President's Column

“A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave.” - Mahatma Gandhi

Hello my brave fellow Unitarian Universalists! Brave? Us?  I do believe so.  It takes bravery, compassion, and hard work to build a loving and just community, to make this a better world.

Consider this:  Our church’s tag line for letters and such is “Many Beliefs, One Community, A Better World”.  To me, it’s only possible when we let love and respect trump “gotcha”.  “Gotcha” is easy, us/them comes natural . . . practicing love and respect is a life’s work.

We have a busy March ahead.  Dominic Crossan’s talks and seminar on the weekend of March 23rd (say "hi" to my wife Beryl if you see her), and the ongoing preparations for the Church Auction on March 31st. Also, during the first weekend of March, church staff and leadership are participating in a church governance consultation by Dan Hotchkiss, a well-respected consultant in the field, and author of, Governance and Ministry, Rethinking Board Leadership, one of the required readings for the DBLE leadership training Sally Wood and I attended last summer.  Planning for and implementation of the strategic plan and canvass continues.

Our next board of trustees meeting is tentatively scheduled for Thursday March 8th at 7:15 PM in the church office. Check the UCBR activities calendar for updates.  Interested members are welcome to attend.  If you have a question or concern, or need to contact me directly, please call me at 225-931-6270 or email

me at michael_hebert@bellsouth.net.