The Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron

Horrifying

2008-07-28T08:32:00.003-04:00

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the members and friends of the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, grieving and healing after the shooting there this past weekend.

Caring for Ellery Schempp’s Legacy

2008-07-14T09:52:00.001-04:00

Sermon by Scott Piepho, July 13. 2008

In oral argument before the United States Supreme Court, the customary introduction is “May it please the Court,” followed by a brief recitation of the facts of the case.

So. May it please the congregation, the facts which bring me before you today are as follows. As of 1959 the State of Pennsylvania – like many states – required, by law, each public school student to begin the day by reading from the Bible. Ellery Schempp, a 16-year-old public high school student and member of a Unitarian Church believed that the requirement discriminated against non-Christians (for that matter against non-Protestants) and that it was contrary to the Constitution. A number of his friends agreed with him, but ultimately none would join him in protest. So, on his own, he one day pulled out a copy of the Qu’ran he had borrowed from a friend’s father and silently read from it while his classmates were reading from their Bibles. Ellery’s protest infuriated his principal, he was suspended and the principal ultimately attempted to persuade colleges not to accept him because he was a trouble maker.

Thus began the long legal journey that culminated in the Supreme Court’s decision in Abington School District v. Schempp, one of two cases in which the Supreme Court found that school-led religious expression violates the First Amendment of the Constitution. A year earlier the Court had held in Engle. v. Vitale that mandatory school-led prayer was unconstitutional. In the Schempp case, the Court agreed that mandatory Bible readings offend the establishment clause of the constitution. For those of us who believe that the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment protects minority faiths from majority coercion, these two decisions were essential.

Mr. Schempp -- OK Dr. Schempp – went on to a distinguished career as a chemical physicist, so he was quite likely one of those children who was above average. And we should acknowledge that Unitarians and Universalists are not the only religious minority which has pressed the case for religious liberty. Jehovah’s Witnesses, Jews, Catholics, Mormons, Native Americans, Santerians, Amish, all have taken important controversies before the Supreme Court. Nonetheless, it’s worth taking a moment to reflect on this faith tradition that produced a young man with the guts and character of Ellery Schempp.

The Court did indeed find for Ellery and his family and struck down the Pennsylvania law in a decision rendered 45 years ago this past June.
The Court in the Schempp case reaffirmed the principle of government neutrality with regards to religion. Citing century-old opinion by Judge Alphonso Taft, father of President and Chief Justice William Howard Taft, the court held that “the ideal of our people as to religious freedom [is] one of "absolute equality before the law, of all religious opinions and sects . . . The government is neutral, and, while protecting all, it prefers none, and it disparages none."
Recounting the importance of religious freedom to early American colonists, the Court noted that “Nothing but the most telling of personal experiences in religious persecution suffered by our forebears . . . could have planted our belief in liberty of religious opinion any more deeply in our heritage . . . This freedom to worship was indispensable in a country whose people came from the four quarters of the earth and brought with them a diversity of religious opinion.”

Much is made of the “Wall of Separation” between church and state – whether there should be a wall, whether the framers of the Constitution intended such a wall and what the wall should look like. But it’s important to remember that the Court’s adoption of the “Wall” as metaphor and legal standard was in large part in service to this core notion of neutrality. The government protects all religion, prefers none, disparages none.

Sadly, forty five years after the triumph of Schempp, much of the American public hasn’t embraced Ellery Schempp’s legacy. Of all the guarantees in the First Amendment, the Establishment Clause remains among the most nettlesome. A 2007 poll by the First Amendment Center asked respondents if they agree with the statement that “Teachers and other public school officials should be allowed to lead prayer in public schools.” 58% of respondents either strongly agreed or mildly agreed with that statement, a figure that has fluctuated little over the last ten years.

Moreover, as the Federal Courts have shifted to the right over the past three decades, the strength of the neutrality principle has weakened so that now a majority of the Court apparently believes that government endorsement of religion is no longer a violation of neutrality, as long as that endorsement can be characterized as non-coercive.

Clearly, we as religious liberals, not to mention members of a religious minority, find ourselves in what some cultures fearfully call an interesting time. A discussion about what we can do necessarily involves discussion of what has gone wrong.

The easy way to finish out this sermon would be to discuss how tragically wrong – how historically, jurisprudentially, theologically wrong – are those who would impose government-sponsored religiosity upon us. That would be a great deal of fun. But that’s not what’s going to happen.

First, because I happen to believe that the purpose of religion is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable and further believe that we as a congregation are far too comfortable to need further comforting, which leaves the other thing.

More importantly, as a pragmatic matter, little is gained by simply pointing out the errors of others and waiting for them to amend their ways. We are actors in this situation. We play a part.

And we have made errors. Three of them, by my assessment.

First, we have complacently relied upon the courts for too long. While religious conservatives have mobilized, engaged the political process, won converts and electoral victories, religious liberals have been content to decry the mixing of politics and religion.

This is changing. We are seeing more individuals of liberal faith bring that faith into the political sphere, and we are seeing more liberal religious organizing, including the group We Believe Ohio to which this church belongs.

What we still are not doing well is making our case to the general public. We lack a language for making the case for religious liberty which is compelling to moderate or conservative members of mainline faiths. This is in part because we haven’t ourselves thoroughly explored the tensions within the neutrality principle. When, for example, does purging a long-accepted quasi-religious practices – such as the legend “In God We Trust” on our money – rise to the level of disparagement of faith? Should we at some point speak out against attempts to curtail religious expression?

At the same time, we indulge our discomfort with witnessing our liberal faith. Our traditions do not include personal testimonial, and certainly not evangelism. But personal testimonial is the basic unit of conversation about faith, not to mention the most accessible. At the least, we should seek to create personal testimony about the vital power and indispensability of religious freedom.

Which leads to a second mistake we have made. We have allowed our side of the debate to be dominated by secularists. The neutrality principle embedded in the Constitution is different from European style secularism, in subtle but real ways. Unfortunately, many of the religion clause battles are now being fought by groups like the Freedom from Religion Foundation which simultaneously advocate for extreme secularism and aggressively promote their atheist views.

Certainly it is their right to do so, but their agenda includes items not on our agenda. Furthermore, by allowing secularists to speak the most loudly, we have allowed the debate to devolve into one of belief versus nonbelief, when the debate should be about how best to protect freedom of conscience.

And at the extremes, secularist rhetoric is inconsistent with our principles. A faith that affirms the worth and dignity of all people should not stand mute as people of faith are slurred as “delusional” or when all people who believe in a personal God are rhetorically lumped together with extremists who fly planes into buildings in a perversion of faith. Yet religious liberals have has the most part stood on the sidelines as Atheist writers like Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens have attacked the faith of Christians and other theistic religions.

The liberal imperative to respect diversity of belief and culture does not find exception when the belief and culture being denigrated is located on the other side of the political spectrum.

Finally, while we in the Unitarian Universalist Church are in a unique position to model the respectful diverse religious community we would like our nation and our world to become, we have not done so. Protecting all faiths and denigrating none would serve nicely as a mission statement for the church. Unfortunately our modeling has been highly imperfect.

It seems at times like members of this church fall into two groups – those who think the church is too Christian and those who think it’s not Christian enough. We have the diversity. What we lack is the ability to disagree, and be disagreed with, and remain a loving community. What happens instead is we fragment, we avoid controversy. In the words of Rev. Nancy Arnold, we tolerate diversity instead of embracing diversity.

Embracing diversity is tough, spiritual work. God knows – er, God or Goddess or Gods or Goddesses or the Earth or the Universe or the sum of the Goodness and Wisdom in each of us – knows that if we who try so extravagantly not to offend find it hard, it’s hard.

And maybe that’s the point. Maybe we need to try less hard not to offend and more hard not to be offended.

We’ve come to a point, both as a church and as a society, where people adhere to a belief that they have a right not to be offended. In church, that sometimes translates into a right not to hear things with which they disagree. Rev. Moore has spoken more than once about the disconnect between being in a diverse congregation and expecting not be be offended. Personally, if I get through an entire church service hearing nothing with which I disagree – and disagree strongly – someone isn’t trying hard enough.

Happily, it’s not always this way. Earlier last fall we heard successive services from a member who is a UU Christian and a member who is an Atheistic UU Humanist. I’m thrilled to report that I found plenty with which to disagree in each sermon. But at the same time I braced myself throughout, inwardly cringing at the thought of members who might decide they’ve had enough of that.

Let us then challenge ourselves. Let’s challenge ourselves to stay here when we hear what we don’t want to hear. It might just be what someone – Someone – wants us to hear. Let’s challenge ourselves to challenge each other to speak proudly of our beliefs and engage in respectful dialogue with others.

What I’m suggesting here is impossible. Just like it is impossible for one sixteen-year-old boy, growing up in the fifties, to challenge rule and convention and change the world.

If we can challenge ourselves, we can challenge our church. If we can challenge our church, we can challenge our community. If we can challenge our community, we can challenge the world.

Let it be so.

Green Faire Press Announcement

2008-04-12T15:02:00.003-04:00

If you haven't heard, the Green Faire is coming up. Here's the press release that went out this week:
Unitarian UniversalistChurch of Akron to Host Annual Green Faire

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron will hold its third annual Green Faire on Sunday, April 27, 2008 from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

The Green Faire, is part of the church’s celebration of Earth Week along with the annual Interdependence Day worship service. The Faire promotes environmental awareness by offering staffed displays from area vendors of green products and agencies with environment-oriented missions. This year presenters include The Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Esperanza Threads organic clothing company, Dovetail Solar and Wind and Friends of the Crooked River. The Green Faire also includes music, food and children’s activities.

Details:

Where: Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron, 3300 Morewood Ave, Akron, 44333

When: April 27, 2008, 11:30-1:30

Admission is free. All are welcome.

-30-

UUs in Congress

2008-02-08T22:14:00.000-05:00

The Washington Post/Newsweek web only "On Faith" published a fact sheet on the religious affiliations of members of Congress. Currently the House and Senate each have one member designated as "Unitarian." Presumably UU. They are Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA). With .04% of total members of Congress we exceed slightly our reported .03% of the general population.

In numbers we equal Buddists, as well as AMEs, Disciples of Christ and a number of other Christian denominations. We exceed Quakers and Muslims (one each) and Hindus of whom there are currently none.

A little something for this election season.

h/t Street Prophets.

Stuff We Learn in Church

2008-01-21T19:01:00.000-05:00

Sunday the Social Action Committee showed The Story of Stuff, a documentary about the consumer/waste stream. If you missed it you can catch the full video on the website (though that requires a certain amount of stuff -- recent vintage computer, broadband connection, etc.) Alternatively, you can find it chopped up and posted on YouTube (again, stuff required.) Below is the first segment:

As acknowledged in the sardonic parentheticals above, moderating one's consumption of stuff is tricky business. Me, I love my stuff. That stuff I don't love I'd like to replace with better stuff. The Story of Stuff unblinkingly calls out us stuff lovers, especially we whose religious principles call on us to take care of the planet.

Here are a couple of ideas for those of you looking for further inspiration. Colin Beaven set out to reduce his family's environmental footprint to zero and became No Impact Man. The experiment is over, but you can read the experience and his continuing adventures on his blog. Dave Chameides is undertaking something similar this year -- a year of throwing nothing away to learn about his place in the waste stream. Closer to home, Akron-based Terra writes a blog on environmental news and tips.

Half of Guarding Religious Liberty Is Showing Up.

2008-01-09T21:50:00.001-05:00

This evening Rev. Mary and Susan Davis sent out an email alert. The Richfield Village Board of Zoning Appeals was hearing an appeal regarding the proposed Sree Venkateswara Hindu temple. The proposed temple on Brecksville Road just off 77 has generated considerable controversy among some residents of Richfield. They claim it will generate traffic, noise and "the influx of strangers into the residential neighborhood." Stop me if you've heard this before.

