It is said that if a group of people sleep arranged in a circle—heads at the center and feet out like spokes—they create a dream circle.

Community has been lost in today’s world. People have become so engrossed in their own wants, dreams and desires that they don’t worry about helping anyone else.

I come to church—and would whether I was a preacher or not—because I fall below my own standards and need to be constantly brought back to them.

Some of the old New England graveyards are serene little pockets of neglect. Their slate tombstones lean at odd angles and the elegant calligraphy is barely legible, spelling out obscure colonial names like Ozias and Zebulon.

Though the extended community of Unitarian Universalists is a profoundly important one for me, if I had to name where I’ve learned the most about how to create deep and grounded community, it would not be church of any kind.