Now is the Time (October 14, 2007 by Nancy Irish)
If I were to sum up the conclusions I’ve drawn from my experience of a General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, it would be this: we are not alone, and we are in fine company. If I were to sum up all of the teachings I received during my week at GA, and the UU University that preceded it, it would be this quote from one of the presenters: “the main thing is to make sure the main thing is the main thing.” Synthesizing those summations, I would say this: the main thing about our association with one another in the UU world is that we actively care - for one another and our best selves, for our lovely planet and her resources, and for those who are suffering, close to home and in the big world. Everything else is distraction that we must learn how to minimize.
Before I proceed any further, I want to thank you all for sending me to Portland for one of the most rejuvenating experiences of my life. There are times when my role of trying to keep us coordinated seems little more than a continuous distraction of a bottomless well of email. My time in Portland, immersed in why UU’s come together, has helped me to view the nitty gritty details of our community life in clearer context. It has helped me affirm my commitment to this work I do. I don’t tend to be a groupie, and I have come in my later years to approach any and all institutionalized groups with great caution. Most of us understand what destruction human illusion and unhealthy egos can visit upon the captive audience of institutionalized groups of human beings, including religious communities.
Yet, I also believe that the creative life force, the Spirit of Life, the Divine essence, cannot be fully engaged in solitary confinement. Where there is trust, maturity, genuine mutual respect, intelligence, and warm-heartedness present in a group of human beings who are working and living toward the common good, in my eyes there is nothing more beautiful or invigorating. I have witnessed this spiritual community make decisions that demonstrate courage, and have experienced with you the working through of differences with a genuine collective good will. I have come to trust you, the members and friends of our UU community, through the work and joy of close association. I have come to trust the wider association of Unitarian Universalists by seeing thousands of UU’s in action in Portland. My cautious commitment has deepened to a feeling that I am answering a call, to work that I believe in, with and for people I respect and love.
So I love my work, not because I love the feel of my body after seven hours immersed in electronic communication. But I can feel grateful for such communication because it helps me carry out what I do love and firmly commit to; and because I believe that the good people associated with the movement called Unitarian Universalism truly do want to make the main thing the main thing. I am a woman truly blessed, and I thank you, “from the cockles of me heart.”
Thus concludes the mushy portion of my talk this morning. I would like to add that GA will be held in Minneapolis in 2010, and I plan to lobby for a line item in that year’s budget to help as many in our congregation as possible attend GA that year. I say, an enthused and motivated membership who feels connected to the great work of our association is worth a lot.
I now wish to turn to the more difficult task of conveying a little of the structure and purpose of the Unitarian Universalist Association, or the UUA. To those of you who are unfamiliar with it, and perhaps even more importantly, to those who care nothing for it, I submit that it is an association with a long and noble history, worthy of our care.
In this “uncommon denomination” of ours, we operate under what is called congregational polity. That is, UU congregations are independent, self-governing entities, not under the control of any hierarchy. We get to decide who we are, what we will focus on, who will serve as our spiritual leaders, and how we will conduct our business. We can remain an entity separate from all other UU congregations, if we so choose. Or, as we have chosen, we can join with other congregations as a body united in common purpose, to further the aims of our faith by the strength found in numbers and in pooling resources. It is the purpose of this association Sunday, most likely the first of five such annual Sundays in this growth campaign, to make the benefits of this association better understood and thus, it is hoped, better supported by UU’s across the country and around the world.
Getting down to brass tacks, we pay $73 per official member each year to support the UUA and our district office. Please allow me one long mind-numbing paragraph about what the UUA does, to give you a glimpse into the depth and scope of their work.
The UUA provides services to 1040 UU congregations through twenty-one district offices, which work directly with the local congregations. The Central Midwest District is the district office that supports us. These district offices help new congregations get started, sponsor or underwrite district conferences and training programs, distribute grant monies to support new building projects (though not yet to us J ), and support ministry to young adults through district-wide retreats.
The UUA develops and distributes Religious Education curricula, such as the Our Whole Lives (OWL) human sexuality program, and provides training for religious education leaders and youth group leaders.
The UUA supports professional ministry through the two UU theological schools, by helping congregations and ministers in the ministerial search process, etc. It supports “faith in action,” by actively addressing issues such as physical accessibility in our congregations, accessibility issues related to homophobia, racism, and other kinds of oppression, and provides training for UU leaders in social justice work.
The UUA maintains a Washington office that builds coalitions to support legislation consistent with our seven principles. It works with interfaith organizations for social transformation. The UUA publishes various newsletters, the UU World, and brochures about various topics of interest to Unitarians. It oversees more than 170 online mailing lists for various UU interest groups, and houses the Skinner House imprint of Beacon Press, which publishes books on UU history, spirituality, and congregational life. The UUA is responsible for planning the massive and complex General Assembly each year.