Last month the Richfield Planning and Zoning Commission granted the temple a preliminary permit. Temple developers are working on tweaking the plans to ultimately get what's called a conditional use permit that would allow them to proceed with construction. Our congregation has been following the issue through our involvement with the Akron Area Interfaith Council, with special interest, given our own history with zoning and church construction.

We learned tonight that a group of residents styling themselves Concerned Richfield Homeowners is seeking to overturn the decision of the PZC. They simultaneously filed appeals with the Court of Common Pleas and the Board of Zoning Appeals.

That set up tonight's hearing. Happily, on a couple of hours noticed, between 12 and 15 members of UUCA showed up to offer support. Even more happily, our support was not necessary. The BZA dismissed the appeal based on an opinion of their law director that they do not have jurisdiction. Instead, the proper route to appeal the decision of the PZC is to the Court of Common Pleas, which the unhappy homeowners have done.

It should be noted that the issues are different in this case than in our case. In our case we had a nonconforming use -- that is our church is not a use permitted under the current zoning code, but was permissible at the time it was built. Expanding a nonconforming use is always a contentious issue and offers opportunities for decision makers to make judgement calls. Not so the Temple's case. As I read the accounts, it appears they are in conformance with the zoning code, so the only question is whether the Commission can put reasonable conditions on (things like landscaping and drainage) to ensure the facility doesn't disrupt surrounding properties.

What absolutely is not at issue, at least at this point, is any constitutional question. The court first has to decide if the Temple fits into the zoning scheme. If it does, the case is done and construction proceeds. If not, then the Temple may raise some Constitutional questions.

But I digress into legalisms. The big story here is our little church doing our part to ensure that everyone has freedom to worship as they see fit. It was a night well spent.

Zach Coming to Java Jive

2007-10-30T21:59:00.000-04:00

Jenni of the Lifespan Growth Committee sends the following:

You can read up on Zach at his website or his MySpace page. He always puts on a good show and it is for a good cause. Go if you can. And if you can contribute baked goods, so much the better.

A Gentle, Advertising People

2007-10-28T22:38:00.001-04:00

Our Association, if you haven't heard yet, is advertising. The UUA has launched a print ad campaign, the first example of which you see at right. I personally have a couple misgivings, which I'll get to in a moment.

In addition to running a couple of print ads in Time Magazine, the Association is paying for what they call "advertorials." I can't tell exactly what all the advertorials include, but they definitely include sponsoring Time.com/ReligionPages, a collection of stories from the Magazine about matters of faith.

I tried in vain to find the religion section from the Time homepage, to no avail. To find the pages, it appears you have to know where to look. The page currently runs an online poll asking readers' beliefs. The choices are: that there is an all-powerful God, that a spirit pervades all experience or that science explains everything. Right n0w, with 233 responses "spirit pervades" has over half the votes. Clearly UUs are swamping the poll.

So I'm all for anything that raises the profile of Unitarian Universalism outside the church. I am concerned, however, that the campaign does little to address one tension within a church comprised of theists and non-theists. Sometimes it seems that the only UUs who don't think the church is too Christian are those who think it's not Christian enough. We lose members who are looking for a spiritual home and find the church insufficiently nourishing and we lose members looking a community of Humanists who find too much God talk.

This tension is the great challenge of the church, made more challenging because it is difficult for the church to be neutral about matters of faith. And pretty much impossible to be perceived as being neutral. Hence, my misgivings about the ad. Some, in and out of the church, surely perceive the ad as being anti-theist/pro-Humanist. As such, how welcome will UU Christians or other theistic UUs continue to feel in the church? How well with the ad attract people who believe in something divine, but are uncomfortable in mainline churches? Happily, the online part of the church doesn't show much of a backlash yet, but we need be sensitive how the ads are playing.

The tagline for the "advertorial" linked to on the UUA website is "Find us and ye shall seek." This better summarizes what we are about. The church's great strength is its ability to welcome diverse spiritual seekers. That's also it's greatest challenge. Our ad wizards should bear that in mind.

UPDATE/CORRECTION: I'm wrong about that last bit. The mock-up advertorial pdf on the UUA website shows that the tag is the old "Seek and you shall find." I saw "find and you shall seek" on a UU blog, but now can't find it again. Personally I like that version better -- witty and descriptive. It'd be great if that could wend its way to UUA and make it into the campaign at some point.

Gun Violence Program Reminder

2007-10-06T22:00:00.000-04:00

Remember that our church is co-sponsoring a program about gun violence.

Also, a programming note: Sen. Tom Sawyer, once on the bill, is unable to attend. Susie, the Social Action Committee and the co-sponsors have put great effort into putting this together. And it looks like a great program. If you can make it, to support the work of the church and learn more on this timely topic, please be there.

Sunday Morning Worship Services for September

2007-09-01T01:34:00.000-04:00

Sunday Morning Worship will return to a 10:30 am start time begining September 9th.

September 2 at 9:30 a.m.
Being a UU in Today’s Working World
Speaker: Pam Garn Nunn
There are many ways in which we can “live” our faith, and one is in our daily lives with our fellow workers and colleagues. It’s not necessarily what we do for a living but how we do it that can make a powerful statement. Join us as we explore the possibilities and celebrate this unique holiday created to honor work and working people.

Please note the service time change as summer ends and the 135th church year begins! There will be a potluck following the service – please bring a dish to share!

September 9 at 10:30 a.m.
A “Moving” Ingathering
Service Leaders:
Rev. Mary Moore, Interim Minister and Rich Roberts, Director of Religious Education
On this festive morning, we’ll all gather briefly in the Memorial Garden area before joyfully proceeding into the sanctuary for the service. Expect some of the old, some of the new – lots of music, some time for readings and reflection – and maybe even a few surprises! A time for all ages to reconnect with familiar faces and to welcome the new folks among us. See you at church!

September 16 at 10:30 a.m.
Gifts from Youth
Service Leader: Rev. Mary Moore
On this, the opening Sunday for UUCA’s Religious Education program, when we’ll be “dedicating” the already very-dedicated teachers in our RE program and affirming all the people in our church “village” who take part in raising our children, we’ll be lifting up the gifts young people offer that enrich our congregation, the larger community, and the world.

September 23 at 10:30 a.m.
Gifts from Elders
Service Leader: Rev. Mary Moore
Assistant: Pam Gar-Nunn
This will be a special morning as we recognize those who have been newly included in the UUCA Circle of Elders this year. What a good time to celebrate the gifts elders give to church, community and world – and together we shall celebrate on this day!

September 30 at 10:30 a.m.
Why I am a Unitarian Universalist Christian
Speaker: Al Lasher
Find out why and how someone who is essentially a Deist and a skeptic regards himself as Christian and enthusiastically participates in the activities of the UU Christian Fellowship.

Sunday Midday Worship Services for September

2007-09-01T01:19:00.000-04:00

In the spirit of the Midday Service and its emphasis on offering a variety of worship experiences, some new options for worship will be offered during the 12:30 pm hour this fall. An open Small Group Ministry session, a Healing Service, and a UU Christian Communion service will start this month. In addition, a Music Worship involving guest musicians and some theatrical presentations will begin in October. Please check the website, the Reporter, or Memoranduum (in our weekly Order of Service) for future service descriptions.

All Midday Worship Services take place on Sundays at 12:30 pm.

Also consider coming early for Fellowship Hour which takes place in our Fellowship Hall between the Morning and Midday Services!

September 16
Sample Small Group Ministry Session
The Purpose of Small Group Ministries, which has been revised for the coming year, is to provide an opportunity for members and committed friends of the UUCA to connect more deeply with themselves and others through reflection, conversation, and service. Groups led by trained facilitators meet regularly throughout the year. If you are uncertain about committing to a full year, this is the perfect opportunity to explore what SGM is all about!

September 23
Healing Gathering: Group Meditation, Prayer and Healing
Group prayer and meditation will be followed by a time when individuals may receive the loving touch of Reiki practitioners and other energy workers for the healing of body, mind and spirit. If you are not able to attend, please feel free to stop by and leave the name of any people you might wish to receive such energy or contact Frances Pake.
(You may also leave names with me at uuakron@hotmail.com and I will assure they are passed on)

September 30
Unitarian Universalist Christian Communion Service
On this Sunday, we’ll be celebrating the first of our once-a-month brief UU Christian Communion Services. Everyone is welcome!

Unitarian Universalist Church of Blanchard Valley, Ohio Needs YOUR Help.

2007-09-01T01:00:00.000-04:00

The following message is from Rev. Joan Van Becelaere, Ohio-Meadville District, District Executive.

Friends,

Our sister OMD congregation, the UU Church of the Blanchard Valley, in Findlay, OH, was heavily damaged by the recent floods in that part of the state.

They lost their piano, sound system, chairs, all of their RE curricula, books, and supplies in the flood waters. Checks could be made out to UU Church of Blanchard Valley, or if you can help with a donation of funds or in-kind materials, please contact:

(Please email me at uuakron@hotmail.com for Rev. Beth Marshall's Contact info.)

Please note that Rev. Marshall's phone is being used as the primary way to contact the church during this time. The old church phone number no longer works. I'm told that the congregation was able to save their pulpit, chalice, most of their hymnals, and the coffee pots. (The minister, says she finds a bit of ironic humor in the fact that the coffee pots were salvageable.)

Rev. Marshall also notes that her congregation deeply appreciates any assistance you can give. She said: "It's easy to feel isolated out here, and yet I know that there are good colleagues and congregations out there we can depend upon."

Thank you all for your help in this time of need.

Blessings,
Joan Van Becelaere
OMD District Executive

For more on the flooding click here.
For the church's website click here.

Don't miss songwriter Jim Scott, Sept. 15th 7:30pm

2007-08-28T16:06:00.000-04:00

Acclaimed acoustical guitarist, Jim Scott will perform an evening of his songs of peace and the environment.

With insight and more than a little humor, Jim makes his case for harmony in the world with jazz, world folk music styling and some great guitar technique in accompaniment.

Guitarist, performer, educator and prolific writer of songs, Jim Scott first achieved notoriety as a member of the Paul Winter Consort and as co-composer of the celebrated “Missa Gaia” - Earth Mass and many other pieces, including his “A Song for the Earth,” recorded live at the United Nations.

Several of Jim Scott's hymns, most notably #347 Gather the Spirit, are included in the Singing the Living Tradition hymnal and Singing the Journey supplement.

A suggested $5 dollar donation will be accepted at the door.
Snacks and Beverages will be available in our Fellowship Hall after the concert.

Saturday September 15, 2007 7:30 PM
Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron
3300 Morewood Road
Akron, OH 44333
330-836-2206
http://www.uuakron.org/

Morewood Road is located off West Market street, directly across from Summit Mall.
Click here for location details

UU Christian Fellowship News

2007-07-31T22:06:00.000-04:00

Bob Fabre is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron and on the Board of the Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship. Used with Permission.

At the recent General Assembly of Unitarian Universalists (UU), the Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship (UUCF), and many other religious-oriented groups, was denied independent affiliate status. In a response to an inquiry as to the ramifications of this decision, Pacific Southwest District Board member Tom Laughrey said, among other things: "the UUA is an association of congregations and that affiliations must serve congregational needs" and "Independant Affiliattion status gave [these groups] nothing to begin with [and] there was nothing to take away". UUCF Board member Peg Bartel then wrote the following letter to the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations Board. While the sentiments expressed therein are her own, many UUCF members feel the same, yours included.- Bob Fabre

I am writing in regard to the recent decision to deny the Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship independent affiliate status with the UUA...While I am not surprised, I am disappointed. From a practical point of view it will have little obvious impact on the UUCF. We will continue our activities. Any financial impact will be offset by members such as myself, who now find themselves a member of two faith families instead of one and will adjust my pledge to my local congregation accordingly. But this is not a practical issue—it is a matter of the heart, of how a faith community defines itself and what it sees as central to its faith. In that regard, I have been a little dismayed to read some of the responses made by some trustees in response to inquiries—pointing out that affiliation with the UUA meant nothing in practical terms except perhaps slots at GA. Of course this perspective misses the issue entirely. It is not about benefits, it is about being part of a larger whole—of belonging.

