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Returning to the Eildon Tree: What I’ve Learned on This Arm of the Spiral
by Rev. Lyn Cox, CER Regional Staff
Spring has returned in earnest where I live. The wave of blossoms from snowdrops to hellebores to daffodils rolls onward to azaleas and rhododendrons, somehow the same and different each year. Some years I do a little bit of cold weather vegetable gardening in March and April, some years I don’t, but in either case there is a flurry of activity to switch over to peak growing season in May. The garden looks a little different every year, even if there are familiar themes from one growing season to the next. Looking back over my gardening journals, I feel aligned with the idea of time as a spiral, turning in familiar shapes through seasons and cycles and rhythms of history, yet with a different perspective at every turn. Time does not seem to me to move in straight lines during the growing season.
Perhaps this curving, slippery nature of time at the beginning of May is why I am often reminded of the story of Thomas the Rhymer in this season. Thomas the Rhymer is a story rooted in a legend from thirteenth century Scotland, retold in manuscripts, ballads, and popular music over the centuries. In the story, Sir Thomas de Ercildoune is sleeping on a hillside under the shade of the Eildon Tree when the Queen of Elfland rides by on a beautiful horse with bells woven into its mane. She takes Thomas on a journey to her realm, where there is feasting and dancing. For Thomas, it seems like the experience lasts for three days. He is returned to the Eildon tree and finds that years have passed, and that he has earned the gift of truth-telling, which he uses to proclaim prophecies. I don’t know if the story happened exactly that way, but I believe it’s true that we can return to a place or a situation with both knowledge of how things have happened before and openness to the possibility of things happening differently this time around.
I don’t claim to have met the Queen of Elfland, but I can relate to returning to a situation and feeling that both only a short time has passed and that many years have passed. As you may know, I served in roles similar to Congregational Life Field Staff for the former Joseph Priestley District in 2006-2008. In the intervening years, I studied and did fieldwork in pastoral counseling, I facilitated workshops, and I served seven congregations in consulting and transitional roles. Attaining my current Field Staff role is like a turn of the spiral, familiar in shape yet open to something new. Returning to associational work feels in some ways as if only a few days have passed, and in some ways it has been a lifetime.
Some things haven’t changed. The dedication that my colleagues bring to supporting congregations and serving our faith is constant. It remains true that helping leaders to talk to each other across congregations and clusters yields powerful collective wisdom. The Love at the center of Unitarian Universalism endures, even as we come up with fresh ways to describe our values and our commitments.
Some things have grown and blossomed abundantly in this work. Technologies like Zoom help us to spend more time in conversation with congregational leaders and less time driving to meetings. The teamwork among regional staff gives congregations access to professionals with deep subject matter expertise in different areas. The creative collaboration among staff makes it possible to create high-quality resources for congregations that can be shared equitably. We are living into interdependence.
Having seen the relationship between congregations and Association staff from various directions and across time, I can appreciate that change feels at once too fast and too slow. If you are feeling confused or curious about how to be in closer contact with us on regional staff, please reach out. Something else that hasn’t changed in this turn of the spiral is that we want to hear from congregational leaders. We are eager to celebrate your successes with you, puzzle through your challenges with you, and elicit your dreams about the UUism of the future. Please email any of us or use a partnership activation request form to start a conversation.
Until then, the circle is open, but unbroken. Merry meet, merry part, and happy May. |
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The following events sponsored by CER and the UUA are upcoming. For full details and a complete list visit the CER Calendar Page. Also, please note, if you are mailing a check to pay for your registration, you must write the name and date of the event in the memo line. Otherwise we may not get it properly credited.
- CER Minister Gathering ~ May 6, 2026, 2:30 pm ET, online
- CER DeepRE Dive Gathering ~ May 12, 2026, 11 am ET, online
- Congregationally Affirmed Ministers Gathering ~ May 12, 2026, 3 pm ET, online
- CER BIPOC Monthly Gathering ~ May 13, 2026, 6:30 pm, online
- CER RE Essentials Gathering ~ May 13, 2026, 7 pm ET, online
- Tending Children and Youth Safety in UU Communities for Lay Leaders ~ May 14, 2026, 7 pm ET, online or May 19, 2026, 10 pm ET, online.
- Congregational Leaders Conversation ~ May 26, 2026, 7:30 pm ET, online
- Summer Institute Registration ~ July 5-11, 2026, registration closes June 20, 2026
If your congregation or cluster has an exciting project that could use funding from our Chalice Lighter Program, our next Intent to Apply deadline is August 1 for grants to be awarded in October 2026.
Congregation Events
- CONstitution - a youth con sponsored by the Youth Groups of UU Montclair and UU Shelter Rock at UU Montclair, NJ. May 9-10, 2026. For Middle School and Senior Youth. Middle School is Saturday only. Registration Link, PDF Flyer.
- Adult OWL Teacher Training In-Person, First Unitarian Church, Rochester, NY. May 15 at 2 pm through May 17 at 4 pm ET. Find details and registration.
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State of the Association Address |
This 39-minute video (YouTube) from President Sofía Betancourt offers an unprecedented view into programs and planning happening at the UUA, with an invitation into deeper partnership. The message is a reflection on this moment in the faith, the challenges and possibilities that lay ahead, and what it means to hold the heart of Unitarian Universalism today. |
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Part of CERSI, July 6-10, 2026
“Leadership is people leading spiritual lives,” says Hilary Allen, a member of Congregational Life Staff in the New England Region. As practicing Unitarian Universalists, we have historically proclaimed that all have a role to play in creating the Beloved Community. But in times of stress and constant motion, how do we engage the depths of Love as a grounding force?
