On a separate issue, the Brock family will be visiting Costa Mesa the first week of April. If you would like to offer home hospitality to this unique collection of persons, or know someone who might, let me know.

My sermon title on February 5th is “Linda Barnes: Champion of Change.” Also, this Sunday, we will all share in a communion ritual similar to a Flower Communion. Please bring a packet of seeds, or a locally grown or organic fruit, vegetable or herb to share at the Earth’s Bounty Communion.

Additionally, at February 5th’s service, we will be raising awareness and seeking the support of every person in the congregation to joining the 42-42-42 Food Ethics Action program. What is the 42-42-42 Food Ethics Action program? It is a call for 42 men, women and children of OCUUC, beginning March 11th and culminating on Earth Day, April 22, to be committed for a period of 42 days leading up to the 42 nd Earth Day, to taking action of their choice with respect to food ethics. Please see the 42-42-42 web page for more details.

In keeping with the January theme of change, Rev. Wienecke will speak on the subject of “Holding Tight and Letting Go.” Rev. Wienecke comments: “Transitions in life offer challenges and choices:  Do we cling to what we know or do we venture forth into uncharted territory?”  Also, of great importance to the congregation, Rev. Wienecke, as part of her remarks, will outline the search process recommended by the UUA for securing the best minister for the next chapter in the life of Orange Coast UU Church. She will also be available to answer questions after the service.

More about Rev. Bets Wienecke: she was honored as Minister Emerita of the Live Oak UU Congregation in Goleta after serving there for eighteen years. She has served on the UU Ministers Association Executive Committee, on the Board of Trustees of Meadville/Lombard Theological School, President of the PSWD UU Ministers Association chapter, and President of the Santa Barbara Clergy Association.   She was awarded the Pacific Southwest District’s Distinguished Service Award in 1988. Bets’ spouse is Peter Haslund, who taught political science at Santa Barbara City College for 41 years and is now serving as President of their Board of Trustees. They proudly share four adult children and five “above average” (of course)  grandchildren.

Someone asked me “What is the difference between an Interim Minister and a Settled Minister?”  In the following remarks, I will try to answer this question.

A settled minister has a long term relationship with a congregation. Their role includes preaching, pastoral care, administrative leadership, and teaching.  An interim minister acts as a “settled minister” to a certain extent, in that the interim minister performs the ordinary tasks of a settled minister, such as preaching, pastoral care, administrative leadership, and teaching.  But the more significant and important role of the interim minister is to prepare a congregation for its next settled minister. One might define this as a “consulting” role vis-à-vis their “ministerial” role.

One way of describing this “consulting” role is that the interim minister looks at several dimensions of church life to get a sense of its readiness to move on toward its next stage – the introduction of its next settled minister into the life of the congregation.  In a broader sense, this “consulting” role of the interim minister engages the congregation in the opportunity to look at the long term goals and needs of the congregation and the community.

An interim minister seeks to engage church leaders about the long term goals and aspirations of the church.  This is often a substantial change from the habit of a congregation’s leaders being immersed in the details of day to day management of the church and not looking beyond that.   Some, but not all of the “dimensions” of church life examined by the interim minister are the following:

1.      Does the congregation have a mission statement that is in alignment with where the congregation actually wants to go and is able to go? Does the congregation have a mission statement that is exciting to a majority of the congregation?  This is a very important issue for a number of reasons. In the process of trying to match the congregation with a settled minster the people of the congregation need to carefully define what it wants and therefore what it needs in a settled minister.  Prospective ministers will want to “hear” that a congregation has a clear sense of direction. Ministers will want to match themselves with congregations with compatible goals. Furthermore, a clear, compelling mission statement provides all church leaders – minister, DRE, staff, and lay leaders- with a clear sense of direction. Without this, everyone makes up their own “mission.”    In a very fundamental sense, for UU congregations, a mission statement provides the “authority” and legitimacy for all that ministers, staff, and lay leaders do; without it, a congregation is rudderless.

2.      Do the policies, procedures, by-laws, and other governing documents reflect where the church wants to go institutionally?  Are these documents outdated? Do they reflect prevailing wisdom in UU congregations regarding best practices? Do they reflect where the congregation wishes to go, and specifically, what the congregation’s mission requires? In healthy congregations, the policies support the mission. This too, is very important because it is imperative that the Board, Minister, staff, committee chairs, and anyone else involved in leadership in a church are reading from the same playbook.  If there is not a common set of rules, then everyone makes up their own. That is not a situation the church will want to be in as it seeks a new settled minister.

