SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – As we look around, we see fear, anger, fighting, factionalism, and even despair. Where can we turn for help? The life and teachings of Howard Thurman are the perfect medicine for these times.
Howard Thurman (1899-1981) rises as one of the most influential African Americans of the last century. He was called “the saint of the Civil Rights Movement,” by Rep. John Lewis. Thurman was one of the greatest preachers of his day, a scholar and a professor at Howard and Boston Universities. He served as copastor of the Church for the Fellowship of All People in San Francisco. He had a profound impact on Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and he found a way to face directly and open-heartedly the challenges of his time and offer us an invitation to walk in his footstep to cultivate connection, courage, and hope.
You are invited to join us in this eight-month journey of transformation as we learn from Thurman’s insights, challenges, and paradoxes. On the third Sundays from October through May, we will co-host a series of powerful interfaith worship services based on Thurman’s life and teachings. This series is co-sponsored by the Empowerment Center in the Cheverly, Md. and the Springfield UU Meetinghouse. We will welcome to the service participants from the Meetinghouse, the Empowerment Center, and other individuals and congregations who are also interested in learning about Thurman and his legacy. Our choir director, Julane Deener, and the virtual choir are preparing some great music for our enrichment.
The series will launch Sunday, Oct. 17 at 10 a.m. To join the Zoom meeting, go to https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6130779853.
For further information, watch this seven-minute video about this series at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz2DsSKqraU. Read “For the Inward Journey: The Writings of Howard Thurman” published posthumously in 1984 or watch the two-part YouTube video “Conversations with Howard Thurman,” interviewed by Landrum Bolling.
Rev. Dr. Mellen Kennedy is a Universalist and Sufi minister who has the honor of serving as settled minister for the Springfield Meetinghouse. Rev. Dr. Kristal Owens founded Empowerment Center to help communities to empower themselves and discover personal, familial, and communal resources to live, learn, and grow. Go to www.empowerment-center.org/programs for more information.