Virtual Animal Blessing
We hope you were able to join us at 4 pm EDT on October 4, 2020, for a virtual Blessing of the Animals. It was a very special service, and more than 100 people attended via Zoom.
Contributors to the service included:
Rev. Dr. LoraKim Joyner is a UU minister, parrot veterinarian, co-director of One Earth Conservation, and former UUAM President. LoraKim conducts research, protects nests, and rescues wild parrots in Latin America. She also works to build knowledge, motivation, resilience, and capacity in people, organizations, and communities in the U.S. and internationally so that they can better cherish and nurture themselves, nature, and other beings. LoraKim was a 2020 nominee for the Indianapolis Prize, which celebrates conservation heroes.
Rev. John Gibb Millspaugh is the current President of UU Animal Ministry. His award-winning justice work has focused on modern slavery, LGBTQ rights, and climate justice. He led the team that organized over 400 congregations to collectively write and adopt Unitarian Universalism’s intersectional “Ethical Eating” statement in 2011, the first known instance of a U.S. faith adopting a position statement of its kind. John’s thoughts on social ethics have been featured in the Boston Globe, the Orange County Register, C-SPAN, and the Los Angeles Times
Rev. Russell Elleven is the new UUAM Chaplain. He is Minister Emeritus at the Westside UU Church in Ft. Worth and is currently leading weekly Zoom sessions that offer support for exploring the human/animal bond and dealing with the grieving process for a departed companion animal.
And there will be a special message — recorded just for us — from Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute & UN Messenger of Peace!
Equipped with little more than a notebook, binoculars, and her fascination with wildlife, Jane Goodall braved a realm of unknowns to give the world a remarkable window into humankind’s closest living relatives. Through 60 years of groundbreaking work, Dr. Jane Goodall has not only shown us the urgent need to protect chimpanzees from extinction; she has also redefined species conservation to include the needs of local people and the environment. In recent years she has traveled widely around the world, speaking about the threats facing chimpanzees and environmental crises, urging each of us to take action on behalf of all living things and planet we share. During the COVID pandemic, Dr. Goodall is continuing her work, albeit remotely, as a global advocate for the health of the planet. Click here to learn more about her foundation.
Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, UN Messenger of Peace (photo by Stuart Clarke)
Here’s the Order of Service, and some portions of it are available below.
Here's the Slideshow of Beloved Companions:
Here's the Welcome from Rev. John Gibb Millspaugh, President of UU Animal Ministry, now Executive Director:
Here's the Message from Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE:
