June Newsletter
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Wayne County a Member Congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Association
The Newsletter for July/August 2017 Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Wayne County A Member Congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Association July & August Service Schedule Note: One service only, at 10:00 am. Join us for coffee after the service. July 23: How Do You UU outside of the Fellowship (Gail Woosley) Exploring how we practice our Principles in the real world, while on vacation, and while visiting new or far away places. July 30: William Humphrey Our mini-cluster of UU congregations is exchanging ministers this Sunday. Mr. William Humphrey is a trained educator/administrator and is serving as the minister at All Souls UU Church in Belleville, Ohio. Will is an insightful and curious colleague, and we’re excited to invite him to our pulpit. Rev. Strawn will be preaching at Westfield Center in this exchange. August 6: Immigration: Behind the Scenes View (Jenny Dirksen) Ms. Dirksen has worked tirelessly for many years on issues of immigration - justice, language, hospitality - meeting every day needs of those who are new to our country. These are people we often don't even notice! August 13: Christian Sophia & Sun Dance Tree: Birthing the Future (Christopher Reynolds) In the Sophianic tradition, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are in union with Mother, Daughter, Holy Soul. The union of Trinity and TriniSophia birth the future. In the indigenous tradition, the same theme of birthing the future appears in how the 4 days of the Sun Dance are a roadmap for the News year to come, but in poetic, metaphoric form. With knowledge of Sophia and of the Sun Dance Tree, it is possible to access soul and spirit in insights that give momentum to the way forward into a beautiful experience of life for the coming year. -
Honest Pagans: the Sixth Source” April 22, 2018 the Rev
Reading - “Standing in a Doorway” By Molly Brewer, Intern Minister of the First Universalist Church of Auburn, Maine and seminarian at Meadville Lombard Theological School What do Unitarian Universalists talk about, when we talk about being Pagan? As someone who holds both of these spiritual identities in balance—and sometimes in tension—I wonder about this often. “Pagan” is already a broad umbrella term. The Six Sources of Unitarian Universalism includes Pagans in the even bigger container of “Earth-centered traditions,” which attempts to create a unified thread in a huge number of theologies that sometimes have little in common. It’s like calling Unitarian Universalism a “Christian denomination.” Some UUs do consider themselves Christian, much like some Pagans embrace the term Earth-based. But ask a cross-section and you’ll likely discover that the label erases important truths. Ironically, my lived experience of a Pagan identity is as important to my call to UU ministry as Unitarian Universalism itself. In Pagan practice, there is an invitation to mysticism and embodied ritual, to perceive the spirit world as a valid part of our human experience. My prayers address the Goddess Brighid just as often as the Spirit of Life and Love. My spirituality is based around Deities: I experience Them as distinct and different energies, and my relationship with Them is close to the core of my religious life. This is why I don’t describe my faith as Earth-based or Earth-centered, and the distinction is important. But believing that the Gods are present in the world around us means that the Earth and its creatures are indeed part of the Divine picture. -
Staff Report DATE: September 21, 2009
MEMORANDUM TO: Board of Trustees FROM: Kay Montgomery, Executive Vice President RE: Staff Report DATE: September 21, 2009 As we began monitoring reports, a question arose for the leadership council about whether we should continue the typical staff group reports that have always been done for board meetings. For the moment, we’ve resolved that question with the following: a coordinated single report, with the staff groups reporting their work in less detail than in the past. Please let me know if this seems like the right solution. You know of our new structure already. I am pleased to report that it is in place and going very well indeed. Advocacy and Witness Rev. Meg A. Riley, Director Because the Board has already approved policy guidelines regarding international work, the report of Rev. Eric Cherry (Director, Office of International Resources) and Kathy Sreedhar (Holdeen India Program—UUHIP) reflects work towards those ends. Policy Guideline 1. The UUA will encourage and foster partnerships between member congregations and other U*U congregations and/or international communities and agencies that model right relations and economic fairness, work for human rights and build civil capacity. • Faith Without Borders and associated resources help congregations build an ethic of Faithful Global Citizenship, and encourage partnerships, ie: o August updates posted to uua.org. (461 pageviews from August 15-September 15. Up 95% over same period 2008. FWB pageviews up 40% in general) o Water Communion/Ceremony liturgy (344 pageviws from August 15- September 15) o Bi-monthly e-newsletter subscribers grew to 850. o Delivered fifth edition of Sharing Global Faith e-devotional. -