I understand that the UUA wants to focus on congregations. But what is the religious life of a congregation, if not the religious life of its members and friends? The roots of Unitarian Universalism draw deeply from many religious traditions. To have groups lose their status because they are following a particular path is indeed disheartening. These groups, not just the UCCF, are comprised of people who are deeply involved in their faith tradition as expressed in and through Unitarian Universalism. They are the stimulus in their congregations for small study groups, religious education and other activities that feed the religious life of the congregation.

I will always be a Unitarian Universalist. It is my preferred faith. A faith that dares to be free of doctrine and creed and yet remain faithful to the life of the spirit is powerful indeed. But this recent decision by the UUA reminds me of the luke-warmness of much of the UUA. The fear to be religious. The focus on tolerating each other as a goal rather than the glorious celebration of our differences. The mush of commonality rather than the beauty of the mosaic. No—this decision by the UUA has no practical implication for the UUCF, but it reveals a great deal about how the leadership of the UUA views the religious life of the congregations and their members. That is what is truly disheartening.

Our Midday and 2nd Service

2007-07-30T19:30:00.001-04:00

Dear Midday Service Attendees and the Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron Community:

Midday Service will be taking a longer hiatus than originally planned. With the arrival of Rev. Mary Moore and the limited availability of those coordinating services, the coordinating team has determined that now is a good time to step back, reflect, and allow for a period of discernment.

Originating as the 4:30pm 2nd Service in January 2006, The Midday Service has been an experience important to many of us in this church community and has been possible in large part due to the loving support and creative participation of many of you. We believe the 2nd and Midday Services have made significant contributions to the ongoing creative evolution of what worship looks like at UUCA. We thank you for your role in this, and we invite you to join the upcoming discussions.

With gratitude,
The Midday Service Coordinating Team
Ellen Carvill-Ziemer, Rev. Nancy O. Arnold, Sarah Culver, and Warren Brown

Worship Services in August

2007-07-30T16:40:00.000-04:00

Sunday, August 5 at 9:30 a.m.
Remembering Hiroshima

Service Leader: Jamie Goodwin
Assistant: Elaine Young

On August 6, 1945, the nuclear weapon Little Boy was dropped on Hiroshima by the crew of the American Enola Gay, directly killing an estimated 70,000 people. To this day many Americans struggle with the guilt and sadness associated with this attack, while others see it as necessary and even life saving event that ended the war. Please join us this Sunday as we commemorate and remember the lives of the people of Hiroshima and explore the destruction we are all capable of leaving behind.

Emanuel Bells, a local bell choir, will perform today. Please join us for this amazing treat and experience sacred music in a whole new way.

Sunday, August 12 at 9:30 a.m.
It’s About the Going

Service Leader: Rev. Mary Moore
Assistant: Elizabeth Reilly

As we proceed along the path of transition, what can and should we expect – both of the interim ministry and of ourselves? How can we rise to the opportunities as we walk together on the path, making ours a holy pilgrimage in which we find our own “heroic way?”

Sunday, August 19 at 9:30 a.m.
The Lord's Prayer in Aramaic

Service Leader: Claire Tessier
Assistants: Warren Brown and Margaret McConnell

Jesus spoke in Aramaic. Connect to the deepest truth of Jesus’ teaching of the Lord’s Prayer by hearing the Aramaic words and learning the meaning of these words. Most of the English translations of the words from Jesus come from Greek, a language that differs greatly from Aramaic. As stated by scholar Neil Douglas-Klotz in the book Prayers of the Cosmos, “When Jesus refers to the “kingdom of heaven,” this kingdom is always both within and among us. Likewise, “neighbor” is both inside and outside, as is the “self” that we are to love to the same degree as our “neighbor.” Unlike Greek, Aramaic presents a fluid and holistic view of the cosmos. The arbitrary borders found in Greek between “mind,” “body,” and “spirit” fall away.”

Sunday, August 26 at 9:30 a.m.
Gaia People

Service Leader: Kevin Carr
Assistant: Lorie Lerner

Kevin will speak about taking care of earth as being essentially the same as taking care of ourselves and the rest of the planet. He’ll do this in conversation with Dr. James Lovelock's book, The Revenge of Gaia-Why the Earth is Fighting Back and How We Can Still Save Humanity. Women's Equality Day will be a part of the message and part of the service as well.

Emanuel Bells

2007-07-29T15:31:00.000-04:00

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron is proud to welcome Emanuel Bells, who will perform at the upcoming morning service, August 5th, at 9:30 am. Emanuel Bells is a local bell choir, performing at many churches and events throughout the area.

Handbell Choir music is beautiful and unique. Please join us for this amazing treat and experience sacred music in a whole new way.

Once again that's August 5th at 9:30 am.

Come Celebrate With Us

2007-07-02T17:05:00.000-04:00

FRIDAY, JULY 27 AT 6:00 P.M.
IN THE UUCA FELLOWSHIP HALL

Please join us in a celebration for Nancy Arnold to recognize the past 13 years of her ministry with the UUCA.

PLEASE RSVP TO THE CHURCH OFFICE BY FRIDAY, JULY 13.
Babysitting will be provided, so indicate the number and ages of children.

Our own Blame Mama band will be performing!
Bring a side dish or salad to share for a potluck dinner.
In honor of Nancy’s favorite food, a Sundae Bar will be provided! YUM!

Introducing Our New Interim Minister

2007-07-02T17:02:00.000-04:00

Rev. Mary comes to us after a two-year, highly successful interim ministry at Westside UU Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. She has training for accredited interim ministry and tells us that “I am now convinced that my skills and interests are best suited to interim ministry.” As a former parish minister, hospital chaplain, student, spouse, and current mom, Rev. Mary brings us a wide range of personal and professional gifts and interests.

Former colleagues describe her as outgoing and caring, with a definite sense of humor. She is regarded as a dynamic and focused speaker. She likes to work with “folks of all ages who are excited about their church, enjoy each other’s company, and look forward to working
together toward a common future.” Rev. Mary believes strongly in the importance of lifelong religious education and in creating worship that is varied and inspiring. Rev. Mary is excited about many of the programs we already have in place, including Worship Assistants, Pastoral Care Associates, and our nursing ministry.

Rev. Mary sees herself as a “vision caster,” working with lay leaders and staff to form a leadership team together. As a supporter and professional guide to our lay leaders and congregation, she hopes to foster “good communication, collegial and open exchanges, sharing and collaborating.” She is strongly committed to accomplishing the “Five Tasks of an Interim Year” as envisioned by the UUA. And, her experiences with conflict management, behavioral covenants, and stewardship and budgeting will be assets as we determine exactly where we are and where we want to go.

Theologically, Rev. Mary describes herself as a “UU Theist” who has served a variety of
congregations with members of many different backgrounds. She comes to us with hopes for a
productive, growing, and caring experience. As she says, “I fully want to be able – even encouraged – to bring ALL that I am to this new interim ministry.” (And then reminds us that we should include some FUN along our journey together!)

Sunday Midday Worship Services for July

2007-07-02T17:01:00.001-04:00

Sunday Midday Services will be on hiatus for month of July.

Keep an eye out for The Reporter (our monthly newsletter) and online for future Midday Services.

Sunday Morning Worship Services for July

2007-07-02T16:55:00.000-04:00

Morning Services during the Summer begin at 9:30 am, all services take place in the Sanctuary.

Sunday, July 8 at 9:30 a.m.

American Spirit
Service Leaders: Margaret McConnell and Sarah Culver

Terry Tempest Williams writes: “In the future, brave men
and women will write a Declaration of Interdependence that
will be read and honored along side the Declaration of
Independence….” In her Open Space of Democracy,
Williams urges us to engage in our democracy, take risks,
share ideas, and deeply listen. Today we will consider the
spirit that lies at the foundation of our country's democracy
and ask: Are we honoring that spirit now, and how do we
honor that spirit in years to come?

Sunday, July 15 at 9:30 a.m.

Connections to the Continent
Service Leader: Ellen Carvill

This morning’s service will be reflections on the business
and event of the annual gathering of Unitarian Universalist
congregations called General Assembly, which happened in
late June. Come hear what happened this year and how these
happenings affect UUCA.

Sunday, July 22 at 9:30 a.m.

Living the UU Life
Service Leader: Warren Brown

What can Unitarian Universalism bring to our lives? We
come to services on Sundays and get involved in church
activities, but how does Unitarian Universalism really
impact us on a daily basis? How does it improve our lives?

Sunday, July 29 at 9:30 a.m.

Miracles Happen
Speakers: Elaine Young & Frances Pake

Every day of our lives miracles happen. Miracles are
natural. Ordinary everyday miracles. If we pay attention
we’ll find them everywhere. It’s our choice to "Believe it or
not."

Midday Worship Services for June

2007-06-10T17:44:00.000-04:00

Midday Services during the Summer begin at 11:30 am,
all services take place in the Sanctuary.

June 17
Celebrating Pride!
Service Leaders: Jamie Goodwin and Maia Beatty
The Stonewall Riots, ONE Inc., Harvey Milk… If you
recognize these names you may already know some of
the history of Pride in the United States. Join us for this
service as we celebrate Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian,
Transgendered, and Queer history and look to the future
of Pride movement.

June 24
Celtic Spirituality
Service Leaders: Warren Brown and Patty O’Shea
Special Guest Musician: Trish McLoughlin
Come enjoy this Celtic-themed musical service featuring
Irish melodies.

Morning Worship Services for June

2007-06-10T17:39:00.001-04:00

Morning Services during the Summer begin at 9:30 am,
all services take place in the Sanctuary.

June 17
Summing It Up
Speaker: Rev. Nancy O. Arnold
Worship Assistant: Pam Nunn
In this, my last sermon with you as your minister, I’ll
reflect on some of this life we’ve shared together. Parent
and Child Dedication for the Horvath family will be part
of the service.

June 24
VIPs
Speakers: Barb Beller and Elaine Young
We all know people who touch others with their
generosity, their caring, their hard work. VIPs all; people
who live their lives doing good, expecting no fame,
fortune or even a simple thanks. People who carry in
themselves the spirit of god, and it shows. These people
are indeed Very Important People. They can also be Very
Invisible People.

A Year In The Life

2007-06-10T17:35:00.000-04:00

This Reflection was offered at the Morning Worship Service of The Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron, June 10th 2007, by Jamie Goodwin

About a year and a half ago I was sitting in a meeting when I heard the Nominating Committee Chair say something like “We are having a hard time filling openings in the board, and we are running out of time.”

Cool I thought, I mean I haven’t been here at this church for all that long, less than 5 years, but I know a lot of people. I am really active in the online UU community. At that time I was on about 7 mailing lists, a blogger, and a member of the Church of the Larger Fellowship, which is a national congregation of Unitarian Universalists. Not to mention I was newly elected onto the Ohio-Meadville District board. Although I would have never admitted it at the time, I was thinking to myself… come on, you know this stuff, show up and blow them all away.

Suffice it to say, that is probably not the best attitude to take when starting out on a board of trustees. That is not to say my experience didn’t help. I like to think I brought insights and ideas to the board others might not have. I like to think my national and district connections have enabled me to look at issues with a scrutiny I might otherwise have not. But in the last year I have learned a few humbling lessons that I would like to share with our new board, with whom I will be working with in the next year, and all of you.

First of all, everyone on that board, everyone… in fact I would venture to guess nearly everyone in this congregation… knows this stuff. We all come from different perspectives and experiences and passions, but we know this stuff. We carry with us the hopes and dreams of what our future will be, and for each of us those hopes and dreams are a little different.

Which brings me to the second lesson I had to learn, our hopes and dreams may not be quite the same, what we each envision our tomorrows to look like will not be identical, and that is ok.

That is ok, because, the whole point of what we are doing here in this wonderful and sacred place, is trying to show the world that people are not required to believe alike, or to love alike, in order to live in peace and strive towards a better tomorrow.

