On the cusp of fall, many Unitarian Universalist congregations plan Water Celebrations and/or Ingathering Services as a way of reconstituting community life after the more relaxed pace of summer. But while these services are common, they are not always deep. Many have indicated dissatisfaction with these services: water rituals reduced to monologues about expensive travels; ingatherings that vaguely celebrate the restarting of a church season that possibly felt like it never ended. …
