Member Testimonial: Ron Peck

Good morning. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Ron Peck and I’ve been a member of First Unitarian Church for almost four years. Today I’d like to share with the congregation and our guests why I’ve chosen this place as my spiritual home.

Before I get to my testimony, I have two confessions to make.

Confession #1: After listening and watching Rev. Posa and our former minister Rev. Carley give sermons from this raised pulpit, I’ve always wondered what’s it like to stand up here and address the congregation. Now I get to find out.

Confession #2: I really like looking out from high places, so this fact will hopefully keep me calm for the duration of this talk.

My testimony will be presented in three parts. Part One I’ll refer to as my “origin” story or how I discovered this church and eventually became a member. In Part Two, I’ll briefly discuss why I’ve come to embrace Unitarian Universalism as my religion of choice. Finally, I’ll share some thoughts on what makes Church of the River such a special place to worship and foster my sense of community.

So what brought me here? To answer this question, let me refer back to an event I attended in March 1993. The Memphis Public Library hosted Massachusetts Institute of Technology physics professor and novelist Alan Lightman to read from, and sign, his recently published book, Einstein’s Dreams. Dr. Lightman’s presentation made for a great evening.

Now flash forward to November 2012. I’m browsing through the pages of the Commercial Appeal, when I see an announcement of a lecture to be presented by Dr. Lightman at First Unitarian Church. The lecture is entitled, “The Physicist As Humanist: Science, Art and Religion”. Because science and religion are two of my favorite topics, naturally I showed up. While Professor Lightman gave an exceptional talk that Friday night, Burton Carley’s opening remarks really caught my attention. He stated that Unitarian Universalists hold equal regard for science, reason and faith. My reaction was, “What kind of religion is this?”

I returned to Church of the River to investigate a worship service. That first Sunday visit, just before Thanksgiving, drew me in. A beautiful sanctuary and spectacular view of nature through these windows. Stimulating sermon. A welcoming attitude among the congregation. All the ingredients were there.

Over the next five months, I kept attending. Each visit just confirmed the realization that I already possessed Unitarian inclinations. The only missing piece involved finding a home with like-minded spiritual seekers. My realization became official when I signed the membership book on April 14th, 2013.

That’s my origin story. Next, why does being a UU appeal to me? Based on a recent conversation I held with another church member, we both concluded that it required a certain courageousness to practice our faith. Being a UU demands that each of us decides for ourselves what we believe and why we hold that specific belief. Moreover, some of my theological conclusions will not completely match up with yours. That’s perfectly O.K. While such an approach may seem unsettling and chaotic in the eyes of other denominations, from my viewpoint, this method of cultivating a spiritual outlook is both liberating and filled with unexpected insights and surprises. Another way I embrace being a UU involves a willingness of our faith to open up the pulpit to individuals from different faiths, and traditions - in addition to skeptics and non-believers. Lastly, I’ve come to understand the positive expansive scope of our faith - it seeks new ways to express what is sacred and transcendent about being alive in the “here and now”. The Unitarian Universalist minister Theodore Parker expresses this idea beautifully in the following words:

“Be ours a religion which, like

sunshine, goes everywhere;

its temple, all space

its shrine, the good heart

its creed, all truth

its rituals, works of love

its profession of faith, divine living.”

After sharing that lofty quotation, let me talk about my personal motivations for returning to Church of the River Sunday after Sunday. I’ll touch on four reasons in reverse order.

Reason #4: I love the sense of community this church offers its members. I’ll assign extra bonus points for our congregation’s great sense of humor and willingness to have fun. If you attended the Cajun Music and Dinner fund-raiser back in June, I think it’s safe to say the band, “Marcella and Her Lovers” brought down the house that night.

Reason #3: Although I enjoy all the church’s annual celebrations - like Flower Communion Day and the Christmas Candlelight Service - I confess that my favorite is “Kite Day” to announce the arrival of spring. It’s the one day that I get to be a seven-year-old kid again.

Reason#2: I can always rely on superb, uplifting musical performances by Music Director Chuck Schulz, pianist Debbie Heath and our “Awesome Little Choir”.

And Reason #1: Church of the River is a wonderful place to extend my spiritual life and practice out into the world. Our worship service is a wedding of the mind and heart.

I’ll close my presentation by returning to that November evening in 2012 - when I first walked through the doors of this sanctuary to hear Dr. Lightman’s talk. One of the take-aways I received from his lecture is that mysteries and miracles exist all around us. For me, biblical references to “burning bushes” and earthly visitation by “angels” aren’t necessary to believe in miracles. When I look out at this congregation - from this pulpit - the one miracle I do believe in is all of you. Thank you for welcoming and accepting me into the fellowship of this church.