The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship will hold its first service of the new year on Jan. 8. The group meets at the Tryon Youth Center on Rt. 176 N. at 10:30 a.m.
The speaker will be Reverend Jean M. Rowe, whose topic will be “What Do We Want? Freedom!  When Do We Want It? Now!”
“Freedom and equality lie at the heart of our identity as a country,” Rowe said. “In fact, freedom is seen as a God-given right. It is part of the essence of being human, and this country was explicitly founded on that belief – a religious belief, as stated clearly in the Preamble to the U. S. Constitution: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.’”
The struggle to preserve and enhance democracy, liberty and freedom is in the forefront of national politics once again. But Rowe said there is a huge gulf in the arguments of the right and left in the causes of threats to democracy, liberty and freedom. She said the arguments have their roots in opposing religious beliefs.
Come early for refreshments and fellowship. For information, call 828-894-5776 or visit www.uutryonnc.org.
– article submitted by Dan Dworkin