My name is Jack Dodds and I have been a member and supporter of this congregation for almost 30 years. But, more than that, Unitarianism has been a continuous thread through my entire life.

I became aware of the faith as a young child. My family was living in Halifax, which had no Unitarian congregation then, but we received mailings including RE materials, from the Unitarian Church of the Larger Fellowship. When we moved to Ontario, we joined what is now the Mississauga U-U congregation. One of my RE teachers there was Larry Wulff, whom many of you knew. I later visited First Unitarian Toronto for youth conferences. Carol and I were married by Toronto First’s chaplain. Another move took us to Halifax where we made close friends in that U-U congregation. Once back in Ontario, our family eventually joined this congregation, and we have been here ever since. Now my grandsons are participants!

The Unitarian community is a place where I feel included because the people around me believe, as I do, that it is important to think about the “big questions” of life and to try to live in a principled way. Even as a child I was aware that asking certain questions or supporting certain causes was considered inappropriate – even weird – in the broader society. Rites of passage often included language that I could not accept. Times have changed, but respect for the inherent worth and dignity of every person is still an unpopular idea. Our U-U outlook is as important to the world as ever.

We are approaching a milestone, the calling of a new settled minister. Now is a good time for all us to be as generous as we are able. We need each other and our leaders to ask the important questions and help us find our own answers.