In Leading Spiritual Lives, a summer session jointly sponsored by the Central East and MidAmerica Regions, participants will come to a deeper understanding that trustworthy, inspired leadership is aligned with deep spiritual work that guides our choices, priorities, and actions with our professed values. Not only will we learn about the essential history and theology of our tradition, but we will also explore the ways that it is present for us today.
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Final Session this year
Join us for our final Central East Region BIPOC UU Gathering of the congregational year on Wednesday, May 13th at 6:30pm ET (on Zoom). This monthly space centers connection, reflection, and spiritual grounding for BIPOC Unitarian Universalists, welcoming lay folks, leaders, and religious professionals. We hope you’ll join us as we close out the year together in community. |
Congregational Life Events |
Child and Youth Safety Training
Are you a volunteer RE coordinator, interested Board member, or a dedicated classroom guide or youth advisor? Open to religious professionals and ministers too! This gathering will review UUA suggestions for policies and practices to create a safer congregation for all ages. Select between two meeting time options:
Congregationally Affirmed Minister's Gathering (Formerly the Non-Fellowshipped Minister's Group)
This monthly gathering is for ministers who are serving Unitarian Universalist congregations that do not currently hold Fellowship from the UUA, and is open to congregational ministers form all five UUA Regions. Hosted by Rev. David Pyle, the Regional Lead for the MidAmerica Region of the UUA, the gathering seeks to create both a community of accountability and care among ministers who often do not have access to other forms of ministerial community. We also share resources and news from the UUA as well as share resources and experience among one another. If you are a minister serving a UU congregation, but do not currently hold ministerial fellowship with the UUA, this group may be for you. Learn more.
Congregational Leaders Conversation
Tuesday, May 26, 7:30-9pm ET
Music in the Key of Liberation
In our final conversation of the year, we welcome music directors Jen Hayman and Paolo Debuque to share their reflections on the role of music in congregations and communities. Singing together can soothe and connect us, ground us in our bodies and our values, inspire and transform us. Music can foster liberation in our hearts, our families, our neighborhoods and the larger world. Join the conversation as we share stories of what’s possible when we join our voices in song, in and beyond our congregations.
Jen Hayman is a Thai-American choral conductor, educator, singer, and pianist who believes in the power of music to change lives and culture. She has served multiple is currently the President of the Association for UU Music Ministries (AUUMM). Paolo Debuque (he/him) is a Filipino- and Chinese-American conductor dedicated to music as a liberation practice. He also serves as Director of Music at First Universalist Church of Minneapolis. Register today. |
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UUAMP Professional Days: Telling Our Stories; Sharing the Unique Heart of our Congregations
May 6-7, 2026, Cleveland, OH
Join us for a time of learning, networking, and programming that helps us meet this moment as we do the work of welcoming and belonging in our congregations. This year's guest speakers are Nancy McDonald Ladd and Natalie Briscoe. Plan to attend in-person or virtually online. Registration fees vary depending on the accommodations required. Find out more at their website.
Celebration of Firsts a Multigen Worship Resource
Big ups to DRE Sol Cornell along with NEAT who put this thing together: "I wrote this ritual with the intention of providing congregations with a practice that, while applicable to all ages, acknowledges and honors one of the most defining features of the young adult. Firsts are a lifelong experience, a daily one even, but many of us have some of our most foundational and transformative firsts in that turbulent period of early adulthood." Here's a video (YouTube) of First UU Austin doing the service. Once more from Sol, "Your firsts are holy, and you are holy for living them."
UU Mental Health Network Online Worship Service
May 31, 2026, 6 pm ET.
Our Faith Calls Us to Embrace Mental Health. Featuring Speakers: UUA President Rev. Dr. Sofia Betancourt and UUA Director of Congregational Life Natalie Aguila Briscoe. Register online. |
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Upcoming Gatherings
UUTV Trainings
Resources and Announcements
- Side With Love is hiring a fully remote, part-time Climate Justice Fellow to support congregational climate justice organizing. See job description & application requirements at the UUA website.
- UU the Vote 2026: Download the Guide and Watch the Launch.
- Creating Hubs of Resilience - Resources from April Gathering
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Summer Institute 2026
Many jobs are required to make the magic happen. We still need a Workshift coordinator, Bookstore coordinator, tech support, Health team worker (at least first aid/CPR certified), tie dye, water play, and child care provider for late afternoons and vespers. Some jobs (camperships) are perfectly suited to a first-timer while others can be involved and take time to learn. Some jobs are awarded for a single year, others for 3 years at a time. See a brief description of the available camperships, the amount you will offset your registration fee, and a link to the application at the CERSI website.
Join us at Oberlin College in Oberlin, OH, July 5-11, 2026 with Rev. Susan Ritchie, speaking on Co-Creating Hope: The Art and Beauty of Resilience.
Visit the website of the camps in our region to learn more about their programs:
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Central East Region
PO Box 425, St. Clairsville, OH 43950
Unitarian Universalist Association
24 Farnsworth Street, Boston, MA 02210-1409 |
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