 Verdis LeVar Robinson Jamestown, N.Y. – Verdis LeVar Robinson delivers the sermon to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown (UUCJ) on Sunday, March 5, 2023.
The Rochester, New York, native will present “We Deserve to Grow Old” at the 10:30 a.m. hybrid service. The UUCJ’s regular first Sunday preacher is a newly fellowshipped Unitarian Universalist minister. He will speak virtually from Vermont, where he serves the Unitarian Church of Montpelier as ministerial coordinator of worship arts production and adult religious education. A slogan has started to trend on social media that “Black Men Deserve to Grow Old.” Robinson will reflect on this trend in the midst of another Black life tragically lost. The sermon relates to the first and seventh of the seven principles that Unitarian Universalist congregations affirm, promote and hold as strong values and moral guides: The inherent worth and dignity of every person and respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. It also relates to the eighth principle, adopted by nearly 150 UU congregations, that will be acted on at the Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly in Pittsburgh in June: Journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions. Robinson holds a B.M. in Voice Performance from Boston University, a B.S. cum laude and M.A. in History from SUNY College at Brockport, and an M.A. in African-American Studies from SUNY University at Buffalo. In May, he will receive his Master of Divinity from Chicago’s Meadville Lombard Theological School. Congregant Emily Garrick will be the service leader, and Julie Anderson the pianist. A social time follows the service. Participation can be either in person at 1255 Prendergast Avenue in Jamestown or online. To join virtually, use the link at UUJamestown.org/calendar. The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown is a progressive, liberal religious community serving the southern tier of Western New York and Warren County, Pa. The UUCJ’s mission is to support and celebrate each other, encourage spiritual and individual growth, and serve the wider community. Comments are closed.
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