We have never before lived through a time when we are brought so thoroughly and relentlessly face to face with the enormity and inexhaustibility of the cruelty and suffering of our world. What a time to be alive! In this message, Dottie will discuss the strategies needed to continue to “show up” with an open heart, even as the accumulation of daily assaults would invite us to retreat and throw up our hands in weariness and despair. An afternoon workshop will follow up on this message.

Rev. Dottie Mathews is an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister who served as the Associate Minister of the Fox Valley UU Fellowship in Appleton, WI, before her move into community ministry when she accepted the role of Workplace Chaplain for Goodwill of North Central Wisconsin. There she served the spiritual and emotional needs of the 1500 people who worked for Goodwill across 35 Wisconsin counties.

In 2015, Dottie and her spouse, Rosie Geiser, relocated to Columbia, MO, after they joyfully took on the title of “retiree.” They have been very happily exploring what retirement looks like for them and both are finding many ways to volunteer in mid-Missouri. Dottie & Rosie are active members of the UU Church of Columbia and Dottie has found that working with the interfaith group, Faith Voices, in service of our immigrant friends and neighbors has become a primary focus of her current community ministry.