We need not think alike to love alike

10/25

The day begins with Kimberley. She shares with me that her Unitarian roots go back not only to 19th century New England but to 16th Century Romania an the court of King John Sigismund whose preacher Frances David preached  We need not think alike to love alike.

I share our conversation with Jane about relating to the New Thought religious movement. How they are not faith communities per se, but communities of faith practice with no commonly held theology but a shared practice. And that is why collaboration has been difficult to define. The interfaith project, as we have experienced it, has been predicated on relationships between/among particularities. For theologians like James Cone and Gustavo Gutierrez, this is a dialectical relationship. For Sharon Welch, it becomes more a multilectic (my word). 

In community’s like Sanctuary NYC, that encounter is already taking place internally as the community seeks to live out its life inter and intrafaith.  This would seem to call for new models of collaboration. 

KImberley’s focusing her energy on planning  next weeks’ read through of the Book of Revelation.

Martin continues to be anxious about our contract. Soledad has spent the day working with the Ukrainian Figure Skating team attempting to help them take flamenco onto ice through their skates. This is not easy.

Crisis. Someone has told our attorney that we have  serious structural and systems issues. That it is surprising we haven’t been shut down. That it will cost millions simply to be safe. And that he has ethical concerns being involved.

As angry as this makes me, I have to focus. Call on Ann Friedman of the Landmarks Conservancy who crafts a detailed e-mail reviewing the Matthew Gottsegen 10 year plan, the priorities for restoration, etc. But most importantly, that after dozens of investigations, no report has ever suggested that there were serious structural and systems issues and that it would be a waste of time and money to redo what has already been done. 

Of course it takes another high level meeting to resolve this, but Ann’s report does what is needed. Negotiations back on track. But why does this happen? What end is served  in seeking to derail our project? I don’t have time to engage in that analysis.

I’m late for our Interfaith Assembly meeting and a conversation with RL.

Back at the church, there’s someone new at the piano. Kara from Queens. The smile, the laugh, the familiarity just a little too intense. But she plays the Beckstein well. 

The St. Agnes boys are hard at work. Marc wants to get to the sermon recordings. martin is anxious. RL is waiting.....