up to this task? If so, how do we start?

Sometimes the best and greatest present we can give someone else, especially someone who is suffering, is simply our presence – not offering advice or platitudes – but just being there as a listening, caring presence. How do we go about doing this work with one another?

While it may not be clear to us, we are in the midst of an emerging new civil rights movement that builds on the  desegregation movement of the 1950s and 60s and seeks to address lingering inequalities. What are the ways in which we might participate in this movement and not merely observe.