As we embark on this month of exploration of interdependence and the company we keep, our visiting research minister invites us to consider our history. Are the core messages of religious liberalism relevant in 2026, and do they offer meaningful guidance or assurance for our progressive community commitments? This might sound dry, but consider this: what if the warnings and instructions offered to us 100 years ago were bell-clear and razor-sharp as heard from the vantage point of this autumn? You may be surprised at the wisdom of our forebears–and the difficulty of abiding by it. Music will include the UCM Choir singing “One Voice” by Ruth Moody and Numa Haase playing piano.

Rev. Jordinn Nelson Long (she/her) lives with her family in Rutland County, Vermont, and on the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland. She is a PhD candidate in cultural and economic geography at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador where she works on a grant funded by the Canadian Government’s Social Science and Humanities Research Council about church closure and the role of church buildings in community infrastructure

Topics: interdependence