A few months ago heard someone say, I have thought about serving on the board, but I have heard so many horror stories that I am afraid to. That makes me a little sad. Now I am not going to stand here and sugar coat it for you, being on our board takes a great deal of time, a strong commitment to this church, and a passion to help shape that “whatever that tomorrow will be”, but it is not a horror.

For me it has literally the most profound opportunity for growth that I have ever experienced. I have learned to say “I don’t know” and “I cannot”. I have learned that sometimes being a leader means, letting go. Letting others take the lead, and trusting their vision, their passion, to do the work.

So to those of you who are leaving our board, I want to say thank you, you have literally changed my life. Your passion and drive have been an inspiration.

And to those of you who are joining us now, I commend you and am honored to get the chance to work with you.

And to the rest of you I just want to say; being a leader in this church is not about knowing all the answers, or having the best connections, it is about living our faith. It is about standing up for that better tomorrow. If you go, I will follow… I encourage you all to share your knowledge, your strengths, and your passion. We are in it together.

May it be.

We have an Interim Minister!

2007-05-19T15:36:00.000-04:00

The Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that we entered a contract for interim ministry with the Rev. Mary E. Moore. We and Rev. Moore are very excited about our relationship. May we walk together in a holy space as we chart our future.

Once the contract was signed and accepted by the Board, the Interim Task Force’s duty of strict confidentiality as to the candidate’s name and information ended. Rev. Moore is currently the Interim Minister at Westside Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, TN. She is warm, enthusiastic and committed to celebrating who we are and helping us move closer to our vision of who we can become. We will be sending more information to members about her in the very near future, but wanted to share the good news as early as possible!

Evangelicals Unite Against Slavery

2007-04-02T23:33:00.000-04:00

From Reuters:

U.S. evangelical Christians are divided on global warming, the minimum wage and other issues, but they are united behind a new campaign to end modern slavery around the world.The article is just OK, but worth a click-thru and read. Also odd that they don't make the obvious tie-in to the beginning of Passover.

A couple thoughts. First, understand that one reason evangelicals are is . . . abortion. Anti-choice conservative Christians see links between their work against abortion and the abolition movement against slavery. They also argue that the Roe v. Wade decision was flawed in the same way the Dred Scott decision was. I don't agree with the abortion/slavery link and their reading of Dred Scott is entirely off base (for reasons that would constitute an entire post by themselves.) Not to say that the link to abortion invalidates the campaign, but we should keep it in mind moving forward.

So what are UU's doing about international slavery? Browsing around I found a World article from '04 announcing the formation of a UUs Against Slavery organization. Unfortunately, the website looks pretty much dead.

Pho on UUCA blog

2007-04-02T21:52:00.000-04:00

Since announcing my joining this blog, my posts have totalled, let's see here, zero. Nada.

Partly that's being busy, but partly it's also my tendency to try to write long, big ideas posts that take forever to finish. I have tons of half-done long posts.

I'm rededicating myself to this blog. I'm going to try to post smaller stories -- quick news items relevant to liberal religion with just one or two takes. Also, there's a vital Unitarian Universalist blogging community and I'll highlight some of the more interesting discussions there.

We Are Triumphant

2007-04-02T20:54:00.000-04:00

Delivered at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron. Midday Service, April 1st 2007.

The Story of Palm Sunday is one I resonate with. Just days before giving himself up to be sacrificed Jesus triumphantly entered the city of Jerusalem, According to the custom of the times when a great leader or prophet entered the city, cloaks and tree branches were placed before him as a sign of honor. We must know that many of the people who did so had never heard Jesus speak, but they must of heard rumors about his message of acceptance and love. And so they turned out to honor him, to show their support.

“I tell you, if these were silent, the stones themselves would shout out."

Have you ever felt that way? Just felt powerful, exalted, and triumphant? It doesn’t happen very often, if we are a lucky once or twice in our lives we may really feel triumph. That’s not a bad thing, we see time and time again how those who are placed on a pedestal. Actors, entertainers, athletes, maybe sometimes even ministers, simply cannot live with such expectations.

We are a social animal and as such although we may look to a leader, to expect of that leader to be always perfect, to always win, is to strip away their humanity.

A few years ago where I work I was involved in an organizing campaign. Those of you who have ever seen or taken part in a union dispute or campaign will know exactly how messy, and dark, and complicated these types of things can become.

I was asked one evening “If you hate working here so much, why not find another place to work?” I said “NO… no... I do not hate it here, I am proud, honored to work in a place that does so much good. This is about trying to make us better, about assuring our future, not about tearing down.”

Now I am not promoting labor unions what I am trying to say is that many of us who find a church home within Unitarian Universalism do so because we want to make something better, we want a better future, and we want to be a part of something with a rich history, deep traditions, and an eye on the horizon.

Unitarians and Universalists in the United States have been abolitionists, reformers, and workers for justice. We have consistently been on the forefront of social justice issues in this country since as long as we have been around. We ordained non-white Americans at a time when most churches would not even let them in the door. We ordained the very first woman into a mainstream denomination. And we continue this today by ordaining gay, bi, and lesbian ministers, and we are on the forefront, the vanguard of pursuing equal rights for those among whose gender identity varies from what society calls common.

It is not only justice that has driven us. We count amongst our ranks theological geniuses, prophetic American voices who have reshaped the way the world understands faith, life, and nature. The Unitarian, and to some extend the Universalist, church was the hub of what has became known as the transcendentalist movement. Our membership roles resound with names like Emerson, Channing, and Parker who reshaped the very foundation of our faith.

More modernly Universalists in the middle 20th century reshaped Universalism in a very similar fashion. One of those reformers would even find his way to this church as our minister for 21 years, and serves as our Minster Emeritus still today. Gordon McKeeman.

We come from a long line of people who have chosen, who have demanded change in their world. And so it is today, we fight, we demand, we stand up for change, in our communities, in our world, and yes even in our congregations.

But let us not forget, for all our work, our hard, sustaining, important work. For all that we envision for the future, for all our hopes and desires about who we can and should be. We are also a people who do great things.

We are a people who have triumphed.

We are a people who have weathered the storms of fundamentalism and theocracy. And though we be few, we consistently, courageously, and demandingly been at the forefront of every march, every advocacy, and every effort.

Gordon McKeeman said, “If we who have chosen the critical, purifying way in religion have neglected some essential, it has been our propensity to diminish and trivialize our religious practices and thus to diminish our effectiveness as liberators, as resacralizers, as agents of wholeness, and our ability to repair of the world.”

It is important to take this time, to know who we are and feel good about what we have done and what we are trying to do. It doesn’t really make the next steps any easier, and it doesn’t mean we get to rest for long, but it is important to remember just how vital and amazing this faith we share is. It is important to realize we have been and will be triumphant. If we come from a place of honesty, a place of care, and a place of faith, we shall ever be.

To close I would like to go back to Gordon McKeeman,

Let me make the songs for the people,
Songs for the old and young;
Songs to stir like a battle-cry
Wherever they are sung.

Not for the clashing of sabres,
Nor for carnage nor for strife;
But songs to thrill the hearts of all
With more abundant life.

Let me make the songs for the weary,
amid life's fever and fret,
Till hearts shall relax their tension,
and careworn brows forget.

Let me sing for little children,
Before their footsteps stray,
Sweet anthems of love and duty,
To float o'er life's highway,

I would sing for the poor and aged,
When shadows dim their sight;
Of the bright and restful mansions,
Where there shall be no night.

Our world, so worn and weary,
Needs music, sure and strong,
To hush the jangle and discords
Of sorrow, pain, and wrong.

Music to soothe all its sorrow,
Till war and crime shall cease;
and the hearts of all grown tender
Girdle the world with peace.

Amen, and May It Be

What is Luck?

2007-03-19T20:00:00.000-04:00

What is Luck? Homily delivered on March 18th, 2007 at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron. ~ by Jamie Goodwin

The existence of luck and of the ability to influence luck, both for good or ill, is one of the prolific and diverse beliefs in all of humanity. More popular than a belief in a personal God, more widespread than a belief in humanistic potential, and more prevalent than any kind of belief in natural or earth based spirits, the belief in Luck crosses lines of religion, class, race, culture, upbringing, and geographic distance.

But is it real?

Like all of what we call mysteries of life it is impossible, of course, to prove one way or the other. That doesn’t mean that we have not tried. It may be a very Unitarian Universalist point of view, but I do not like to let a simple thing like impossibility get in the way of a good discussion. We have talked about Luck, or the lack there of, for about as long as we have been able to talk. I imagine our first human ancestors on the banks of some unnamed river in Northern Africa laughing about the luck of one of their members on the hunt. I imagine my ancestors in Ireland returning home saddened and hungry, there no work to be found, and they say “no luck again today.”

Even Ralph Waldo Emerson, the transcendentalist poet who reshaped Unitarianism despite only being an ordained minister for a little over 3 years, had something to say about Luck.

Shallow men believe in luck, believe in circumstances.
Real men believe in cause and effect.

Those are tough words from a man known for his tough words. So is carrying some small token in hopes of a brighter day as shallow as all that? Does coming to terms with the circumstances in our lives make us less real? I must say sorry, Uncle Ralph, but this time I must disagree.

A quote that captures my heart is from Seneca the Younger. He was a Roman Dramatist of the first century.

Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.

Those others here, besides myself, who are Oprah fans may recognize that phrase; it is one she says often. Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.

I watched a television show the other day. Highlighted in this show was a young fellow, who at the age of 15 was dealt what many might consider a terrible amount of bad luck. While goofing off at the railroad tracks at night behind his home he was struck by a train. The result was him loosing both legs above the knee and his right arm just past his shoulder. This young man was able turn this devastating tragedy into something amazing.
He is now once again an athlete, competing regularly in running and swimming events using prosthetics. He was also the first double lower amputee to walk down stairs without holding on to another person, or railing, for support. He does it unassisted.

All of this is in thanks in part to an amazing clinician who just happened to be as energetic and passionate about this young mans future as he is himself. He was the first Prosthetist the family worked with. As his work grew he has now helped raise the bar on what amputees can hope to gain on the use prosthetics.

Was it luck that brought these two people together? The energetic young patient who demanded more and better, and was willing to work for it, and the equally energetic and extremely competent clinician who is determined to clear every bar that is raised in his path. Was it just plain old dumb luck?

The young man had been an athlete before his accident, a runner, a swimmer, and a skateboarder. He mentioned how this made him much better prepared to master the types of muscle control needed to control modern prosthetics. The prosthetists energy and ingenuity was well known before this, but coming into contact with this specific patient enabled him to soar in a way he had never before known.

What has stayed with me from watching that show is this. You can make the best out of ever opportunity, even when it arises out of tragic events, if you are willing and prepared.

What is luck? Is it even real? I cannot answer that for you. But I believe in it. I believe that we CAN influence the word around us by our willingness to take part in life and in our preparations for the future. I believe that simple tokens carried or cared for that help us remember, or hope, or focus are amazing gifts, sacred artifacts from our very lives.

I would like to end with a traditional Irish Blessing in honor of St. Patrick’s Day.

May you always have work for your hands to do.
May your pockets hold always a coin or two.
May the sun shine bright on your windowpane.
May the rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you.
And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

Amen, and May it be.

Take a Stand Against Genocide in Darfur

2007-03-19T19:54:00.000-04:00

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron joins congregations nationwide, in association with the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, to celebrate Justice Sunday.

This year Justice Sunday, will take place on March 25, 2007. Unitarian Universalist congregations in the US, and Unitarian and Universalist people around the world will stand together to end the genocide in Darfur.

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron is offering two services this year on Justice Sunday:

A Morning service at 10:30 am; where we will explore peace, not as the absence of war, but as a way to cultivate justice and be at peace in and with the world. A special collection benefiting the UUSC-Darfur Fund will take place during this service.

And a Midday Service at 12:30 pm; where special musical guests Tracey Nguma and the Umojah Reggae Band will join us as we stand witness to the people of Darfur, and explore how we can transform our grief into grace even when we see the suffering of so many people around the world.