3.      Are a congregation’s finances healthy?   More specifically, a congregation needs to analyze if they will be able to absorb the costs of a new settled minister, while maintaining the financial obligations they are already committed to.  A point will come in which the church will commit itself to a specific salary package for the new settled minister. This figure is very likely to be higher than what it has been in the past. It is important that a congregation be certain they can sustain the level of financial commitment it will be making. Some of the areas to look at are: the annual canvass, special fund raisers, and whether or not there is an effective endowment development program in place.  There is another issue at play. Prospective ministers will be looking at OCUUC and asking the question “What is the church’s level of commitment as reflected in its level of giving?” and what the answer is will be important to ministers making a decision about where to engage in ministry.

4.      Are there programs to support the mission of the church?  The most important aspect of this issue is does the church have a covenant group or small group ministry in place to support the growth and development of the church. In a broader sense, a church’s mission determines what programming goals will be most important for the church.

5.      Are there programs for leadership training adequate to the needs of the church? Being a leader in a UU church is very challenging and deserves and requires adequate training.  One of the roles of an interim minister is to engage in leadership training, and to bring in persons from the district or national level who can provide needed leadership training.  Most importantly, it is imperative to make sure the church leadership will have training in the future adequate to its needs.

It is important to address the tasks described above while a congregation is in its interim ministry period because a congregation will want its settled minister to focus on the basic tasks of ministry, i.e., preaching, worship, pastoral care, teaching, etc. and be less associated with administrative and organizational changes.  Change and experimentation are natural aspects of the processes mentioned above, and change can be stressful. A congregation does not want its settled minister to be entangled in the discomfort that change evokes; however, an interim minister, who will be with a congregation for a specifically defined period of time, can be more easily associated with the opprobrium of change without creating problems for the church.

I hope these comments are helpful. If you have any questions about my comments please do not hesitate to contact me.

Beginning the first Sunday in November, the first religious service will begin at 9:45 a.m., rather than 9:30.

And, don’t forget to set your clocks back on Saturday night November 5th for Daylight Savings.

I look forward to seeing you in church.

This week-end I will be at my home in Washington State celebrating my oldest daughter’s tenth birthday. In my absence, Rev. David Owen-O’Quill will give the sermon. The title of his sermon is “Change and Other Dangerous Church Activities.” David has been pastoring UU churches for over 10 years from Texas to Chicago, and has recently moved to Orange County. His ministry includes developing new churches as well as consulting congregations about mission development, worship, and outreach. He moved here with his better half, the Rev. Jennifer Owen-O’Quill, who serves at the Tapestry UU congregation. Together, David and Jennifer have a too-cute-to -believe son named Daniel.

As you know, the focus of this month is the concept and practice of a covenant of healthy relations. At the end of this month, on the last Sunday of the month, the congregation will engage in a vote to affirm a covenant for the church. Thus far there have been four meetings in which people have given their input about the covenant. The response has been overwhelming positive, but there have been three specific wording changes that persons in the congregation wished to make. The covenant below reflects these changes:

A Covenant of Healthy Relations

We, the members, friends, staff, and ministers of Orange Coast Unitarian Universalist Church, acknowledge and commit ourselves to the work of sustaining our beloved community, welcoming all in good faith, ministering to each other and adhering to the following standards:

• Be direct, honest, and respectful toward one another in a spirit of compassion.
• make our church a safe place to express our deepest fears and our greatest joys.
• forgive ourselves and others when we fall short of expectations, willing to call ourselves back into covenant and allow humor and the optimism to move us forward
• express gratitude and appreciation toward one another
• honor established process of resolving conflict where differences become chronic
• support our church with generous gifts of time, talent, and money in gratitude for the fellowship, joy, and inspiration we receive, in accord with our ability.
• Make decisions guided by the congregation’s mission, supported by our values, grounded in the common good.
• model Unitarian Universalist principles within our community and beyond, seeking engagement with the larger communities around us and the larger world that our light might shine broadly

Thus do we covenant with one another.

Your thoughts, suggestions, and comments are very welcomed as we continue on this process.

