|
||||||
|
|
Minister's Musings 2010
MARCH 2010 I write this article after our congregation supported Kids for Kids, a local organization saving lives in Darfur. I felt so proud to see several youth, including some from UUCE, speaking briefly about this organization at Sunday services on February 21, as part of our monthly Community Collection to benefit organizations that serve causes resonant with UU values. It's remarkable how easy it can be to forget Darfur, forget Congo, even forget the wars our country is fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq. And Global Warming, or Climate Change -- is that last year's news because it's no longer a problem, or because we're too preoccupied with other things? Then again, it makes sense that we set these enormous, disturbing realities aside: because we have challenges closer to home. We may be facing severe economic hardships due to loss of income or investments, or both. When our everyday life seems challenging enough, how can we consider greater societal challenges without being overwhelmed? This is part of what church is for. It's often been said that the church's role is "to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable." (According to a UUCE sleuth, this was first said of the press!). But it seems to me that we all need comforting and we all need, if not afflicting (at least on a regular basis), an invitation to stretch our compassion. Part of what makes the stretch possible is having practical, tangible ways of helping, even a little. Our Community Collections practice of giving away our monthly offering once a month helps us face challenging realities, feel like we are doing something to help, and actually be helping! I am so proud that we continue this practice during this economic recession. It helps keep our pores open, to be fully human and to feel the plight of others not with despair but with compassion and hope. Another part of what makes possible this stretch in compassion and effective action is changing the way we think. This month some of our worship services will help us see shifts in thinking, already underway, that decrease despair and psychic numbing, and increase compassion and creative teamwork. See you at church. in faith, FEBRUARY 2010 When I read the newspaper, or review the headlines online, I see how easy it is to fall into despair: the devastation of Haiti, the struggling economy and high local unemployment, the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and more. But recently I felt grateful that our chuch made a substantial donation -- $--- - to the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee for Haitian relief. And I remember the good feeling in the sanctuary as the baskets passed. I also felt grateful for our growing social justice efforts, which are helping UUCE members and friends turn away from potential despair, apathy, or anger to constructive actions and hope. I felt grateful that in this challenging world, we provide something of a refuge, for the young and old alike, a spiritual community committed to honoring the inherent worth and dignity of each person, and respecting the interdependent web of life of which we are a part. In March, we will be speaking with one another, one-to-one about what this place means to us. I invite you to think about it now. I value many things in our church. Our warmth and caring, how I value our music and art – the joyful excellence of the choirs, which often creates a real sense of reverence for our worship service, while proving community for choir members as well.. Our intergenerational events, such as the Halloween party, and our children’s religious education programs and youth groups provide a safe space and gentle guidance for our young ones. We have so many things to value: our Small Group Ministry program, which meets needs for relationship and meaning, or “intimacy and ultimacy,” for 70-90 people each year; our dedicated and talented paid staff; our lay leadership, which has with remarkable skill, passion, and patience, managed to be both inclusive of congregational concerns and visionary in its leadership of this congregation during a historic transition. Ours is a church in which to find solace and challenge, to be held and to be invited to stretch ourselves for others… to celebrate and serve life. Isn’t it a good thing, with all that is happening in the world and in our lives, to have our congregation, The Unitarian Universalist Church in Eugene? in faith, Happy New Year! What an exciting year before us. Our capital campaigns will begin in earnest to help us move into our new (to us) property at 13th and Chambers later in the year. As we step more deeply into this transition, let us ask ourselves, "What for?" What difference will it make in the greater Eugene-Springfield area, as well as in our own lives, to have a larger, more accessible, and likely more diverse Unitarian Universalist church? I’m excited about growing liberal religion in our area and joining with other religious and secular organizations to work together on issues of mutual interest. I strongly recommend to you the cover story of the Winter 2009 issue of the UU World magazine, which is mailed to all UU church members (if you are a member of UUCE and not receiving it, please let our office know). The cover story, entitled, The Religious Left: an Old Tradition for a New Day, is available online at http://www.uuworld.org/ideas/articles/151713.shtml. We are not a brand new, make-it-up-for-ourselves, "anything goes" church, or a club. We have strong Unitarian and Universalist traditions, which are part of a greater tradition of the religious left. Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was part of that tradition -- the hub of it for a time. Daniel McKanan writes in the UU World cover story, "All of the traditions of the religious left came together in the work of Martin Luther King Jr." Black freedom, the Social Gospel movement, mainline Protestant activism, radical nonviolence, the congregation-based community organizing of Saul Alinksy, and more. We have much to build upon and to revitalize. As we move into a larger, more central, visible, and accessible location, we have a great opportunity to improve our connections with people and congregations of other faiths. Our location will help others see us – and us to see ourselves – as part of the city. Many UUCE members have already volunteered with the Thomas Egan warming center, with Food for Lane County, and made connections in other ways, rolling up their sleeves to help without needing to be the leader (an excellent spiritual practice for Unitarian Universalists!). Let's keep building on this momentum now, so that our identity as a social justice and social service church will be partially established by the time of our move. Let's learn more about our own heritage and ask what is demanded of us now. Then, over the years, we can become a beacon and a partner for social justice, as a church. On another note, our Religious Education program for children and youth embarks on five months without its leader, Candee Cole, Director of Religious Education, from January to June. This sabbatical is an opportunity for renewal not only for Candee but also for the program. Please take special care to support our many Religious Education volunteers as well as our DRE Assistant, Marika Banyaski....and of course our children and youth. While Candee's guidance will be missed, I hope this time will revitalize in the congregation a healthy, respectful sense of ownership of the religious education of our children and youth, while still honoring all aspects of her leadership role when she returns. We are all religious educators: everything we say, do, and refrain from doing teaches others about how to live in relationship with self, with others, and with the Spirit of Life. May this new year be one of heightened mindfulness with regards to what we are saying – with our presence and actions – about the worth and dignity of each human being, about the interwoven tapestry of life of which we aRe a part, and the breath of grace that touches us when we are ready.
in faith, Sunday coffee hour: Office Hours When to call the minister? If you can't reach Rev. Stephen and you need assistance immediately, please email Pastoral Associates |
|||||
|
||||||