Join us for this unique opportuanity to change our world.

Being Winter

2007-02-11T16:57:00.000-05:00

BE Winter - Delivered at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron Midday Service. 2-11-07 by Jamie Goodwin

When I originally proposed this service back in December I was thinking, amidst the 50 degree days, I really want to talk about winter! that is, if winter ever gets here. Alas, as always, winter did come. The nights grew cold, bitter even, many of us have picked up the various winter time viruses that come along with living in a community of humans, and now we are in the depths of February.

Often this time of year I find myself longing, wishing, desperately hoping for the change of seasons. Winter to spring is one of the most fantastic and celebrated times in all cultures. We center some of our most important festivals on spring’s arrival. We think about beginning gardens and cleaning our homes, even though we know it is still too cold to do such things.

These last couple of years I have been wondering, am I missing something? Am I missing an opportunity, am I missing out on something important… by waiting? Waiting is important, essential. Patience may be the strongest lesson we are taught by winter. Still I wonder if waiting, if patiently longing for warmth and longer days is limiting me? I never expect I will be one of those people who full heatedly embraces winter, I doubt you will see me in snow pants and skies strapped to my feet, and I doubt you will ever see me with a joyous smile while shoveling my driveway and the smidge of sidewalk that I am responsible for keeping clear. Then again I have made a conscious effort, a spiritual choice to try to embrace winter. I call it Being Winter.

As much as I am able - I stretch, even when I am uncomfortable, I pull my heart back from that longing for what was and what will be, back into what is.

In many ways my feelings for winter mirror how many of us feel about change. We know it is coming, we sometimes dread it. We look around at our warm comfortable days and say “This is alright, if it’s all the same to you, I will stay right here.” When it hits, we wait, unbudging by the hearth fire, unwilling to look up from our melancholy and fatigue. We wait for a glimpse of the sun and the melting of the world around us. We wait, if we wait long enough perhaps… perhaps… we will find ourselves right back to those warm comfortable days.

Of course, life doesn’t work that way. There is work to be done. There are pathways to clear - there is crisp, refreshing air to breathe. My challenge to you, is to embrace change. Even when it is uncomfortable, even when its cold and challenging winds worm their way into your warm and comfortable cloak. Be change.

That is a little scary isn’t it? I don’t deny it. Change is scary, sometimes even hurtful. We are comfortable, secure, in some ways even happy. But it is also necessary. Just as the cycles of the earth, the changing seasons, are essential to the plants and animals we share our little slice of earth with. Change is essential to us as believers in a living faith.

But how do we change?

It is simple really, and only takes a life time. For things to change, we must also be willing to change. We must be willing to pour the light of our love into all we do. We must be willing to reach into the heavens and bring back the sacred, the true, the worthy. Most of all we must be willing to share all we find, and learn from those others who bring their own, sometimes unexpected, treasures into our midst. And they say this is an easy faith.

But if things change, tomorrow will be so much different than what we have today.

That may be true, but tell me, has one spring ever looked identical to the one before. Have the exact same flowers, and the exact same leaves appeared as they did so long ago. And yet spring is spring. Gardeners know that a plant that was thriving last we saw it may suddenly be struggling this year, what has been struggling for several seasons may suddenly burst forth in beauty and elegance. It is exactly those varieties in life that make it such a fulfilling adventure. Spring is spring, and just like the seasons, if we hold tight to who we are, if we remember and honor our history and traditions, whatever tomorrow might bring we can embrace and welcome into our lives.

There is a song close to the heart of many Unitarian Universalists, the last two lines perhaps, say it more clearly and simply than I have.

Roots hold me close; wings set me free;
Spirit of Life, come to me, come to me.

We are blessed with roots, deep sustaining roots that even in depths of winter and blowing cold have sustained us, have kept us.

We are blessed with wings, as a living and moving faith, that we may soar above the clouds and search for all that is right and true.

Life surrounds us, even in the depths of winter.

I want to BE winter, and not just endure it
I want to BE change, and not just wait for it to happen
I want the BE life, and not just a spectator

No, it is not always easy, AND that is no excuse for not trying.

In the spirit of prayer I ask you to sing with me now, some of you may know the words, but if you do not they are listed in your order of service, the song is Spirit of Life. After we sing we will take a few moments to set together in silence. For now I ask you to rise, and as we sing think of all that life is; the warm spring days, the cold winter nights, the comfortable waiting places, and the challenging changing future.

BE winter with me now, BE change, BE Life.

Spirit of Life, come unto me.
Sing in my heart all the stirrings of compassion.
Blow in the wind, rise in the sea;
Move in the hand, giving life the shape of justice.
Roots hold me close; wings set me free;
Spirit of Life, come to me, come to me.

~ Silence ~

Amen, and thank you for being here today.

What UU's Believe About God

2007-02-03T18:07:00.000-05:00

Our 7th and 8th grade RE class did a survey of members during coffee hour. We asked people to check the beliefs below that pertained to them. We allowed the respondents to check as many as they felt fit for them. We got the list of statements from Compass Points by Gaia Brown and Michelle Richards, the curriculum for our class. After people responded (48 people), we classified the statements in the categories shown on the pie graph and determined the percentage of responses in each area.

Almost everyone agreed with the statement that "There are as many ideas about God as there are people", so we used that for the title of our graph instead of including it in our pie graph.
Here are the statements and the way we classified them. We would be interested in finding out what others in our congregation and other UU's on the Internet think about the findings of our survey.

Statements and Classification
Theist-
God cares for us and listens to our prayers.-9
God is present in the relationships among people.-30

Pantheist-
There is a spark of divinity in each of us.-43
God and the Universe are the same- God is in everything and everyone-30
God is inside, around us and with us wherever we are-8

Pagan-
I find God in Nature-43
God is like a loving mother who sustains us and all life-11

Humanist-
God is my conscience calling me to make the world a better place-19
We can use science and reason to make the world a better place-46

Agnostic-
There is no way we can know whether or not there is a God-20

Atheist-
There is no such thing as God, and even the word is meaningless-5

Deist-
God created the universe and left it to run itself.-6

Some Questions We Have:

* Do you think this is a true representation of the diverse beliefs in our congregation?

* Is this representative of UU's in general?

* Would you classify the statements the same way we did or make changes?

* Are there other beliefs that are not represented here?

Please leave your comments.
Thanks,
7th and 8th Grade RE Class

Stanley’s Journey

2007-01-13T23:55:00.000-05:00

Reflection delivered by Warren Brown at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron
Dec. 3, 2006

When I met Stanley he was chopping wood. It was a cold and rainy morning in early March of 1994. By the time I got there at nine, he had been at it for several hours. The old trailer hitched to his Ford tractor was bulging with firewood. Later, as I was helping him stack the wood in an already full wood shed, I asked him why he was chopping more just before spring. He explained that when he got up at five that morning it was raining too hard to work in the field. So he decided to chop wood until it cleared. The clouds broke just as the wagonload of wood was empty. And he headed out to plant 25 red oak trees.

That’s the way all of Stanley’s mornings started. His work was determined by weather and by season. If it was too rainy to plant, he would chop. If it was too hot to chop he would prune. If it was too cold to prune he would mend. The only thing that Stanley never did was nothing. Because as he told it, there was never nothing to do.

Stanley was a farmer. By the time I met him, he had been a farmer all of his 82 years.

His Dad was a farmer, as was his Grand Dad. Altogether, they farmed the same Medina County land for over 125 years. Theirs was one of the once countless small American family farms handed down generation to generation that have all but disappeared from the landscape.

Over the years, Stan and his family raised a number of different crops. At one time or another, they raised corn and soy and wheat. But by the early thirties they were dairy farmers. It was also at this time that Stan started doing something that was unusual for the 1930’s. Their farm had a number of steep hills and erosion was always a problem. To hold the sharp grades, Stan started planting Scotch Pines. This proved much more effective than the grasses that most farmers used. And it began a practice that would later become much more than land management.

By the early sixties, Stan began to have health problems. Frequently, in the course of his work he would become dizzy and then violently ill. He was diagnosed with Maniere’s Disease an inner ear disorder that made the work of dairying impossible. Sadly, Stan sold off his herd and equipment.

With his dairy income gone, he was persuaded to sell timber from the forested areas of the farm. But this proved more difficult than he had thought. Watching as the mighty trees that had stood over his land through all memory were felled, he was filled with grief. And as the first trucks loaded with logs began to leave, he stopped them. He made them unload, paid them for their time, and told them never to return.

Now Stanley knew what he wanted to do. He began planting trees. Not just a few. But many, many trees.

500 Norway Spruce.
500 Tulips
2000 White Pines
3000 Red Oak.
Beach, White Oak, Sweetgum, Red and Scotch Pines, Black Walnut, High Yeild Sugar Maples.

Stanley was not planting a tree farm. Many were species that would never mature in his lifetime. This wasn’t planting to harvest for his own gain. He was planting because he loved to plant. He lived everyday, doing what he loved the most. And by the end of his life in 2001, he had planted over one hundred thousand trees. His 125 year family farm is now mostly forest.

Each of us is on a journey. We trudge our paths seeking meaning in the passage, and a destination that rewards the effort. But people like Stanley remind us that the journey itself IS the reward. And that which we seek, we can find everyday, if we’re willing to see it.

In 1997, Stanley and Esther Allard willed upon their deaths their family farm to the Medina County Parks district. And today, if you travel down Remson Road in Granger Township, about ¾ of a mile west from Medina Line Road, you will come to Allardale – one of the most beautiful and scenic parks in region – including, as estimated by the National Park Service, Stanley’s 100,000 trees.

Stanley Allard’s journey led him to plant trees. He didn’t have a park in mind as he was doing it. But through his selfless and persistent efforts a place of peace, tranquility, and beauty exists for all of us to enjoy from now on.

What do we seek on our journeys? Do we seek knowledge, or power, or security? Maybe we should just go about the business of traveling. Joyfully planting a little of ourselves as we go.

Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your journey today.

Freedom Files Films

2007-01-05T17:45:00.000-05:00

Join the ACLU of Ohio and the Social Action Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron for a screening of an episode from the TV series "The ACLU Freedom Files," followed by a discussion led by Carrie Davis, ACLU of Ohio staff attorney. Wednesday- 1.31.07 and 3.14.07 7:00PM.

Unitarian Universalist Church-3300 Morewood Ave., Akron
Off Market street across from Summit Mall.

Coffee and dessert provided. Child care is available. If needed, please call ahead at 330.836.2206.

ACLU Freedom Files: Racial Profiling
1.31.07 | wednesday
7:00 pm

Do you believe in equality? Are you concerned about the growing use of racial profiling to combat terrorism and everyday crime? Ready to hear the stories of those who have been profiled?

ACLU Freedom Files: Women's Rights
3.14.07 | wednesday
7:00 pm

The episode tells the stories of immigrant retail workers in New York who stood up to their abusive boss; women who stood up to receive equal funding for sports in their communities; and women whose health was endangered because Medicaid wouldn't cover their abortions.

Racial Harmony Group

2007-01-04T07:45:00.000-05:00

The first mtg. of the Racial Harmony group will be on Feb, 19th, from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM, in room 405. At that time the group will decide on whether to meet once or twice a month. We will be affiliated with the Small Group Ministry program.

In his book, THE SOUL OF POLITICS, Jim Wallis asks, "What is racism?" He defines it as prejudice plus power. "The task for white Americans is to examine ourselves, our relationships, our institutions and our society for the ugly plague of racism. He states that the "Nation's original sin of racism must be faced in a way that we have never really done before. Only then can America be rediscovered. "

Please join us in this exciting task.

For questions or to register call Mary Kapper at (330) 836=4361

The other day I followed a link to a blog post by Rev. Sean Dennison titled, "Returning to the Table Again and Again" I won't try to summarize his post; you need to follow the link and read what he had to say. His post led me to a sermon by Martha Niebanck titled "Breaking the Rules" .

