What if the baby is the bathwater?
In this week’s long-form must-read, “long time friend” John Halstead explains why he hasn’t become a member of the UU congregation he attends.
What holds me back, I think, is this: I don’t believe in it. . . . [It] does not seem like enough to want to be a part of the local religious community; I feel like I need to believe in the mission of the UU. And I just don’t. I can’t help but look at the UU as a failure—not my local congregation, but the UU as a whole. It’s a great place to go on Sunday. It’s a refuge from religious intolerance and a necessary waystation for many on their way out of their religion of origin. It does good work in promoting social justice. But . . . . (The Allergic Pagan, March 25)
For the rest, you’ll need to read his post; be sure to read the comments, too.
Organizing for evangelism
The Rev. Tom Schade continues his series about re-organizing the UUA.
Freeing local congregational resources now devoted to routine institutional maintenance should help congregations focus on their real work.
But the main goal is to create capacity for promoting Unitarian Universalism in general in the spaces and forums which are now “the public square.” (the lively tradition, March 22)
The Rev. Dr. Cynthia Landrum applauds Schade’s proposals, and details the ways the UUA could help congregations with websites, payroll, pledge accounting, and bookkeeping. (Rev. Cyn, March 22)
The Rev. Elz Curtiss provides historical background to Schade’s plan. (Politywonk, March 21)
The Rev. Scott Wells has practical objections to Schade’s suggestions about a common, UUA-wide customer relationship management system.
I think . . . he conflates a tool with a creative and productive culture, and so would disappoint those hoping for a meaningful solution to our lack of evangelization. Such a CRM would necessarily disappoint some people who might want to use it, and it’s implementation will take vast resources of time and money that would likely be used more productively in local activity. (Boy in the Bands, March 26)
Equality comes to Michigan
The Rev. Dr. Cynthia Landrum writes about marriage equality in Michigan—and makes an announcement.
[After] almost a decade since it became legal in Massachusetts and banned in the constitution here, we had a brief window last weekend where we were able to perform legally-recognized same-sex weddings in Michigan. Those marriages are now on hold, with our governor saying he won’t recognize these legally-performed weddings until the appeal process is finished. . . .
I don’t think I can go back to signing just licenses for opposite-sex couples. . . . [If] these marriages are on hold, so am I. Until all the marriages that I perform are recognized by the State of Michigan, the State of Michigan is no longer part of my role as minister.
(Rev. Cyn, March 27)
Ann Arbor resident Angel writes that on Saturday morning, “[The] first thing I did when I woke up, was roll over and reach for my phone, check the time, and then immediately check Facebook. I was looking for one thing: news about LGBT folks getting married.” Angel’s Storify includes a number of beautiful photos of weddings in Washtenaw County. (Thoughtful Pauses, March 22)
Watch for the UU World story about marriage equality in Michigan, which will be posted online on Monday.
Where your toes cling to the ground
In a topsy-turvy world, the Rev. Theresa Novack recommends that we “find the place where [our] toes can cling to the muddy sometimes slippery ground.”
Grab a hand for balance
A sapling’s branch
A stone.
The stars spin
In the universe
And so
My friends
Do we
Hold on tight
It has been
And will be
Quite a ride. (Sermons, Poetry, and other Musings, March 27)
The Rev. Anne Barker writes about the many ways people find peace.
Sometimes you meditate—
Seated . . . walking . . .
In song or in silence . . .
Or you rise . . . and stretch . . .
Building that new yoga practice . . .
Energized, grounded, renewed. (The Grove, March 26)
For the Rev. Amy Zucker Morgenstern, her figure drawing class is “the best thing for being sad.”
When I arrived at drawing this morning, I felt stressed out and grumpy. Drawing straightened me out. It offers two of the best remedies for the blues: work and beauty. (Sermons in Stones, March 24)
Here’s the last of her drawings from this week:
More from UU bloggers
The Rev. Debra Haffner shares her comments from a rally at the Supreme Court, as the court deliberated about contraceptive coverage under the Affordable Care Act. (See UU World coverage of this story on Monday.)
We support religious freedom. Religious freedom means that each individual has the right to exercise their own beliefs and the right not to have others’ beliefs forced upon them. We know that individuals have religious freedom and that corporations do not. (Sexuality and Religion, March 26)
The Rev. Daniel O’Connell responds to his colleagues’ online criticism of Policy Governance.
One recurring question: what are the benefits to governance by policy, rather than having a board manage a church?
The short answer: it encourages flexibility, the seizing of creative opportunity, and forces appropriate delegation. (How We Do Church Now, March 27)
The Rev. Amy Zucker Morgenstern is disappointed by the UUA/UUSC College of Social Justice.
There are ways to reduce the costs by a couple of orders of magnitude, however, that are being neglected, perhaps because they just aren’t as much fun for those among us who can afford a $1000 vacation. . . . I know the hope is that when [participants] come home, they’ll bring what they learned to their local community. The question is, what will they have learned? (Sermons in Stones, March 27)
The Rev. Adam Tierney-Eliot suggests that suburbia can be like middle school—full of exclusive clubs.
It is easy for a congregation to end up becoming—or appearing to become—an exclusive social club. . . . The liberal church—at least in theory—throws its doors and arms wide open to create a diverse and loving community. It should not be reduced to being defined as “the place where those people go” unless those people are then defined as “open, welcoming, spiritual, accepting, and loving.” (Burbania Posts, March 27)
The Rev. George Kimmich Beach was surprised by how few dissenters there were to the move from 25 Beacon Street, and how mild their dissent was. (Campicello, March 26)