Rev. Ed

As mentioned in the sermon on Sunday October 2nd, below is a draft of a covenant of healthy relations to be considered by the congregation. This covenant was written by taking some of the best of the best statements from covenants of UU congregations from across the country. It was then discussed with dozens of people in the congregation before taking the form that you read below. I hope you can read it carefully and share your thoughts with me about it via e-mail  (ministerocuucorg)   or in direct conversation. During the week of October 17th-20th, there will be several meetings to discuss it. On Sunday, October 30th, the congregation will vote on making whatever is the result of this process the covenant of healthy relationships for this congregation. I sincerely hope each of you can be participants in this process.

A Covenant of Healthy Relations (Draft)

We, the members, friends, staff, and ministers of Orange Coast Unitarian Universalist Church, acknowledge and commit ourselves to the work of sustaining our beloved community, welcoming all in good faith, ministering to each other and adhering to the following standards:

• Be direct, honest, and respectful toward one another in a spirit of compassion
• make our church a safe place to express our deepest fears and our greatest joys
• forgive ourselves and others when we fall short of expectations, willing to call  ourselves back into covenant and allow humor and the optimism to move us forward
• express gratitude and appreciation toward one another
• honor established process of resolving conflict where differences become chronic
• support our church with generous gifts of time, talent, and money in gratitude for the fellowship, joy, and inspiration we receive, in accord with our ability
• Make decisions guided by the congregation’s vision, supported by our values, grounded in the common good
• model Unitarian Universalist principles within our community and beyond, seeking engagement with the larger communities around us and the larger world that our light might shine broadly

Thus do we covenant with one another.

Rev. Ed Brock

It’s time to say goodbye.  It could seem a somewhat unimportant task since none of us are going anywhere, but it is absolutely essential because we are changing roles and that’s as significant as physical departure. We’ve had a wonderful, thirteen year run, but it is fast coming to an end and it would be sad not to mark the change that is upon us. So let’s say goodbye!

I hope that you, like me, don’t really want to say goodbye, but it is, nevertheless, time to say goodbye. We need to do it to honor our time together and the work we’ve done as well as the joys we have shared. And we need to say goodbye because it is part of what is necessary if we are to move on to whatever comes next. Long ago a good friend taught me that when he left both the physical area and the job that had brought us together. It was painful to say goodbye, but it freed us up to know one another in a different way and to cherish that new relationship.

There are many ways to do the goodbye thing: certainly it should include cake — maybe even  more than once. We can say goodbye formally and there are several upcoming opportunities for that. First will be June 19th when I will preach my last sermon as your called minister. I hope you will all be there to hear that final message. It’s one that is dear to my heart. In fact it will be preceded by two other messages in the preceding two weeks. Next Sunday [June 5] I’ll be talking about the possibility of parallel universes, a topic that explores possibilities that are definitely “outside the box!” We’ll say goodbye to Patrick that day and honor those who work in religious education. And then on the penultimate Sunday [penultimate is one of my favorite words!] I will be offering “five last words” that I think could be a recipe for living well and we’ll honor those joining our “Twenty-five Year Club” — those who are joining the group that have been at OCUUC for 25 or more years. Each of these Sundays will be an opportunity for us to say goodbye to the ministry we have forged together.

And we can say goodbye informally and more personally. I would love to tell each of you what you have meant to me and how I value our association, because it is true that each of you has impacted my  life and my ministry. I hope I will get the chance to do just that, and I need your help to make certain that can happen.

I believe that if we do a good job of saying goodbye to our ministry together we will honor it and cement it into our hearts so that it can continue to affect our lives and how we go on to minister in future situations long after we are no longer together. This is my goal for my last month as your minister. I hope you will make it your goal as well.

And then I will “disappear” from your lives for a time so that you can look at OCUUC  clearly and see what is necessary for you to continue the work you have done, continue the good health that characterizes this beloved community, and determine how you want to thrive in the future — and so that you can welcome your new  minister with open minds and hearts when he or she joins you. But know that I will be holding you in my heart even though we are apart.

