UUA Board decision about GA 2012 in Phoenix

On a phone-based meeting with the UUA Board this week, we were faced with the dilemma of what to do about our 2012 General Assembly in Phoenix, given the recent Arizona law which seems to promote and legalize racial profiling. Ultimately, we decided to put the decision before the delegates to General Assembly next month. But the motion we're asking people to discuss and amend or vote on says:
1. We should boycott, and not hold GA in Arizona in 2012
2. We should raise funds to pay for cancellation costs (roughly 600k)
3. We should raise an equivalent amount to pay for anti-racist work in Arizona (another 600k)
4. We should renew and re-double our own work to become a multicultural faith movement, looking at systemic racism in our communities, congregations, and in our own lives.

What do YOU think is the right thing to do?

Wheelies

Recently, a neighbor kid was riding his bike around our block. He's new to bike-riding, but has already found that it's more than a way to get from Point A to Point B. In short, he was doing tricks. He wanted me to notice. Apparently, I hadn't noticed enough, or voiced enough appreciation, so he directed me to pay attention. I watched. Saw nothing. He looked, exasperated with me. "I'm doing wheelies!" he explained. "Wheelies?" I said. "Yeah," he said. "Watch." So, I did. Now, on second glance, I noticed that in the course of his ride, in response to some violent exertion in his wrists and shoulders, the bike seemed to hiccup a bit before rolling as before. I'm not even sure I can faithfully say that the front wheel left the ground, which to me would be a basic description of a "wheelie." But maybe that didn't matter. What mattered to this kid was that he was doing wheelies. Now, there might come the time to say "not enough" or "get better" or to inspire bigger wheelies from this kid and his bike. But what came to me was that, in his mind, he was already enjoying fantastic, mind-blowing wheelies. He was already doing it. What if you lived like that--seemingly ordinary to the outside observer, but in your mind, in your heart, in your spirit, living a life of mindblowing wheelies? Tricks the civilized world had never yet seen? What if you carried that in your step, through your days? How would things change? Let me know. As for me, I'm going out to practice some wheelies.

"The Whole Family"--faithful reflections for each one of us

In the pages of our new magazine, “The Whole Family,” we hope you’ll feel at home. In the readings, we hope you might hear the call of your heart echoed back to you. Maybe you’ll see what you’ve always felt deep within, but hadn’t yet found the words for. Or, shoot, maybe you’ll disagree with every word—if so, we’re glad to help you reaffirm where you stand!

The title, “The Whole Family,” reflects our faith’s orientation and its aspiration. “Unitarian Universalism” is a long name. Another way to say what it is in which we place our faith is, “one love, for all.” One Love (Unitarian) For All (Universalism).

Here’s how I see it: we’re all in this together. We share this community. We share this one life. We have so much in common. We belong to Creation. You and I are kin to each other. You may vote one way, while I vote another. You may pray one way, while I pray another. We may have different lifestyles, or different stories to tell, but down deep, we are brothers and sisters. So, this magazine is for “the whole family”—each of us, no matter where we come from, or who we might be.

But “the whole family” isn’t only how things are between us. It’s how things could be within us. Because, right now, a lot of the human family isn’t feeling especially healthy, let alone “whole.” In this hectic world, so many of us yearn for healthier lives, made of healthy choices. We want healthy relationships. We want a healthy, nourishing spiritual life. We want healthy families. Some of us came from backgrounds that didn’t steer us toward health—but we’re trying. We haven’t given up our dream of wholeness. Does that sound like you? Well, you’re not alone.

The various ministries of our church aim to help families be healthy. This magazine is part of our effort. As for us, we’re not perfect—we’re learning as we go. We’re healing, too. But our faith is strong. When there’s ever any question, we hope to be found standing on the side of love. That means that, whatever your struggle, we’re on your side, too. After all, you’re part of the family!

The theme of this issue is “gratitude.” I personally give thanks to all who helped produce it, especially Margaret Hoff. And if you’ve read my words this far, I’m grateful to you! Thank you.

With Spirit,

Jake

If on Sunday you did not receive your copy of the ORUUC’s new magazine, “The Whole World,” you will be getting yours in the mail this week. Please read, enjoy and then pass it on — share it with a friend or neighbor. This magazine is our way of spreading the word about the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church around our community. It is a way to help focus on life in a more spiritual and deeper way. It is a way to illustrate the wonderful things about our church and about Unitarian Universalism. It might bring new people to our church so that they can learn more about UUism right here with us.

We would also extend the invitation for your to stop by the office and pick up extra copies if you would like to help us spread the magazine around town — anywhere that someone might pick it up to read. Perhaps you will be sitting in a doctors office waiting room, or having your hair done, or know of a great place where locals gather that you could leave a couple of copies. We would greatly appreciate your help in spreading our new magazine, “The Whole Family,” around our community.

Grief Group Starting Next Week

Grief counselor Steve Herbes begins an 8-week grief support group on Wednesday, February 24, 1:00-2:30 PM, at First United Methodist Church in Oak Ridge. Steve also offers individual grief counseling. You can contact him at (stephen.herbes@yahoo.com; or office phone 212-9053).