But enough! You get the picture. The special collection we are taking today, along with many other congregations around the country and the world, is designated for three distinct purposes outside of the UUA’s normal operations. Half of the collection will be used to fund a major national awareness media campaign about Unitarian Universalism. A full page ad is in the current October 15 issue of Time Magazine with the slogan, “Is God Keeping you from going to church?” An upcoming ad in Time will read, “Find us and you shall seek.” We will have access to these ads to print as posters.
A new DVD about Unitarian Universalism has been created to help newcomers become familiar with us, and to remind old-timers of why we came and stayed. Part of the DVD has even been posted on YouTube! We have ordered 25 copies of the DVD, and encourage you to loan a copy to anyone you think might be interested in finding out about Unitarianism.
One quarter of the money will go to the UUA’s Diversity of Ministry Team, to support ministers of color, Latino/a ministers, and the congregations that call them. Finally, a quarter of the collection from today will fund new growth outreach projects of congregations at the local level.
Unitarian Universalism has long been at the forefront of movements for positive social transformation: dignity and equal rights for women, people of color, and GLBT persons. We have been a home for people who seek a spiritual community who have no interest in dogmatic religion. The UU movement is, increasingly, committed to taking action on behalf of our beloved planet.
Never has there been a time when the potential power of Unitarian Universalism to unite and heal has been more needed than it is needed now. Yet, many people still have no idea what we’re about. The fear we still encounter that we are some kind of cult is getting old. The world cannot afford us remaining small and obscure. The UUA has undertaken the task of helping seekers to find us. For all of these good reasons, please, if you can afford a dime, a dollar, or a hundred, please join with me in supporting this campaign to make now the time for Unitarian Universalism to become an even more powerful force for healing our wounded world.
The following poem was written and read by Nancy Irish and Kathy McLean during the service prior to the homily:
GA ~ A Poem for Two Voices
General Assembly; Portland, 2007
GA
the annual gathering of Unitarian Universalists
GA
Waiting at Gate F18 at the Minneapolis airport,
other women appeared wearing chalice jewelry;
rivulets of UU’s flowing toward Portland from all
around the country, even the world.
Arriving at the Portland Convention Center,
an awesome “green” building,
suddenly immersed in a great river of UU’s
lots of natural gray hair
lots of buttons on shirts and backpacks
declaring passion for social justice and the earth.
A feeling of familiarity among strangers.
UU’s.
All flowing toward the great hall
6000 UU’s
6000!
filling the great hall with one vibrant spirit.
The opening banner parade
colorful handmade banners
from 100’s of UU congregations
marching into the great hall to cheers and applause
like some grand opening ceremony
of a Unitarian Olympics.
Let GA 2007 begin!
Bill Sinkford, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association,
(UUA),
shares his passionate and intelligent vision
for the Unitarian Universalist movement.
We sing “Spirit of Life,”
6000 voices strong.
Wow.
Filing out of the opening plenary session…look!
There’s Kayle and Brian up in the bleachers!
A happy reunion with our former
minister and her husband.
Then, four days and evenings of workshops, discussions,
exhibits, lectures, and plenary sessions.
So many compelling choices, so many important topics…
small group ministry
engaging the youth in our congregations
addressing racism and classism
the Green Sanctuary program
preventing leadership burnout
learning songs
issues of small congregations
(we are not alone!)
socially responsible investing
caring for one’s congregation
caring for one’s own spirit
caring for the people of Darfur
caring for people in the Middle East
caring for the weary victims of Katrina
caring
caring
so much caring.
Brilliant leaders, speakers, writers, activists doing
amazing work in the world, there among us….
Frances Moore Lappe
author of Diet for a Small Planet and champion of democracy.
Charlie Clements
long-time activist for international human rights and public health,
now President of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, the UUSC.
UU Reverend Robert Fulghum
author of All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.
Gini Courter
skilled facilitator of the plenary sessions, master of the democratic process.
Dr. Amina Wadud
author of Inside the Gender Jihad: Women’s Reforms in Islam.
Omer Ismail
Sudanese activist trying to stop the genocide in Darfur.
Dr. David Korten
Co-founder of Yes! magazine and author of The Great Turning: From Empire
to Earth Community.
Rev William Shulz
Former UUA President and former Director of Amnesty International.
Kathleen Norris
writer on spiritual matters, including The Cloister Walk.
Ysaye Barnwell
of Sweet Honey in the Rock.
Daniel Ellsberg
who, along with the Unitarian publisher, Beacon Press, published
The Pentagon Papers, bravely exposing the U.S. government’s
hidden policies during the Vietnam War.
And thousands of UU folks just like us
doing their part in creating a just
and beautiful world.
so many engaged, brilliant, caring people.
GA
Four educational, inspirational days.
Hunger!
If I go eat, I’ll miss something important!
Exhaustion!
How can I cram one more idea, one more
possibility into my brain?!
Exhilaration!
What an amazing assembly of human beings!
GA!