Midweek Message October 22, 2026

 Bring on the Magic - Rev. Jennifer Hackett

This month, one of our wise ones at FUUN asked me what I liked most about working here.  

I had to think for a second whether or not “creating magic” was an acceptable answer.

Many of our kids this month are part of school plays -  which come with a lot of down time while they wait out scenes that have nothing to do with themselves.  One of our kids shared with me that the waiting group were recently talking about, “whose Church was most progressive.”

(In this audience, the more progressive, the better.) 

Well, y’all, we sewed up that prize.  And what a gift it was to hear how our faith description was received with enthusiasm by the other young people.

As we’ve begun the Crossing Paths curricula with the Jr. and Sr. Youth, all of us involved in that process have been doing the work of thinking respectfully about other faith traditions: how we are different and similar, how those of us who grew up in a different faith experienced those vs. this, and how great it is to be able to talk about our faith in terms of our lived values in real life.

AND, what a gift it is that it’s a living tradition.  What I learned 10 years ago about UU is now more honed, nuanced and different than it was then.  We do not use the words “now and forever,” unless it’s pertaining to our core value of love.

It’s been magic to be a part of developing and honing our core rituals pertaining to young people. 

It’s been magic to work with Claire and Taqiyyah to plan and execute curricula and events that transform young people.  And, with Taqiyyah’s inroads efforts -  to branch out to Vanderbilt, helping students away from home know that they can have a church home here, if they need one, if they want one.

It’s a little bit of magic each week to think theologically about the overall message of the Sunday service, and what story will best help convey that idea to people of all ages.  And to help our youngest people to feel comfortable in our sanctuary - sometimes waving at little JETPIGS stuck in the walls for them to find (or visit if they already have collected that value that day - hence the waving.)

It’s a little bit of magic to help a community come together and become one, through the upcoming Church Retreat (one year away!) that the staff team has spent a lot of phone and driving time figuring out where and how to best make more magic happen.

As we move forward to Halloween, with all of its witches and wizards and other transformed persons - I invite you to join me in seeing the magic in all that we create, all that we do, all that we are. You are all made of magic and I love helping to bring it out where we can all see it!