In his post Rev. Dennison talks about the difficultly of having conversations about topics like racism, discrimination and diversity. I have to admit that I have often found myself personally uncomfortable with these topics, and I've "left the table or avoided dinning" there at all. But several members of our Social Action Committee pushed for the formation of this group, and brought Bill and Jeannette Avery to talk with us about the Racial Harmony Group they formed at First Unitarian Church of Cleveland. Their enthusasm and willingness to come to the table encouraged us to form our own Racial Harmony Group starting with a small group ministry within our own church. Jeannette passed away last May, and I could not help but think of her when I read Martha Niebanck's tribute to Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley.

I hope that our newly formed Racial Harmony Group will grow and invite members of our congregation and others in our community to "Return to the Table Again and Again."

Upside Down Sunday is Coming to a Church Near You!

2006-12-30T15:09:00.000-05:00

A very special thanks to Rev. Sean Parker the minister of South Valley Unitarian Universalist Society in Salt Lake City, Utah whose description of his own Upside-Down Day inspired me to present it as an idea to my own church.

On January 28th it is going to be a reality.

There is of course... some nervousness! The first time we do anything there is bound to be some nervousness. That doesn't mean that is not worth doing. I hope many people show up - we have a great service (although still in the planning stage) where Adults will get a sense of what Childrens worship feels like, and the children will hopefully get a better sense of what adult worship feels like.

I personally am very proud of the Religious Education Committee and Way Cool Sunday Volunteers for being brave enough to take on this challenge. It is scary right? I mean there is no curriculum for this, there is nothing on paper to follow, (except what we make for ourselves) and yet they have stepped up and took it on.

It is going to be a great and unique experience. Please come and take part!

Sunday, January 28 at 10:30 a.m.

Upside Down Sunday!
Worship Leaders: Nancy O. Arnold,
Rich Roberts, Jamie Goodwin, Rebekah Benner,
Becky Ensworth, and Liz Bright

We will gather in the sanctuary to begin our
worship together. Then – the adults will leave, and
the children will stay! What can we learn of the
religious life through the eyes of a child? “Building
Bridges” is the theme for today’s services.

Unitarians on Anderson Cooper

2006-12-15T20:43:00.000-05:00

I watched this Anderson Cooper special on TV about, "What is a Christian?" and was glad to see that they included a clip about Unitarian Universalism. You can watch it on YouTube.

Thanks to UU World for publishing this link to the clip. The minister and the couple they interviewed did a good job of explaining many of the good qualities of our denomination.

For another view of this special go to Faith In Public Life.

There are more clips from it there.

Guest At Your Table

2006-12-14T09:02:00.000-05:00

I have another church job, UUSC (Unitarian Universalist Service Committee)representative. I didn’t come looking for another volunteer opportunity, but it found me, and I took it because I believe in the work this organization does. This Sunday we will be collecting our yearly Guest At Your Table offering, or GAYT. When I joined our congregation, it was my first introduction to an organization like the UUSC. Coming from a Christian background, I was familiar with missions where social services were provided to people in conjunction with the message of Christianity. So, when the offering for the UUSC came up during the Thanksgiving service, I assumed that Universalists must have some missions somewhere in the world to provide aid to people and ……. ? What message were the UU’s giving people along with the aid, certainly not any particular religious doctrine.

Since that time, I have learned a bit more about the UUSC. It provides aid to people around the world, but not by establishing missions. Instead, it works through partnerships with local grassroots groups that are trying to bring about change. The UUSC is particularly concerned with marginalized populations that may be overlooked or excluded from traditional aid organizations, women, minorities etc. Besides providing money for direct aid through partnerships with local organizations, this group also advocates for social change. For example, the UUSC website has a link to express opposition to torture and to support fair wages. It is not enough to give aid to the victims; we need to change the social conditions that cause people to be victimized. Every year Unitarian Univeralists recognize the UUSC efforts during Justice Sunday. This year, the service will focus on the Crisis in Darfur.

Our congregation has done a great job of supporting the UUSC in past. Last year we received UUSC’s Vision of Justice Banner Society honor for our 2006 (50-99% membership) and the James Luther Adams award (for giving $1 per church member through our budget. As we give this year’s GAYT offering, I am hoping for another banner year, and encouraging our congregation to support the UUSC, not only with contributions, but by using this voice of Unitarian Universalism to fight for peace and justice around the world.

The New Guy

2006-12-11T09:53:00.000-05:00

Hi. I'm the latest blogger for the UUCA blog. In blogworld I'm known as "Pho;" those of you in the congregation are more likely to know me as Scott Piepho.

For those who don't know, I've been blogging for about a year and a half now. My original blog, Pho's Akron Pages, is something of a fixture on the Ohio political blog scene. The avatar at right (art by my older daughter) is well known in comment fields around the state.

Blogging has been an important part of my life for the past year and a half. It was through the blog that I was interviewed for the piece on WCPN that many of you have heard (and that you can still listen to online.) I've also interviewed candidates and elected officials, been interviewed for news stories and gotten one campaign job so far, all directly as a result of blogging. With all that, one of the most satisfying moments in my blogging career was when Rev. Arnold introduced me to a visitor who had found his way to our church through my blog.

So when I recently stumbled across this blog and saw that Jamie and CeeJay were looking for more writers, I signed up. I'm excited about this new project. Having seen how blogs help organize communities of interest, I am pleased that we are using this tool to communicate with our members and advance our ideas.

For me posting here will necessarily be different from posting on my home blog. Though I focus more on policy than politics and though I try to maintain a high tone, things get heated and elbows get thrown. I've been known to say things like "X is just plain stupid," which falls somewhat short of treating every individual with dignity and respect. I'm also overtly partisan on my home blog which will not work here.

At the same time, we have things to say as a church. As I said in my Reflection back in July, we bring important perspectives to the increasingly strident conversation about the role of faith in our modern society. We represent a religious minority (or perhaps minorities) and we know the difficulties of maintaining a community based on religious pluralism. This is one place we can talk about what we've learned and witness for religious pluralism.

I look forward to the conversation.

Mitten Tree

2006-12-02T21:09:00.000-05:00

Fairlawn Village Preschool, which operates here in our church, will be doing a mitten tree this year for the Battered Women’s Shelter.

Mittens, gloves, hats and scarves are needed for all ages, babies through 12 years old.

The deadline for donations in Wednesday, December 20.

The mitten tree will be outside the sanctuary doors. For more info, contact the Fairlawn Village Preschool teachers.

Today is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life

2006-12-02T20:13:00.000-05:00

Excerpted from the sermon "The First Day and the Rest of Your Life" delivered at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron by our Minister Emeritus; Rev. Gordon McKeeman - January 2, 1972

Part 2

Let me suggest to you that change is something that happens under the impact of necessity. We are not likely to change unless it appears to us that it is necessary for us to change. Now, I think it you were to take a poll and ask any ten people if they wanted some changes, the majority would say, "Yes we would like some changes." If however you ask them if they wanted to change themselves, if they were ready to pay the price of changing themselves, perhaps a different result would arise. In order for change to take place, we must want or need to change badly enough to pay the price of change. The price of change for human beings is self discipline. If you want a change you've got to adjust to altered circumstances. And in order to do those things - any of all of them - self discipline is required.

Sometimes we talk at the beginning of the year about a fresh start. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. There's a kind of aura of a fresh start about that. But, in fact, the notion of a fresh start can be a kind of dodging of reality, because any first day that any of us takes at this point begins with the baggage of the past. Every one of us has experienced happy and hurtful experiences. We have, al of us, things that we fear to do out of embarrassments and failures of the past. We all have security blankets, food, and money - and statues - and prestige that we fear to risk or lose so we not make a fresh start, that is, a start without any encumbrances. We start from where we are, and that is starting from where we are means an acknowledgment of our self-knowledge, some better or deeper understanding of who we are as the starting place for what we might be. The most profound changes that ever occur are inside people. They occur when people acknowledge realities of their own existence and seek out some broader perspectives. This requires often times the company of others. Few people understand themselves well enough to be able to know what they really are apart from the reflections they get from other people. Few of us can do without the company of others. Few of us there are who do not need a widening of the context of our lives. Most of us do not mind change as long as it doesn't alter anything. But if it does, it might alter us and that might be painful - or difficult - or demanding. Today is the first day of the rest of your life.

Socrates Returns

2006-12-02T08:28:00.000-05:00

No, he isn't coming back from the dead, but the Socrates Café will return to our church starting January 23rd from 7-9PM. We will meet every 4th Tuesday of the month at the same time in the McKeeman room.

What is a Socrates Café? Socrates Café, technically, is a book written by Chris Phillips, author and co-founder of The Society for Philosophical Inquiry. Chris developed the idea of Socrates Café to do as Socrates did, bring philosophy to the every day individual. Since his book was published, Socrates Cafes have been appearing all over the United States and even in other countries.

Basically, a Socrates Café is a group of individuals, who like to talk. We get together and discuss what is on our minds, from something on the news that day to the age old questions. We want to learn how to think, not what to think.

The topic of conversation is chosen by the participants at each meeting, and those gathered are encouraged to explore it together in an atmosphere of mutual respect, and philosophical curiosity to gain a greater understanding.

So, Join us for coffee and discussion where good conversation is our main goal. Our tools will be listening & learning as we ask the big questions.

Bones to Chew On

2006-11-30T08:49:00.000-05:00

We recently had a meeting at our church about our midday service. There are some questions about how this service will develop, and even if it will continue at all. The committee that has worked tirelessly making this alternative worship service vibrant and unique is stressed by the demands of the job and the lack of response from the congregation as a whole. I understand exactly where they are coming from. I would like to see the service develop and get more support from other members of our church and bring in new folks from the community, but as so often happens in our congregation, programs that are initially met with enthusiasm are not supported in the long term. The midday service meeting and the meeting of committee chairs last night has caused me to do a lot of thinking. Our congregation is not unique in having difficulty getting members to do the many volunteer tasks it takes to run a church, but we do seem to have more leadership burnout than most churches or organizations to which I have belonged.

I think it was Eric Hoffer who said that the mind needs a bone to chew on, and my mind always has some puzzle to gnaw at as I go about my business. So this is the bone for today, why does our congregation have so much difficulty maintaining and developing programs and why are we burning out our leaders? It isn’t a new bone for me, but one I’ve been gnawing on for quite a while.

Another bone I have been gnawing on is what I want from a worship service. One thought is that when I come to a service, I am as much responsible for making something happen for me as those who have planned the service. I am even wondering if worship is the right word for what I want from the service. The dictionary defines worship as:
“reverent honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage, or to any object regarded as sacred. A formal or ceremonious rendering of such honor and homage.” Most of the time, I do not go to a service to honor or pay homage to a superior entity. One thought is that I go to become connected to the spiritual side of myself and connect with others in a spiritual way. I’m not sure exactly what that means. Well, I am off to work, and to gnaw on my bones.

Charlie Brown and Survival of a Species

2006-11-29T16:01:00.000-05:00

Excerpted from the sermon "The First Day and the Rest of Your Life" delivered at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron by our Minister Emeritus; Rev. Gordon McKeeman - January 2, 1972

Charlie brown and Linus are walking along and Linus says to Charlie Brown, "I have a theological question. When you die and go to heaven, are you graded on a percentage or on a curve?" And Charlie Brown says, "On a curve naturally;" to which Linus responds, "How can you be so sure?" and Charlie Browns says, "I'm always sure about the things that are a matter of opinion."

perhaps we ought to take a cue from Charlie Brown, that is to say, certainties are a matter of opinion, not a matter of fact. Certainties are our fundamental premises which are, to use another word, our faith. And we are always sure about things that are a matter of opinion, aren't we? Well, what are some of these certainties which are, in fact, only our assertations?

Let's begins with one - the notion, the belief, the certainty, as it where - that there is an ordering process going on in us and about us, and that survival is it's goal, and that process rewards adaption. What does it mean? It means that if we learn how to live within the circumstances, the conditions, the environment, these learnings have survival value. The cockroach managed it and the dinosaur didn't. The question before us, of course, is whether human beings are going to learn it or not, and that is at this point an open question. It is one of the uncertainties.