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Swannanoa Valley
September 2009 UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST Volume VIII, Issue 9 CONGREGATION OF THE SWANNANOA VALLEY Religious Freedom — Diverse Perspectives 500 Montreat Rd Black Mountain, NC 28711 From the Intern Minister . (828) 669-8050, www.uusv.org Worship can be a troubling word for some of us as Unitarian Universalists— many of us don’t believe in or are unsure about a supreme being and thus we are skep- tical that we should fall on our knees before any said entity. But the word worship comes from the old English word meaning ―worth-shape‖ so literally, worship is about shaping things of worth, and in the case of our congregational worship, we are talking about shaping things of worth both to us as individuals and as a community—our values, our viewpoints, our response to struggle. Thus, our corporate worship is at the heart of what we do as religious community. We come to the worship hour from many places, times, and experiences. Some of us our bursting with enthusiasm for a new endeavor, some of us struggling with difficulties. Some of us are hoping to find distraction, some of us are trying to find interpre- UUCSV Board of Trustees tations about life that will apply to a current situation, and some of us are simply seeking companionship. I Heidi Blozan, President 669-7435 believe that we show up for worship hoping for the most intimate parts of ourselves to be opened and David Brown 242-8544 touched—to be transformed so that we may be better people, live fuller lives, and be better stewards of the Ursula Goebels-Ellis 686-6325 world we inhabit. -
UU Faith Works: Promising Practices for Lifespan Learning Communities
UU Faith Works: Promising Practices for Lifespan Learning Communities Mission: The mission of UU Faith Works clearinghouse packet is to share resources that inspire faith development, educate religious identity, connect ethical and spiritual practices, and empower religious educators, ministers, and lay congregational leaders in their roles and responsibilities of serving Unitarian Universalists throughout their lives. Including these resource categories: Leadership Development Curriculum and Learning Resources Social Justice Worship Community Building Administration Two issues per year: Summer/Autumn and Winter/Spring Published online at uua.org/re/faithworks Hard copy subscriptions available for $20 per year Co-editors: Pat Hoertdoerfer and Jacqui James -UUA Lifespan Faith Development Staff Group UU Faith Works February 2003 Table of Contents Letter: Judith Frediani, Director of Lifespan Faith Development ADMINISTRATION People Finder 1 Subscription Page 3 YRUU Program Specialist Application 4 Angus MacLean Award 9 Religious Education Credentialing Program 11 UU World on Audio Tape 17 Bridge Connections 18 COMMUNITY BUILDING Children’s Focus Bibliography 19 Peace Poles 23 Canadian Unitarian Council and Lifespan Learning 24 Sundae Sunday 27 CURRICULUM AND LEARNING RESOURCES Charles and the Children’s Chapel 28 Beacon Press Discussion Guides for UU Communities 32 Your Money or Your Life 33 Narthex Conversations 44 Super Heroes/Bible People 48 What Do You Believe? 52 Honolulu’s ‘Just So’ Summer 53 King Sigismund 55 LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT -
Andy-Burnette.Pdf
UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM AND THE WORKING CLASS: WIDENING THE WELCOME A dissertation by Rev. Andy Burnette presented to The Faculty of the Pacific School of Religion in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degreeBurnette of Doctor of Ministry Andy Berkeley, California 2016November 2016 Copyright Committee Members Randi Walker, PhD, Coordinator Randall Miller, PhD, Member Rev. Mark Harris, Member ABSTRACT UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM AND THE WORKING CLASS: WIDENING THE WELCOME by Rev. Andy Burnette Americans have long grouped themselves according to social class in their faith communities. The groupings have remained remarkably consistent over the last 100 years. Unitarian Universalism remains at or near the top of every measure of social class. For as long as these divisions have been discussed, theorists and practitioners of American religion have decried them. H. Richard Niebuhr saw Protestant denominationalism as evidence that the Christian churchBurnette had violated Jesus’ teaching. Current Unitarian Universalists are in active discussions of ways to break through the faith’s challenges to welcome working class Andymembers. This dissertation acknowledges that shifting social class position is extremely difficult. Interviews with ten working-class2016 Unitarian Universalists demonstrate how hard it will be to widen our working-class welcome. However, there is reason to hope that this liberal faith tradition can learn from prophets ancient and future and improve its hospitality to Copyrightboth its own working class members and to -