In the meantime, may you

Go shining,

Karen

Emeritaocuucorg

For instance I’ve always thought that theology was either a story or a set of rules that someone propounds and a follower decides to accept as his or her own. As a result of the green theology class I’ve revised that definition significantly. Dr. Mike Hogue, who created the course, suggests that theology grows out of “seeing, judging, and  acting.” We have to see what is there in front of us — what life is  all about, or what it offers to us. Then we have to judge both the offering and our reaction to it. Finally we need to act out of the results of our seeing and our judging. Theology is actually how we live our lives and how we relate to life. It certainly can involve a story [or more than one] and it definitely involves rules, but the story is our own and the rules must evolve from our seeing and judging, not solely from what someone else has surmised. Certainly we can gain wisdom from others journeys and deliberations — we did that in our green theology class — but the decisions and  stories of others should only be guideposts as we devise our own understanding and create our own rules. It brings whole new meaning to the idea of building one’s own theology!

In the course, as a result of our deliberations we became moved to act. At one point I decided that I was going to take my own glass to restaurants that use plastic containers for drinks and use it rather than the disposable [but not biodegradable] one’s the restaurants provide. This was a true living out of the theological process that Mike Hogue proposed [and that comes from liberationist theology]. I saw a problem that is devastating our earth, I judged that I cannot stand idly by and analyzed what contribution I was making to the problem [as opposed to the solution], and decided to act — to change the way I am in the world. Now for the really good news: I can’t begin to tell you how good it felt to do this small act or what a thrill it was when restaurants were happy to collaborate in my efforts! Perhaps the very best thing about this is that it inspires me to want to do even more.

But I’m going to go slowly, because I want this to become part of my personal theology and for that to happen I have to be intentional and give the change time to become a natural part of life. I need to feel the very special, sacredness  of doing this for me and if I rush headlong in to the next change I want to make, I won’t get that sense of holy work. So I’m living with this change for the moment and savoring the intense feeling of connectedness that it brings me. And then, in a bit, I’ll go on to the next change — perhaps LED light bulbs or carrying  my own cloth napkins to avoid using paper. I haven’t decided yet — that’s a piece of the work for another day.

Your passion may not be for the ecosystem — although I do hope it is — so  the way for you to create and live a theology may not look like mine. But whatever it is, I invite you to take some time, see what the world is calling you to, evaluate or judge how you want to respond, and then act. In this sense, we are all theologians!

In the meantime, may you

Go shining,
Karen

• April 9     The Reverend Doctor Tom Owen-Towle will join us for a potluck dinner and a talk. Tom is one of our most inspirational ministers and I know that spending time with him will reaffirm your faith in Unitarian Universalism and your commitment to both OCUUC and our movement.
• April 26    Bill Schulz will spend an evening with us talking about the work of the UU Service Committee [of which he is President]. Bill is also past UUA President and past Executive Director of Amnesty International USA, and will bring all this experience to bear on his time with us. If you’ve never heard Bill speak before you are in for a treat. And if you have heard him before you know how compelling [and funny] he is and I know you won’t miss another opportunity to hear him.
• April 29 and 30     Dr. Michael Hogue will spend the weekend with us leading the closing workshop on Green Theology. Everyone is welcome whether you’ve taken the rest of the course or not. Dr Hogue is a professor at Meadville Lombard Theological School [my alma mater!] and is the recipient of the John Templeton Award for Theological Promise in 2008. His visit with us promises to be exciting! Watch for details in the future.
• May 1       I will be co-leading the Sunday services with Dr. Hogue.
• May 8       Gini Courter, UUA Moderator will be the preacher at the 11:15 service at OCUUC. Some of you heard her when she joined us for a joint service with Tapestry a few years ago and you know that she is an amazing person and a great speaker.

I’m excited about all these wonderful people coming to share our space and time this spring. Not only am I delighted to be able to introduce them to you, but I’m proud to introduce you to them! Please plan on joining in as many of these events as you possibly can.

In the meantime, may you…
Go shining,
Karen

• Let’s make certain that all the good work we’ve done together establishing shared ministry is firmly in place. We have worked together so well, building a strong, healthy congregation that I know this part of our last months will be easy work. Still we don’t want to become complacent — work still needs to be done.
• We need to plug holes and tie up loose ends [finish those projects we’ve started]. Two that come to mind are the communications issues and the adult education program for which we’ve received a UUA grant. Please, please fill out the communications survey which is on line and will be available in the church office. We need your input in order to adjust the communications program so that it meets everyone’s needs and preferences. And plan on attending the “Green Theology” class which begins this month and ends with a weekend workshop in April.
• We need to say good bye. The UUMA covenant calls for me to “disappear” for a period of time so that you can do the work of transition and then welcome in your new minister. And I intend to live up to that covenant. It may seem harsh to some of you, but it is the only way to make this transition as healthy as possible. We need to acknowledge that there will be a hiatus during which we will not be in relationship and if, in the future, it is appropriate for me to be part of this community again, it will be in a very different relationship. Because we often find partings difficult and painful it is tempting to ignore them. What I learned a long time ago, from a very wise teacher of mine, is that if we say goodbye, fully owning up to whatever emotions that brings out, we will be able to move forward in a healthy fashion and we will have honored the importance of our time together as minister and congregant.