Healthy Start

In the mid-1990s, ORUUC's Virginia Coleman attended a conference in Hawaii, where she learned of a very effective social service program for babies and their parents called "Healthy Start." She brought the idea back to Tennessee, where she advocated for its establishment here. Ironically, although Healthy Start became established in a good number of counties, because of Oak Ridge's high average income, Anderson County couldn't receive state funding. Healthy Start was begun here anyway, with a combination of grants, city and county funding, and determination. From the start, Healthy Start was a program of a non-profit in town called "The Anderson County Health Council." The Health Council has run several programs, from drug rehabilitation programs to a dental clinic. In the last few years, ORUUC made Healthy Start its "Bending the Arc" project, supporting this program in many ways. ORUUC has provided volunteers, an advocacy committee made largely of church volunteers, community education (for instance, the "Real Men Rock" initiative), and has even obtained a grant from the UUA to support work with Healthy Start.

Over the last year, Healthy Start's home institution, the Anderson County Health Council, has suffered financial set-backs from which it seems unable to recover. In response, some of their leaders have prevailed upon ORUUC to give the Healthy Start program an administrative home. It seemed there were three options for how to do this. The first was to help find Healthy Start another non-profit in town which might oversee it. The second was for Healthy Start to become a program of the church. The third was for Healthy Start to be a free-standing non-profit organization, which would receive special support from the church, especially at the start. This third option seemed best, reducing the risk to the church and allowing Healthy Start to establish itself in a strong position for the long-haul.

This past Monday, February 15, the Board of Trustees resolved that ORUUC would make support of an independent, sustainable Healthy Start organization a priority. It's not yet clear what this support or this special relationship will look like. Funding will largely come from the City, the County, and from United Way. This new Healthy Start organization will have its own Board and Staff. So, we will be figuring out what it means to have this new, deeper relationship.

One thing it means is that Healthy Start will continue to serve families who rely on it in our community. It also means that ORUUC has the opportunity to serve our community in a deep and committed way for the years to come. While this relationship has the support of the Minister (me) and the Board, one more level of commitment is needed: the congregation. So, at a congregational meeting on March 28th, I'm hoping that a Social Action Working Group made up of church-members will affirm their commitment to this new organization, ensuring that our church has long-term, grass-roots support for Healthy Start.

From the congregation's town hall meeting last fall, it seemed that there was real interest in becoming more engaged with the wider community. This opportunity to serve seems to answer that interest. I hope you'll be as excited as I am about the chance for us to make a real difference.

If you'd like to know more about Healthy Start, you can read the article below, which was written by Maureen Hoyt.

* * * * *

Healthy Start is a prevention program for first time parents who lack the support, skills, resources and information to help them raise healthy families. Through its in-home mentoring program steps are taken to promote and enhance parent/infant bonding, to teach positive parenting skills, and help families set goals toward self sufficiency. Coordination with other community agencies helps to reduce the impact of unemployment, lack of transportation, and other stressful family situations that can precipitate child abuse.

The program’s results speak for themselves:

· Since the program began in 1998, more 350 children have been served, only three (3) have been removed because of neglect and no child has been removed because of abuse!

· Confident, knowledgeable and prepared parents with children who are safer, healthier and better prepared to learn.

· The program saves taxpayer dollars and helps prevent crime. A study by the group Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Tennessee concludes that when crime prevention programs (such as Healthy Start) are funded, every dollar spent saves seven dollars.

Grief Support Group Beginning

On Wednesday, Feb 24, Steve Herbes, a grief counselor here in town, will begin an 8-week grief support group. The group will meet from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM at First United Methodist Church in Oak Ridge, and will run through April 14. There is no cost, and the group is open to the community.

I highly recommend Steve Herbes for his character and pastoral gifts.

Science & Religion follow-up

Sometimes, after a Sunday, I think to myself, "ooooh, I wish I could have just said this one more thing." (And I'm aware that there may be some who feel I have said quite enough!)

So, last Sunday, I preached about science and religion, drawing on a few essays in the new Skinner House book, The Whole World Kin. In the sermon, I paraphrased William Murry's succinct description of how people typically reconcile science and religion. In words more eloquent than what I'll say here, Murry laid out these three typical strategies:
1. Say that science and religion are of two non-overlapping domains, each with a valid but different claim to the truth. This is a strategy popularized by Stephen J. Gould. In this line of thinking, science describes the world as it is, and religion speaks to meaning and ethics, etc.

2. Say that religious claims predominate; when science disagrees with religion, go with religion. This, he says, is the strategy used by fundamentalists.

3. Say that, as science expands our understanding of the world as it is, religion must evolve and adapt to speak to it, to respond to it.

The third strategy, it's clear, is the one he recommends. And it's the one I like, too--finding an evolving, dialogical relationship between science and religion, developing a religion that speaks to modern life? Yup. I like it.

But here's where we disagree. He hints that this might best be done by casting off traditions and rituals that no longer speak to modern people.

I think this is certainly a reasonable choice. There are some for whom ancient words and texts have lost all credibility because of the oppressive interpretations that have been laid on them.

But I do think that ancient texts--such as the Bible--can be read in the light of modern science and carry moral authority. There are themes of salvation, redemption, community, courage, and faith in these old stories and poems that resonate in my heart. There are lessons here. I don't hear them proclaiming scientific truths, but human truths. They are not the map, but the story of the overland journey.

For me, the value in maintaining relationship with ancient traditions is the opportunity to take part in the multi-generational conversation of faith that has unfolded for centuries--not only in Judaism and Christianity, but in other traditions, too. To cast them aside and start fresh, with new images and new metaphors, is a legitimate choice. But I suppose I favor creative, faithful interpretation first. The radical claims of faith--love your enemy!--become even moreso when they've survived centuries of oppression.

What do you think?