The Connection
University Unitarian Universalist Society, Inc. The Connection Volume 15, Issue 9 News and activities that are of interest to UUU’s SEPTEMBER 2007 SUNDAY SERVICES PROGRAMS FOR SEPTEMBER 10:30 AM Sept. 2nd - Sister Ann Kendrick, “Worker Justice-The Honor of Work” Sister Ann is the founder of the Office of Farm Worker Ministry in Apopka. RELIGIOUS EDUCATION She belongs to the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, an order devoted to 9:30 AM working with the poor. She attended Trinity College in Washington, D.C., and ADULT RE (OFFSITE) majored in Spanish. She came to Apopka in 1971 and continues her work 9:00 AM more than 30 years later, to improve conditions for the working poor. Her organization has been awarded the Opus Prize in 2006 and a Papal award in YOUNG ADULT SERVICE 2005. They have raised 1.2 million dollars to build Hope CommUnity center. 12:30 PM Sept. 9th - Lea Hall, “Voluntary Simplicity, Joyful Frugality” YRUU Lea Hall, Ph.D., of Sarasota, FL, is author of “ Ecoliteracy” and “ Imaginary End- 6-8 PM ings.” She practices yoga and Buddhist meditation. She is the Green Team co-chair of the UU Church of Sarasota, District representative for UU Ministry FIND US AT: 11648 MC CULLOCH RD. for Earth and is a University of FL/Sarasota County Master Gardener. As we ORLANDO, FLORIDA consider the question of “how much is enough,” we will have an opportunity to share ideas with a talk-back session. Lea has agreed to meet with anyone CORRESPONDENCE: interested after the service on the topic of “green buildings.” UUUS PO BOX 780997 Sept. -
Faith Development in Smaller Congregations
FAITH DEVELOPMENT IN SMALLER UU CONGREGATIONS /COMMUNITIES October 2019 Welcome…. Introductions… Nancy Combs-Morgan, Congregational Life Consultant [email protected] Cameron Young, Congregational Life Consultant [email protected] Introductions, continued…. Please introduce yourself… • Name • Congregation/Location • Role in congregation/community? • What pressing questions have you brought? Faith Development is ALL we do…. • Unitarian Universalism is ALL we teach, and • The congregation is the curriculum. -- Connie Goodbread A curriculum map begins with an understanding of the needs of humans across the lifespan and then determines how they are best served by answering three questions: 1. What would we like them to HAVE or EXPERIENCE? Mapping (Implicit Curricula) Covenant/Relationship Centered UU Faith Development 2. What would we like them to KNOW? (Explicit Curricula) 3. What would we like them to BECOME? UU Faith Development… Covenant Is at the CENTER! For those of us who are invested in Unitarian Universalist faith development, what if we understood our mission to enable children, youth, and adults to be a part of a community which seeks to manifest more hope, more love, Dream for more courage, more justice, and more joy in the world? every UU community… Mapping our interactions… The purpose of curriculum mapping is to align our offerings with our principles and values. Our mission is to manifest more hope, more love, more courage, more justice, and more joy in the world. Recognizing that our work takes place in the context of interpersonal relationships, the curriculum map seeks to define our roles in these contexts. Smaller UU Congregations/Communities • A strength of a small UU congregation/community is the potential of depth in interpersonal relationships. -
The Prologue Monday, July 18, 2011 Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington, Indiana
The Prologue Monday, July 18, 2011 Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington, Indiana Congregation founded 1949 GLBTQ Welcoming Congregation since 1995 Green Sanctuary since 2007 Seeking the Spirit Building Community Changing the World Sunday, July 24, 2011 9:15 & 11:15 a.m. Good without God: Reflections on Religious Humanism Reverend Mary Ann Macklin In this worship service we will explore the history of religious humanism within Unitarian Universalism. Reverend Macklin will also offer reflections on Greg Epstein’s book, Good Without God. Epstein is Harvard’s humanist chaplain who believes one can find purpose, compassion, and community without the existence of God. Scott Hogsed will be our special guest musician. Andy and Nathan Smith will provide a unique prelude for each service. Sunday, July 31, 2011 9:15 & 11:15 a.m. Good Enough: Reflections on Humanism and Mysticism Reverend Mary Ann Macklin This worship service will further investigate religious humanism and how it may or may not be compatible with spiritual mysticism. Reverend Macklin will offer reflections on the book, The Observing Self: Mysticism and Psychotherapy, by Arthur Deikman, MD. Special music will be provided by the Bloominwinds. Wondering who the Bloominwinds are? Wondering about humanism and mysticism? Join us to explore the possibilities. Green Spaces Construction Information Meetings Sunday, July 31 When will construction begin? What's included in the plans? Bring your questions to the Green Spaces information meetings on Sunday, July 31. We'll meet in the Library at 10:30 and 12:30 to share everything we know about our exciting plans to Renew, Reinvest and Reach Out. -
