Church honors Ukraine and peace with walnut tree

NEWBERRY — On Sunday, February 4, members of Clayton Memorial Unitarian Universalist Church in Newberry observed their annual Water Ceremony, bringing together waters from places of special significance to each of them.

The collected waters are symbolic of coming together as a world community for peace, liberty and justice. The water is considered sacred and the ceremony is an expression of the Seventh Principle of Unitarian Universalism – respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. This year’s sanctified offering was used to water a newly planted specimen tree on the church grounds. By doing so, the members honored the bravery and resilience of the people of embattled Ukraine and imparted prayers for peace.

The tree, a Juglans Regia “Carpathian” English Walnut, is native to the Carpathian Mountains, which pass through Ukraine. It’s a strong tree, is known to be very hardy (deer and drought resistant) and is reportedly a prolific producer of high-quality nuts.