From Your Salisbury Gathering Minister

Rev. Justin Martin

Easter Is Coming!

Easter will be here on April 16th and we are celebrating at all three locations, Lake Norman, Salisbury, and University.  You can expect all the eggs, candy, and activities of our regular Easter services, as well as a discussions of the Christian Easter tradition, the changing seasons, Pagan stories of spring, and embracing rebirth for ourselves.  It’s going to be great!  At the Salisbury and University Gatherings, we will also be continuing our tradition of offering traditional Unitarian communion services before the worship service, and the flower communion will take place at all three locations during the service.  Remember to bring a flower to share.  You may ask, why do you do that?  Well, I’m glad you asked!  For Unitarians and Universalists of the past and many Christians today, the ritual of communion is used to bind the congregation together in faith, not only among the current members of the congregation, but also with believers of the past who are no longer with us. They often use the language of “the communion of saints” for those who have come before.  The flower communion tradition was created in the twentieth century to not only celebrate the connections of our community, but the individuals within.  We recognize that like flowers, we are all different, and we would not be the same without each one.  By celebrating both of these rituals, we are able to bring together the past and present, the community and the individual, and our history as a part of the Christian tradition with our history as a part of the liberal religious and humanist traditions.  I hope you all can come join us.