In September 2020, I added a component called “land acknowledgment” to our Sunday worship. I wrote about this in my newsletter column a few months afterward, noting:

For many of us, the commitment to acknowledging land was strengthened after attending the 2020 UUA General Assembly, which had a particular focus on the justice issues facing indigenous peoples.

It is four years later now, and the conversation about land acknowledgements has shifted. At this year’s General Assembly, we heard concerns that land acknowledgements can become performative, little more than “feel good public gestures.”

I do not think our land acknowledgements at Chalice have drifted astray from the intention of having them. (I certainly don’t think any of our land acknowledgements could be classified as “feel good,” and that’s a good thing!) At the same time, worship is always evolving, as are justice practices. Justice-minded worship associates have asked if it’s time to evolve our practice of offering a land acknowledgement in worship.

After discussion at the July worship associates meeting, we have decided to stop—for the time being—the rotation of videos we have been using on Sunday mornings (with warm thanks to our congregants who put those video land acknowledgements together). We have added a written land acknowledgement to the digital order of service that is available online. And we are investigating and pondering the different forms that land acknowledgements might take in worship and in our community.

I am grateful to the worship associates for the thoughtful discussion we have begun on this topic.

Bright blessings,
Sharon