Words from Commitment Sunday: Karen Ransom
Good morning. I’m Karen Ransom, a proud member of Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church – Unitarian Universalist. I have been a Unitarian Universalist my entire life and a member here for about 6 years.
There are a lot of things I love about this church.
At this point in my life, one of the most pressing things for me is providing a spiritual home for my children. It is so critical to me that they have a place to explore their beliefs and a place to reinforce the values that I hold dear. I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that I consider the Our Whole Lives or OWL sexuality curriculum to be one of the greatest gifts we offer our young people today. It is an experience that they will never get anywhere else. Anywhere. Ever. The Religious Education program here is fabulous. My son, who declared himself an atheist by age five, needs a home to help him figure out what he does believe about the world and know there are lots of other people who share and value his beliefs and aren’t just going to tell him he’s going to hell. Even if you don’t have children in the RE program, know that we truly are building a brighter future for all of us here.
I have taught at the preschoolers through middle school levels here and am continually impressed by the quality and intentionality of these classes. I admit, I often signed up to teach because I had kids in the classes and felt that it was my duty to volunteer for them. However, I gained so much from being there with them. It’s a great gift to be on that journey with these kids. They are smart and aware and articulate about so many issues and ideas. I’ve also learned a lot about myself, and own beliefs through this work. And I can’t even tell you how much I learned having taught an OWL class myself!
I love attending Sunday Services. I love having an hour of peace, thoughtfulness, music, and mediation and quiet. I can THINK in here. In our overly active daily lives, it’s hard to find an uninterrupted space to THINK. It’s a weekly indulgence that I could easily skip and fill with mundane activities at home, but I am always thankful I came and look forward to it each week. I love the music. I love the sense of community of being here together with you. I am inspired and moved by the sermons. I know that I can come in here and sit and cry, or swell with love and never fail to fill my cup. I’m in awe and filled with gratitude during Joys and Sorrows and witnessing the amount of the “life” that is symbolized by the masses of folks who light candles in Hope and Remembrance. Whatever is going on in my life, it says to me “you are not alone.”
I’m impressed with how committed so many people are to this community. The amount of time and energy and resources they are willing to put towards this place – for themselves and for all of us – is spectacular. I’m deeply impressed by how they are truly in covenant together. Gatherings here are always rich with intelligence, love, thoughtfulness, opinions, and openness. I am learning to be my best self here and am deeply grateful for the guidance and opportunity.
When I moved to Charlottesville, it seemed that everyone (women, anyway) was part of a book club, but no one invites you to theirs. So a girlfriend and I decided that the only way we were going to get to be in a Book Club in Charlottesville was to start one ourselves and we immediately agreed to look for members within the TJMC-UU community. It was an obvious and easy decision and is now filled with women who have become some of my best friends and deepens my connections here.
Having lived in many different places and experienced many different UU worlds – beginning in Ohio, through DC, to Boston including a couple of stints at our Association headquarters, Oklahoma, Montreal, and here I am deeply thankful to live in place with a vibrant UU community. I consider it critical to my life. It’s who I am. It’s what I value in life. I can’t imagine the void in my life without it. Before we even formally decided to move here, I was checking out the church and glad to see that the rainbow banner was already up and in place. It says to me “this is a place I could live.”
There are many things going on at church that I haven’t gotten involved with yet and I really look forward to it. And sometimes I just like knowing it’s there. I can’t imagine my life in Charlottesville without TJMC-UU. Being here, volunteering here, and giving my money here, is an investment in my life, my children’s lives, the lives of everyone who walks through those doors and our community. I figure it’s one of the best investments I can make. I hope you will join me.