Intern Minister, 2010-11
I come to UUCB as a third-generation Unitarian Universalist. Before moving out to California to attend seminary, I called Washington D.C. my home, where I worked at Howard University as a health and sexuality educator and as an abortion counselor on the National Abortion Federation’s hotline. I envision my ministry as nourishing the connections between pastoral care, spirituality, and social justice work, and welcome the learning and teaching we will do together in this upcoming year!
~ Darcy Baxter
Beacon On The Hill column, November, 2010
This month’s theme of democracy brought me into a dance with these thoughts from Cornel West and Gloria Feldt:
We must dig deep into often untapped wells of our democratic tradition to fight the imperialist strain and plutocratic impulse in American life. We must not allow our elected officials to bastardize and pulverize the precious word “democracy” as they fail to respect and act on genuine democratic ideals.- Cornel West
Our relationship with power is a spiritual one rarely acknowledged by the metrics or philosophers. Until we redefine that relationship, we will stay stuck in our unfinished revolution. - Gloria Feldt
I like to imagine our congregations as the spiritual lifeblood of liberal tradition, a tradition with democra-cy at its core. I imagine democracy as prayerful practices that have the potential to create more just and healing ways of being. But in order to overcome not just political imperialism, but also the spiritual imperialism of our times, we must delve into our relationship with power. And that relationship, as Feldt puts, is essentially a spiritual one. What is your relationship to power? And how is it spiritual for you?
Beacon On The Hill column, October, 2010
“To live, we must die every instant. We must perish again and again in the storms that make life possible.” -Thich Naht Hahn.
In October, we are engaging with the theological theme of Creation. What does it take to create and sustain life? How do we honor creation? These questions resonate strongly within me, as I am in deep relationship with the abortion providing community. There are few other communities more painfully and joyfully in touch with Thich Naht Hahn’s wisdom than they. Creation requires us to be in right relationship with endings, limits, and perishings. As UUs, we respect the interdependent web of all existence and thus honor the wisdom that creation requires us to perish again and again.
The wisdom that lives deep in the bones of Unitarian Universalism is what I hope to bring to the abortion providing community this upcoming year when I deliver keynote addresses at two medical conferences. Rev. Dr. Beth Ann Gaede says that congregations are called to be instruments of healing in a broken world. What guidance, support, and wisdom does UUCB want me to share at these conferences? How can we honor all the complexities and beauties of creating and creation?
Beacon On The Hill column, September 2010
While studying at Starr King School for the Ministry, I stumbled upon one of my favorite ways to get to know people: I hosted the first school potluck of the year, where I led people in sharing and listening to songs that made them most want to dance. I believe there is something special and deep in sharing the rhythms that move us. Over the last 10 years, I have studied Jazz, Afro-Brazilian, Hip-Hop, and Tap. Dance has been one of my most consistent spiritual practices. I’ve also found that rhythm provides me with compelling metaphors to communicate about what we call the sacred, precious, and divine.
I arrive at UUCB as a third-generation Unitarian Universalist with a background in reproductive justice and counseling. I have completed training as a professional chaplain and recently finished a thesis project working with abortion providers on spiritual care. I am blessed to have an incredible partner Katherine, a dedicated animal welfare advocate, and our dog Benny, and cat Sassafrass. I believe that UU congregations are full of blessings and profound life-saving wisdoms. My greatest hope is that our time together will nurture the blessings and wisdoms that we all already have.