But the certainty that lies behind it is that this ordering process will reward adaption with survival and non-adaption with extinction. In the the long run, then, morality is based upon survival value - that which is moral enables people to survive, that which is immoral does not enable them to survive. How to apply that is a problem. For example, violence in the form of predation (the praying of one specie upon another specie for purposes of it's survival) does indeed have survival value. So if you happen to be a wolf, to be a good predator is the means of your survival and that involves violence.

The question is whether violence has survival value for human beings. What are we predators upon? Ourselves? One another? While most animals have natural enemies, man apparently has no natural enemies, and violence in the hands of mankind does not insure his survival. It does, in fact, threaten it. Therefore, in trying to find out what things we ought to be embracing, the question of whether or not value is capable of ensuring or enhancing the possibilities of survival is one yardstick to use.

Using this yardstick, one discovers a very interesting thing. Such moral values of love, and honesty, and acceptance are not simply preferences of human beings, they are really imperatives of human beings because mankind is one and violence and hostility do not have survival value but love, and honesty, and acceptance do have survival value. Now you may find many other kinds of values which, by this yardstick, are useful in that they suggest the possibilities of survival of the human species and it's growth toward it's potential which some of us dream to be a world of peace and good will. But these things require changes in human beings. So we go from the rest of your life back to the first part, which is about the first day. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. How are we to start the necessary kinds of change in us, and in others, to enable us to survive as a species?

... to be continued

It's the Most Wonderful Time, of the Year

2006-11-29T15:54:00.000-05:00

HOLIDAY BAZAAR
Saturday, December 9 from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 10 from 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
(for church members)
Purchase many unique holiday gifts from a wide variety of
talented vendors! Please contact Vicki Brown with questions.

HOLIDAY POTLUCK DINNER
Saturday, December 16 at 5:00 p.m.
Be sure to sign up for our traditional Holiday Potluck
dinner gathering at 5:00 p.m.
Dinner will be served at
6:00 p.m.

CANDLELIGHT YULE SERVICE
Friday, December 22, at 7:00 p.m.
The Celtic Wheel of the Year turns to the Winter Solstice,
the shortest day of the year. Yule is the celebration of the
return of the Sun God and longer, brighter days to come.
If you are able, please bring a dessert or snack to share
for "wassailing" in the McKeeman Room after the service.
To help with the service, contact Rebekah Benner.

CHRISTMAS EVE CANDLELIGHT SERVICE
Sunday, December 24 at 7:00 p.m.
Worship Leaders: Nancy O. Arnold and Rich Roberts
We will gather as families to celebrate the spirit of
Christmas with traditional readings and carols, concluding
with the singing of Silent Night and the lighting of candles.
Please bring a dozen cookies to share during our fellowship time.

A Sacred Circle Service

2006-10-23T19:52:00.000-04:00

Join us for ritual and meditation honoring the turning of the Wheel into the dark time of the year. Samhain (sow-in), also meaning "summer's end", familiarly known as Hallowe'en and All Hallow's Mass, is the beginning of the new year for some who follow an Earth-Centered spiritual path. This is the time when the veil is thinnest between the world of the living and the realm of the ancient ones.

Beginning with this celebration of Samhain, we will be offering the Sacred Circle Service periodically as a gathering for ritual, meditation, drum and chant for those who are seeking a deeper connection to the Earth's changing seasons and the phases of the Moon.

Join us this Sunday, October 29th at 7:00 pm in the McKeeman room, and be on the look out for more Sacred Circle Services throughout the year.

Write to info@uuakron.org for more information.

Belief and Discernment

2006-10-21T14:24:00.000-04:00

Delivered by Warren Brown
July 23, 2006
Sunday Morning Service

Years ago, I had a business that often required me to drive long distances at night. To pass the time, I listened to books-on-tape, or music on cassette, or occasionally late night talk radio. One night, in Fall of 1996 very early in the morning, I was tuning around the distant AM stations when I came across a show that I hadn’t heard before. There was a scientist talking with the host about a comet that was traveling toward Earth.

“Cool, a talk show about astronomy,” I thought. Now, I’m not a scientist, but science has always fascinated me. So I settled in to the conversation.

The scientist was Dr. Courtney Brown, a tenured professor at Emory University. He was talking about a recently taken photograph of the Hale-Bopp comet that at the time was on its approach passed Earth. Hale-Bopp, most of you will remember, was one of the largest comets to travel by our planet in over one hundred years. It could easily be seen in the night sky without a telescope.

The photo that Dr. Brown was talking about had been taken by someone he referred to as a “top-ten university astronomer.” What made this picture interesting is that it appeared to show something more than the comet. The photo showed a large object behind Hale-Bopp – an object that he said was up to four times the size of Earth. This object was originally discovered by an amateur astronomer named Chuck Shramek, who had been tracking the progress of Hale-Bopp. Dr. Brown’s photo seemed to support the object’s existence. Even more interesting was that according to Shramek the object didn’t correspond to any known bodies on the star charts. But what really piqued my interest, was when Brown stated that the object seemed to be actually traveling along with the comet! More astonishing yet, he maintained that it was not a natural object and that it was traveling in a way that seemed to purposely shield its view from the Earth behind the bright comet!

Well, at this point, my 2 o’clock in the morning brain was racing. “Are these guys saying that this thing is a space craft being piloted toward the earth using Hale-Bopp as cover?” Yes, that was exactly what they were saying. This was astounding! If true, it would have been the beginning of one of the most significant moments in the history of planet! All of our past assumptions about everything - the cosmos, life, and God would be put to the test.

I was excited. But, I wasn’t ready to be sold yet. News of this scope naturally kicked my skepticism into overdrive. On one hand, someone with seemingly respectable credentials was making the claim. And there was the corroborating photograph. Dr. Brown even asserted that he had contacted the Greenwich Observatory who was supposedly also following the unidentified object. Also, I was aware that some of the great scientific minds of the time considered life on other planets, not only possible, but probable. It stood to reason that sometime, a sufficiently advanced alien culture might just show up.

On the other hand, this was an extraordinary claim. And my source of information – well, the authority of commercial talk radio anytime of the day should be considered suspect – talk radio at 2 in the morning is even more dubious. Besides, Dr. Brown only identified the author of the photo as a “top ten university astronomer.” He said that the scientist was arranging a press conference to officially announce the discovery, and wanted to remain anonymous until then. Hmmm…

Still, as the show signed off the air, promising to keep abreast of developing information, I was thrilled at the prospect. But at the same time, I was determined to find news that would support these claims.

So the next day, I bought several newspapers. I scanned the TV. I listened to the radio. Surely, news like this would get lots of coverage. But nothing. No articles. No stories. No commentaries. About the aliens coming to earth - there was only silence.

Now, I’m not big on conspiracies. So reluctantly, I had to admit that if the media wasn’t covering this story, there was a good chance that it wasn’t credible. That night, I tuned back in to the radio show. They were still talking about the aliens. And I learned more about Dr. Courtney Brown from Emory. His field was and still is political science, not astronomy. He’s also the director of the Farsight Institute – an organization dedicated to scientific remote viewing – a process that uses psychic ability to “see” events in distant locations or back in time. Apparently, it was three of his remote viewers that identified the Hale-Bopp companion as a metallic structure filled with aliens. Well, I’ll leave you to draw your own conclusions about remote viewing. But to me, it sounded like pseudo-science at best, and sadly I concluded that aliens were probably not about to land.

It turns out that the show I was listening to was the Art Bell show, a regular haunt of those interested in paranormal oddities and conspiracies. I later heard that Dr. Brown’s corroborating photo was a fake and that Chuck Shramek, the amateur astronomer that had found the object was using his star chart program incorrectly. The object he “discovered” was indeed a known star.

For me and for most people who heard about Hale-Bopp’s alien companion, that was the end of the story. We had listened to the claims. We critically examined the evidence. And finding them unconvincing – like it or not, we rejected the whole notion.

But there were others who heard the assertions of Chuck Shramek and Courtney Brown who came to very different conclusions. Marshall Applewhite was the charismatic leader of a small religious sect in California. He and his 38 followers had access to the same information that I had. But rather than rejecting the contentions about aliens, they embraced them. Applewhite and his group became convinced that not only was a ship on its way, it was coming for them. In fact, they were so sure, that a few months after Art Bell broke the news on his program, all 39 members of the Heaven’s Gate cult quietly and methodically committed suicide in preparation for their galactic voyage.

How could such a thing happen? How could these people, when presented with essentially the same information that I was, come to believe such radically different things? Those questions have haunted me ever since.

How do we form our beliefs? How do we validate or invalidate them? And how do those beliefs affect our lives? For UU’s, these questions are central to our 4th principle: “A free and responsible search for truth and meaning.” It’s important that we think about the things that we believe.

I meet with a group here at the church called UU Baggage Inspection. Once a month we get together to examine and discuss a foundational spiritual concept. So I was excited when one of our first topics was “belief.” It gave me the excuse to do a little research on the subject. And while I was only able to scratch the surface of a very complex issue, I found the information useful and enlightening.

Beliefs concern those ideas that we consider true, but have no proof. We hold many, many beliefs – some are profound, and some are ordinary. We may believe an intelligent God guides the universe. We may believe our kids sometimes lie about finishing their homework. We may believe in a woman’s right to choose. We may believe our co-workers are shameless self-promoters. We may believe that we can succeed if we only try. We may believe that Fords are better than Chevys. We have beliefs about everything and everyone around us. All of those beliefs work together to create our world-view. And they color everything we see.

Where do these beliefs come from? Some we get from others. As children, many of our beliefs come from our parents. Others we get from friends or teachers or ministers. And many, we come up with on our own.

Michael Shermer, psychologist and founding publisher of Skeptics Magazine has studied and written extensively about the formation of beliefs. In his book “How We Believe – Science, Skepticism, and the Search for God,” he argues that beliefs often start with something that we as humans are particularly good at:

Did you see the square in this pattern?

This graphic illustrates something humans are very good at. We are pattern-seeking animals. Recognizing patterns in our world has always been crucial to our survival. For example:
- Early hunters noticed that their hunt’s were more successful when they stayed upwind of their quarry.
- And when they began to farm, they learned that cow manure is good for crops.
Even today…
- We learn early that when crossing the street that dangerous cars are likely to be speeding by,
- Later we notice that if we drink too much we’ll feel bad the next day.
- Or as I’ve found out on occasion, if I act like a jerk, people will treat me like one.

As we recognize patterns, we can begin to make assumptions about our world - assumptions that we put together to form systems of belief.
- If we look both ways, we won’t be run over by a car.
- We should drink in moderation.
- If we don’t act like jerks and treat people with respect, we’ll get along better with those around us.

Michael Shermer asserts that this process of assembling patterns into beliefs has through evolution become hardwired into our brains. It’s a system he’s dubbed the “Belief Engine.” And it works so well, that if we’re not careful, it can cause us problems. It turns out that we’re so good at seeing patterns, we sometimes see them when they are not there.

This time, look again and try not to see the square.

It’s difficult to do. Our brains fill in the missing pieces.
There’s not really a square there –
Only four Pac Man shapes.

We’re predisposed to see the pattern. Once we’ve identified it, a pattern is difficult to reject, even if new information contradicts it. Not only that, we tend to see the patterns that we want to see, and deny the patterns that we don’t.

When I shop at the supermarket, I always try to figure out which will be the fastest checkout line. But no matter how carefully I choose, the person ahead of me always has an item that won’t scan, or has forgotten his or her bonus card and needs to have the number looked up, or has a coupon for two bottles of dish detergent but only picked up one. In the meantime, the people who were at the backs of the other lines when I walked up are now on their way to the parking lot. The pattern always is – that the slowest line will always be the one that I choose.

Of course, I know that’s not really true. In fact, every time I’m at the store, rather than just getting in any line, I always try to calculate which lane has the fewest items and the fastest checker - even though, I’m probably right less than half the time.

