How We Flourish ©
Reverend Janet Parsons
Gloucester UU Church
June 7, 2026
Last Sunday we hosted a wonderful concert here in the sanctuary. It featured well-known local performers – Miranda Aisling, as well as What Time is it Mr. Fox. But most importantly, the concert was a benefit to raise funds for a new Mutual Aid fund that provides financial assistance to immigrants whose lives and livelihoods are being disrupted by the policies and actions of the current federal regime.
The organizers didn’t set ticket prices, just asked for donations. And in the end they raised over $2500. Everyone was delighted, but at the same time, we all know that that amount doesn’t last long. Immigrant families who have lost an income due to detention need help with rent, childcare, medical care, all the things that we all know seem to cost more and more by the week. But this mutual aid fund was created about a year ago, out of nothing, and it has become a really important part of life for many people living here on the North Shore and Cape Ann; the difference between thriving and faltering.
Our theme for June is Flourishing Together. I have come to believe that human flourishing is the single most important goal of our lives. If you were to ask me what I think the meaning of life is, I’d probably tell you that it is to flourish. I’ve held this view since I first learned a tiny bit about the philosophy of the Enlightenment. I discovered that when Thomas Jefferson wrote his famous words about the inalienable rights of humans: of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, he didn’t mean ‘happiness’ the way we think of it today. The ‘happiness’ he was referring to was the right to seek fulfillment, to flourish.
Just yesterday, Nicholas Kristof wrote a piece in the New York Times reporting on a study about which states in the United States are doing the best to ensure the well-being of their citizens. (The State Where Life is Better, by Nicholas Kristof, New York Times, June 6, 2026.)
Because I’m sure you’re all wondering, I’ll say right away that Massachusetts ranked fifth.
This study was conducted by a bipartisan group of experts known as The State of the Nation Project, formed by advisers to the last five presidents, including the current one.
The top ranked state in the study was Minnesota. And I was not surprised. Reading this, I was instantly taken back to the events of this past winter, when Minneapolis was invaded by ICE agents, and the citizens rose up and pushed back. The day that Renee Good was murdered, I watched in real time as a UU colleague, the Reverend Ashley Horan, stood in the snow and recorded on Facebook all that was taking place as it happened. People came out of their houses in the frigid weather and stood and witnessed, and made noise. Whistles blew, drums beat, and people chanted and shouted and screamed. And as the weeks progressed over that long, hard winter, they did not stop. And in the days and weeks that followed Reverend Ashley used her Facebook contacts to ask for financial help for people who were afraid to go to work or whose breadwinner had been detained. Money arrived from across the country: mutual aid on a large scale.
Clergy from all over the country were asked to get to Minneapolis and help with public witness activities. And based on the stories I heard, again, I understood instantly why Minnesota has been ranked the highest in well-being. The residents of Minneapolis knew how to organize, knew how to take care of people. With roughly 48 hours notice, visitors were fed, housed, and offered warm clothing. Churches were open, services and demonstrations were organized, almost overnight. This ability didn’t just suddenly miraculously happen. Minneapolis, and Minnesota has been developing these organizing and mutual aid skills over time, developing their muscles, creating networks and neighborhood organizations for years. We saw this in action in May of 2020 when George Floyd was murdered. All this networking and neighborhood watching comes from a deeply held belief that all humans deserve a chance to flourish, to have their needs met. No wonder Minnesota ranked first.
And, I thought, no wonder that both in 2020 and in 2026 Minneapolis became the target of an angry, arrogant, lawless administration. The idea of protecting everyone’s right to thrive is clearly a threat to somebody.
I stumbled upon a great quote the other day that explains completely the philosophy of mutual aid and the importance of human flourishing:
The author wrote, “I am convinced that people are much better off when their whole city is flourishing than when certain citizens prosper but the community has gone off course. When a man is doing well for himself but his country is falling to pieces, he goes to pieces along with it, but a struggling individual has much better hopes if his country is thriving.” (quoted by Ryan Holiday in This is What You Belong To, https://ryanholiday.net/this-is-what-you-belong-to/)
This passage sounds very contemporary, but it is attributed to Pericles, writing in 431 Before Common Era.
We are all stronger when each one of us thrives. Our society is stronger when children receive a good education, when they are fed and housed in healthy environments. We are stronger when everyone has access to housing and healthcare. Our society is stronger when all members are able to fully participate: when all those eligible are allowed to vote, when everyone has equal rights to live and love as their authentic selves, where no one has to remain hidden and secret. We are stronger when we put the good of the many before the good of the individual.
That kind of strength doesn’t just apply to countries, but to congregations as well. We know that we here are stronger when each member is flourishing. And outside our walls, our church is part of the local network that fosters our well-being here on Cape Ann.
I realized the other day that I made a mistake in writing my Annual Report. Putting aside the fact that it’s way too long, as usual, I wish I had emphasized our role in fostering mutual aid efforts; I wish that I had looked at the whole past year through a lens of caring for the community. Because we do. Last fall we provided over 1000 items of new clothing for a variety of residents each year through our Socktober drive, along with a considerable amount of cash. We administer discretionary funds that help people, especially this past fall when SNAP benefits were shut down and we responded with grocery gift cards for anyone who asked. We are a congregation that tries to say ‘yes’ whenever we can.
At the concert last Sunday, I was thanked publicly for hosting. To be honest, I had a moment of guilt, because we did not donate our space. We have not been able to offer our spaces without cost to all these organizations that are working hard to strengthen our local networks and grow our mutual aid efforts. It’s my hope that somehow we can begin to fund some of these efforts so that 100% of any money raised can go to people in need.
A few weeks ago we held a congregational conversation after church and asked you all to express your thoughts about how this congregation nourishes you and the larger community. Overwhelmingly, you agreed that creating community was a critical factor in your being here. Over and over, you commented about the many ways that you all show up – both to support this institution, and one another, and the world beyond. Clearly, we get it.
Over and over, we learn throughout our lives that in order to flourish, we need one another. In his column, Nicholas Kristof wrote, “America does an excellent job generating wealth and a poor job translating that wealth into things we value.” He went on to say this: “Domestically, rich states tend to outperform poor states, but the correlation is somewhat weak. What matters even more than economic growth is that benefits are shared, and richer states do not seem to produce more personal satisfaction.” (op. cit.).
“What matters…is that benefits are shared…”
My friends, as we head downstairs for our Annual Meeting, let’s take with us a stronger sense of ourselves as an important part of a network of aid and support. Let’s remember that people thrive when rights and funds are not hoarded among the few, but shared with those in need. I’ve often said in recent years that a church is called to be part of the resistance, part of the counter-culture. In 2026, that looks like finding all sorts of ways to help one another. How can we make sure that we’re consistently there for each other and for those who need us?
As we heard earlier:
“There is no flourishing without people who show up…
A congregation is people
who have decided,
against all the evidence that going it alone is easier,
to show up for one another…” (Michelle Collins, Litany for Naming)
May we be people who foster life, and growth, and the ability to flourish.
Amen.
