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Bridging
Ceremony Planning Committee | ||||||
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Bridging
Ceremony Planning Committee | ||||||
The annual GA Bridging Ceremony is an important rite of passage for our young people who are transitioning from Youth to Young Adulthood. It is a powerfully moving service with testimony, music, and a symbolic "walk across the bridge." It is also our chance to support the youth as they go "Walking Between Worlds."
Saturday evening, several score of young Unitarian Universalists were poised on the brink of a transition in their lives. An equal number of young adults were present to support them through this change. Hundreds of adult allies and well-wishers were there to witness the ceremony. In the darkened hall, the flute and piano invoked silence and stillness.
So began the seventh annual Bridging Ceremony at the 2001 General Assembly. During the ceremony, youth were greeted, praised, challenged, cheered, anointed, and generally celebrated.
After the chalice lighting, Denny Davidoff, Moderator of the Unitarian Universalist Association,greeted the Youth, and in her remarks mused on whether the welcome we offer them is in fact warm enough. In the end, musing on the spider and her own transition as she leaves office as Moderator of the UUA, she reaffirmed the connections that we build through transitions like the Bridging Ceremony as follows: "Thus I, gone forth as spiders do / In spider's web a truth discerning, / Attach one silken thread to you / For my returning."
The Youth themselves spent time earlier in the day reflecting on their upcoming transition. Distilled from their contemplation were messages of hope, commitment, and optimism, based on their own histories and backgrounds as Unitarian Universalists.
Matt Avery highlighted the continuity that is inherent in all transitions - that these youth would come back to YRUU in many ways in the future. In particular, he emphasized that their YRUU roots would always be with them. More tangibly, YRUU and their connections and friendships would still be available in moments of need. In that context though, he noted the transition from dependence towards independence, the transition towards self-reliance, and the new challenges the youth face.
Before welcoming the youth into young adulthood and the precincts of the C*UUYAN, Justice Waidner saluted the Rev. Donna DiSciullo as the outgoing director of Young Adult and Campus Ministry at the UUA. Rev. DiSciullo has played a crucial role in fostering youth programs and empowerment during her tenure at the UUA, and has forged deep and meaningful relationships with many youth in the Unitarian Universalist movement. Waidner announced that henceforth, the C*UUYAN "Young Adult/Campus Ministry award" would be named after Rev. DiSciullo. It was, as you might imagine, a rather emotional moment.
Waidner went on to emphasize that C*UUYAN is a radically inclusive community working to transform the UUA and the world, a grass roots group that draws its energy from the bottom up, and whose voice is determined to be heard. Their faith demands it. She welcomed the "bridgers" in their transition to C*UUYAN.
When, after the anthem, Rev. DiSciullo spoke, she spoke as a young adult ally as well as the "Elder Voice" welcoming the youth through this transition. She reflected on her realization growing up as a Universalist, that "God is Love", and on her realization as she grew older, of just how radical a notion that is, when taken seriously. For justice and love are inseparable. In fact, "Justice," she said, "is love applied at a distance." Therefore, to be connected to injustice enables us to use the force of our anger for justice. "Live by your ideals," she exhorted, "and make love and justice your God."
Introducing the Bridging Ritual itself, Phoebe Hanshew emphasized that the ritual is not just a walk across a stage, but a passage on which a young adult accompanies each youth. Each youth also received a practical gift, a symbolic gift, and a flash of glitter to symbolize their transformation.
The Rev. John Buehrens, outgoing President of the UUA, addressed the gathering in the spirit of prayer. Reflecting on "Why We Live," he commended the youth to a spiritual discipline so that we can love one another. He closed by reflecting on the prayer and spiritual practice of Eleanor Roosevelt and the importance of saving us from one another so that we may visualize a world made whole.
Michael Tino, incoming director of Youth and Campus Ministry at the UUA gave the closing words.Reported for the Web by Jordan Young
General Assembly 2001 · Program Grid
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