So, why do I persist in this belief that I can pick a fast checkout lane? It may be partly because of who I believe I am. The strong image I have of myself is that of an intelligent and rational thinker. Therefore, I believe that I have the mental acuity to be able to read all of the variables in the checkout lane to determine which will be fastest. The fact that I fail more than succeed, doesn’t harmonize with my self-image. As a result, I deny the pattern and preserve my delusion.

It’s the same for all of our beliefs. They have to be in harmony. So if new patterns of information come along that support our existing beliefs we’re disposed to accept them. On the contrary, if new information challenges our beliefs we have three choices. Our first reaction might be to reject the new information. Or we can try to make it fit our existing beliefs. Otherwise, we must change or discard our conflicting beliefs. For strongly held beliefs, this can be a very difficult thing to do.

Heaven’s Gate founder Marshall Applewhite was a very troubled man. He struggled with mental illness and his own sexuality. In his thirties, he had admitted himself into a psychiatric hospital for hearing voices and to be “cured” of his homosexual urges. Unfortunately, the medical community wasn’t able to help him. So instead, he sought solace in an increasingly bizarre system of beliefs. He believed that he was a messenger from an “Evolutionary Kingdom Level Above Human.” who had been sent to earth and placed in his current “human container.” He was rejecting his humanity, and perhaps overcoming his inner conflict.

His mission was to prepare the world to be recycled to the next evolutionary level. To aid him, he gathered a number of followers whom he also indoctrinated into his beliefs. The members of Heaven’s Gate were isolated from the outside world - including from their family and friends. They were given new names and forced to take on androgynous identities. Applewhite controlled all information, not allowing his followers to watch television or read anything he did not approve.

When Courtney Brown’s news of an alien ship reached the group, it was altogether consistent with their beliefs that it was coming for them. To be swept away from their troubled existence on Earth, must have been cause for celebration. But in the months that followed Art Bell’s show, the contradicting evidence would have become increasingly difficult to reject. In the end, death may have seemed the only way to retain “the truth.” When Applewhite elected to die, his followers were obliged to do likewise.

Thank goodness the Heaven’s Gate episode was the kind of rare and tragic event that’s not likely to personally touch most of our lives. But the warning is clear. Wrong-headed beliefs are the cause of sadness and suffering everyday, everywhere. In Iraq people regularly justify killing themselves and others because they believe it will be pleasing to God. Elsewhere others succumb to scams because they believe the stories of unscrupulous con artists. Many of us know people who reject relationships with family members whose sexual orientation clashes with their beliefs. And how many here aren’t willing to work for the growth of our congregation believing that more members will destroy the intimate nature of our community?

Conversely, how much better is a society that challenges beliefs of racial or gender superiority? Our environment improves as beliefs about pollution change. And how much more effective are all of us in everything we do if We Believe We can make a difference?

A mountain of information comes at us everyday on which we form judgments. We should all be critical of the messages we receive. But we shouldn’t discard information just because it challenges the things we believe. As Michael Shermer reminds us, it’s easy to deceive ourselves. Many of the beliefs to which we cling limit rather than expand our possibilities. We all have beliefs that are worth keeping and others that should be modified or thrown away. Discernment is the process of deciding which is which. I challenge all of you – which beliefs could you change that would make your life better?

Quite a few of us are here today because we rejected beliefs that we had grown up with. We sought a place where we were free to believe as our own heads and hearts guided. UU’s are good at challenging beliefs. But we should never be complacent - not if we are to affirm and promote a free and responsible search for truth and meaning.

May your beliefs bring you strength in adversity, comfort in uncertainty, and peace in quietude.

Our Church Blog Needs Writers!

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Are you a member or friend of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron?

Would you like to try your hand at writing on this blog?

We would love to have you! Send an email to jamie.goodwin@uuakron.org and we will get back to you with a request for the appropriate information.

See You On Sunday!

Living Wage - A Matter of Faith

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Sermon Delivered by Jamie Goodwin
October 15th, 2006
Sunday Morning Service

They say, when you writing a sermon, that you should never apologize. They say that you should come from a place of understanding, dedication, and passion. They say that you should just put your ideas out there and allow the congregation to respond to them as they will.

But I still need to say this; with today’s sermon I am distinctly aware of three things.

First, there will those of you out there who disagree, passionately. Know that you are loved and respected, and in my case admired.

Second, political issues are complicated and detailed and one sermon will not be the solution to the problems of poverty or opportunity that our country faces.

And third, talking about a problem is all well and good but there must be a call to action, there must be a wave of individuals working, moving for what they believe in order for change to happen.

At its heart, the issue of Living Wage is about one simple idea. A job should keep you out of poverty, not keep you in it.

"We look around every day and we see thousands and millions of people making inadequate wages. Not only do they work in our hospitals, they work in our hotels, they work in our laundries, they work in domestic service, they find themselves underemployed. You see, no labor is really menial unless you’re not getting adequate wages."

That is part of a speech given by Martin Luther King Jr. a little less than a month before he was killed in 1968.

There are numbers, I could bore with the details of how with inflation and standard of living increases that the minimum wage today has about 4 times less buying power than it did when originally enacted. I could tell you about how the increase in corporate profits is somewhere along the line 10 times that of the increase in minimum wage workers salary. I do encourage you to look up these numbers, do a search online, but for me the issue is about so much more then mere numbers.

I mentioned earlier how I believed that any call to social justice must also be a call to action. Words are not enough, but they are enough to make place to start.

Saint Vincent de Paul said, “It is not enough to give soup and bread; this the rich can do. It is only for your love alone that the poor will forgive you the bread you give them.” He was born poor you see, and at his families urging was ordained in the church. His intelligence and ability to organize had him quickly climbing the ladder of power in 17th century Europe.

In those times it was not unusual, and it may not be unusual now, for wealthy families to hire a private Chaplain to minister to them. Vincent was doing so in Paris in 1613 when he became increasingly aware of the peasants around him, peasants who were barely given enough food to survive, who in a very real sense where treated as less than human.

It is amazing to me that nearly 400 years later we are still talking about basically the same issue. We are still talking about how when people are left to live in poverty and shame they loose a portion of their humanity. They are treated as less, as unworthy, as a blemish to be tolerated (because we still need them to plow our fields, and build our homes) but to be otherwise ignored.

A month or so ago I went on a trip to Chicago. Any of you who have ever driven to the Windy City from here know that your trip takes you through Gary Indiana. Gary is one of our cities that was founded by a corporation, The United States Steel Corporation to be exact. Traveling down I-90 you will notice a few things about Gary. On the right you will first see the mill itself... it is huge, covering an expanse of land that in many ways feels shameful for some reason you cannot quite put your finger on. On the left, quite literally across the tracks you will see the city buildings, the quite pretty downtown area. And just a little further down the road the run down, barely standing homes of the people who live and work in the area.

The disparity of the people who serve the mill and the city and the corporation and city government itself is so obvious to an outsider as to be embarrassing, and I am sure an outsider would see the same driving through Akron as well.

The divide between the have and the have-nots has grown to a size not seen sense the days of St. Vincent de Paul. Not seen sense the industrial revolution, and we have a choice to make. Do we continue down the path were the vast majority of our neighbors remain uncared about and uncared for. Or do make a difference in their lives, in all our lives.

The first minimum wage laws where passed in the United State in 1938, and for sometime after that kept pace with economic and corporate growth. Many of us who work in manufacturing continue to earn fair wages and have a good quality of life. It may not surprise you to learn that many people who are working at minimum wage levels are employed by the government itself, and many others are working for industries that are subsidized by government funds.

The people who are living in abject poverty are most often the same people who are cleaning our public spaces, laundering our clothes, and preparing and serving the meals to those with wealth and power.

Once again we turn back the clock when in 1776 the year of the founding of our nation, the Scotsman Adam Smith said in his work “The Wealth of Nations” “It is but equity . . . that they who feed, clothe and lodge the whole body of the people, should have such a share of the produce of their own labor as to be themselves tolerably well fed, clothed and lodged.”

Wages reflect our personal values and our nation’s values. Wages reflect whether we believe workers are just another cost of business—like rent, electricity or raw materials—or human beings with inherent dignity, human rights and basic needs such as food, shelter and health care.

The minimum wage is where society draws the line:

This low and no lower.

In 1966 martin Luther King Jr. addressed the General Assembly of Unitarian Universalists; and our current President William Sinkford was there and remembers;

Dr. King never lost hope. And we need to sustain our hope as well, to create our own “stone of hope.” I recall hearing those words, “stone of hope,” from Dr. King as I sat in a crowded room at the UUA’s General Assembly in Hollywood, Florida, in June of 1966, listening to him deliver the Ware Lecture. Dr. King decried militarism, economic injustice and the scourge of racism. He invoked the words of Jefferson and Lincoln, a call for Americans to live up to the ideals that this country was based upon. And he called for Unitarian Universalists to be part of this struggle, reminding us that “when the church is true to its nature, it stands as a moral guardian of the community and of society.”

Today I call upon Unitarian Universalists to honor Dr. King’s memory by renewing our commitment to peace and justice. I believe there will be backlash every time the circle of equality is widened, but I hew my stone of hope with these words: “The arc of the universe is long,” said Dr. King, quoting 19th century Unitarian abolitionist Theodore Parker, “but it bends toward justice.”

Have no doubt this is the work of the church, of our church.

Ginger Luke, the Director of Religious Education at River Road Unitarian Church says it better than I.

So is the living wage an important enough issue to engage the congregation in years of educating and dialogue? Is the living wage too specific an issue? What I believe wholeheartedly is that poverty in the United States is a religious and ethical issue, which threatens the very essence of the way we live. Poverty shatters the worth and dignity of our people.

Recently throughout Unitarian Universalism there has been much discussion about just what is it that binds us together as a religious community. We do not all believe alike, as I said earlier, we do not all think alike not theologically or politically. None the less our vision is grand and our religious community offers us nothing less than the opportunity to work together to make change in our world.

Prophetic voices throughout the ages have called upon their nations to show justice to the poorest and most vulnerable in society. The Prophet Amos exhorts the people of Israel, “Hate evil and love good, and establish justice. Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” Then, and now, the assembled people of faith are called upon to establish justice for low-wage workers, whose cries are so often heard across our land.

Buddhist Master Tich Nhat Hanh says

Aware of the suffering caused by exploitation, social injustice, stealing,
and oppression, I vow to cultivate loving kindness and learn ways to
work for the well-being of people, animals, plants, and minerals.

The Buddhist concept of Right Livelihood, or non-harmful ways of making a decent living, is understanding that we all need the basics: food, shelter, clothing, and medical care. Grinding poverty, for those who are working as hard as they can, leads to constant suffering and fear. Everyone, without exception, wants to live with dignity and safety, in happiness and in peace. When we help others, we help ourselves.

The Persian Muslim Sufi Thinker, known to us as Saadi has this to say,

To worship God is nothing other than to serve the people.
It does not need rosaries, prayer carpets, or robes.
All peoples are members of the same body,
Created from one essence,
If fate brings suffering to one member
The others cannot stay at rest.

This is the work of people of faith; this is our work if we are brave enough to take it on. We believe that WE can make a difference. No one will do it for us, as Gordon McKeeman said from this pulpit “But, you say, we are so few… If we are few, it’s all the more reason for us to speak up with our lives.”

I ask that you please pray with me now.

Let the world be changed, for I long to see the end of poverty;
Let the rules be changed, for I long to see all jobs pay a wage that enables a life of dignity and sufficiency;
Let the rules be changed, for I long to see trade bring justice to the poor;
Let my life be changed, for I long to bring hope where good news is needed.
In the strength of Spirit and inspired by Compassion, I make this promise to work for change, to strive for justice, and carry always a message of hope and dignity,
To all of humanity.

Amen and May It Be

Welcome!

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We are a welcoming congregation, committed to:

- building a community founded in love, trust, and freedom
- supporting each other in our spiritual journeys, and
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On this blog we hope to share a little about what makes our Church special, unique, and an interesting place to be.

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Welcome!