2006 Annual Report.PDF
MMUUS AWARD RECIPIENTS Following is a list of all those who have received some type of an award from May Memorial from 1955-2005. Thus far, research into the church's archival records have not found mention of anyone receiving an annual award prior to 1955. Certainly there were people who received various types of awards or were honored in some way, but they appeared to have been ad hoc in nature. Some people were honored with busts, plaques, stained glass windows, naming honors, or other means and these will be summarized later in various ways. Research continues to identify the names of all award winners and honorees. Annual Award Recipients 1955 Alice Jordan 1975 Mary Margaret Kuhlen 1956 Elizabeth Lewis 1976 Joyce Ball Dr. Marion Dooley 1977 Mr. and Mrs. Carl Aronson 1957 Dr. and Mrs. Reginald Manwell 1978 Gerald Lanier Dr. William Yerington Kathryn Lanier 1958 Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert Vincent 1979 Beverly and Malcolm Clark Helen Hackton 1980 Helen Obrist 1959 Mrs. James Tracy 1981 Ann and Richard Pearson Ernest Bowden 1982 Jean Hoefer Mary Slagle 1983 Pauline Murray 1960 Mrs. Clarence Bull 1984 Eleanor Rosebrugh 1961 Mrs. Lawrence Gould 1985 Ernie Sibert Frank Macomber 1986 Anne and Mel Shelly 1962 Helen Eager 1987 Bob and Norma Coye William and Doris McLennan 1988 Dick and Greta Dershimer 1963 Elizabeth (Betty) Siegfried 1989 Pat and Ray Corson Judith Viets 1990 Doug and Geri Aird Brainard and Natalie Faucher Mildred Capozzi 1964 Dr. and Mrs. Warren Walsh 1991 Janet Hiemstra 1965 Carlyle and Dorothy Ashley 1992 Phil Klein 1966 Dr. -
Sermon: the Welcome Table by Sally Fritsche Preached at the First Parish in Needham Unitarian Universalist on November 25, 2018
!1 Sermon: The Welcome Table By Sally Fritsche Preached at The First Parish in Needham Unitarian Universalist on November 25, 2018 Earlier this year, this congregation celebrated an ingathering water communion, in which we each added a few drops of water from many different places, combining them into one communal pool, a reminder of how we are all connected. Later, in the Spring, we will celebrate a flower communion, and everyone will leave with a single bloom to remind us of life’s constant renewal and its unique worth. We Unitarian Universalists call these ceremonies “communion,” partly because they are, literally, communal acts of fellowship and exchange. But we also call them “communion” because that word in particular carries a deep history, with roots in the Christian ritual of shared bread and wine, and the power of tradition and repetition. Unitarianism and Universalism began as Protestant Christian denominations, and our celebration of various “communions” is a reflection of that history. So, given that this month’s ministry theme is “legacy,” let’s talk about the legacy of Communion. In fact, another name for Christian communion, “Eucharist,” is simply the greek word for “Thanksgiving,” so if any Sunday were a time to reflect on sharing food around a communal table in a celebration called thanksgiving, today’s the day. Unitarian Universalism has most certainly grown beyond its Christian roots, and expanded into something far more inclusive and theologically diverse. Our congregations include Christians yes, but also Jews, Buddhists, atheists, and more, including those whose theologies do not fall easily under just one label. -
Capital Campaign by Contributing $20,000 from Its Benevolent Fund Over a Four-Year Span of Payments
Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara 2011-2012 Annual Report Our Vision We are an open and welcoming diverse religious community. We stimulate personal and spiritual growth, living lives of care and compassion. We work for a better world by speaking and living our values. We celebrate all life and the beauty of the world we share. Our Mission 1. to inspire through meaningful worship, music and other programming. 2. to offer religious education for all ages. 3. to care for one another. 4. to promote peace, justice & understanding. 5. to invite others to share our tradition of social action and freedom of worship. 6. to engage in the larger Unitarian Universalist movement. 2 Table of Contents Notified Agenda for Annual Meeting .... 2 Audit Committee .................................. 27 UU Legislative Ministry Covenant ........ 3 Annual Campaign ................................. 28 Congregational Affirmation of Endowment Fund .................................. 28 Environmental Stewardship ................... 3 Planned Giving Advisors ...................... 29 Membership Statistics ............................ 4 Additional Detailed Committee & Program 2012-2013 Proposed Budget .................. 5 Reports .................................................. 32 Notes on Proposed Budget 2012-2013 ... 6 The Alliance.......................................... 32 Strategic Long Range Plan 2012-2017 .. 7 Academy for Healing Arts .................... 33 Executive Report .................................. 10 Santa Barbara Children’s Chorus ........