We’ve done so much good work together — let’s complete our time with the same integrity, energy, and love that has characterized it for the past thirteen years! I do not know yet what I will be doing next year. I have several “irons in the fire” but it is too soon for them to materialize. I promise I will let you know when I have determined my future course.

In the meantime, may you…

Go shining,
Karen

One of the best things to come out of this whole situation is the new name that we were dubbed with: “The Love People”. Because so many of us wore our “Standing on the Side of Love” bright yellow tee shirts, we [Unitarian Universalists] were very visible as part of the protest. I am very aware that not everyone agrees with the protest — let’s face it the problem of immigration is a complex and controversial one. But what I hope we can all agree about is that “standing on the side of love” is part of what we do as UU’s. It helps me when faced with almost any situation to ask myself, “what is the loving thing to do here?” I know when I can identify that position I will be acting, as well as thinking and believing, in accord with our UU principles. They are borne out of a commitment to be in the world in a loving way. In fact if everyone was willing to make choices about what matters in life from the perspective of doing the loving thing, I know we’d have a more peaceful world. I’m proud that that is what I understand we are called to do. In love, we can disagree with one another respectfully, move to action with courage, and resolve differences non-violently. In love, we know that we will be listened to, comforted, and supported when life is giving us lemons. What more could we ask?

On February 13, we are going to devote our service to the subject of love. I originally planned this because the following day is Valentine’s day, but as I thought about it, it became obvious to me that I don’t ever want to restrict my definition of love to only romantic love. We can fill our lives with all sorts of love — romantic, to be sure, but also family love, friendship love, and justice love. Several of the worship associates will join me in doing readings that day, and I hope you, too, will find it inspiring to spend some time thinking about the huge breadth that is defined as love.

In the meantime, may you…

Go Shining,
Karen

I always go through all the drawers in my bedroom at this time of year and I’m always surprised at how much “junk” has accumulated. I usually give up the task before I get to the kitchen, but that too is undoubtedly an indicator of how much has gone the way of good intentions. I know I start out with the right idea — “let’s get something important done and let’s be more organized about it this year!” but I also know that The Time Being [see the sermon for January 2, 2011 for an understanding of the caps on those words] soon takes over and I return to my usual routine. I need the impetus of an event like a changing number in the year to spur me to at least some consideration of my patterns.

And perhaps most important, I need a goad to my complacence so that I will accomplish something new, something daring, something different, and I’m not stuck in what easily becomes a deep rut. So I invite you to consider what is missing in your life. What would you like to change? Don’t make unrealistic resolutions which just encourage you to stay in the pattern you currently have and invite you to berate yourself for slothfulness, indecision, timidity, or a host of other things. Instead look for something that you could add to your life that will truly make it better. Make it something that is doable, and design it in a way that is either fun or in some other way desirable so that you will actually stick to it.  Example: I know life would be better if I got more exercise, but what a dreary thing. In my mind riding the stationary bike or working a routine of machines at a health club is more torture than anything else. I know that may not be true for you, but it certainly is for me. So this year I’m going dancing — that will give me the good exercise and a lot of fun.

And I’m assuming since I’ve put it up on the website for all to read I’ll need to actually do it! Check in with me from time to time to keep me honest. And find something wonderful to add to your life [and if you already have too much to do that could be doing nothing occasionally] that will make this a truly joyous year for you.

In the meantime, may you…

Go shining,
Karen

Most of our conversation revolved around social justice and how we might live out this part of what our Unitarian Universalist principles call us to do. We are thinking ahead to the “Justice GA” scheduled for Phoenix in June of 2012. That said, we brainstormed some more general interests and problems we might be involved with as well. The top suggestions from this body were:

• Increase quality and quantity of communication with and among congregations, including social media & technology
• Sponsor or pilot programs or trainings in use of technology and web tools
• Sponsor participants on Just Journeys or other international service trips
• Increase opportunities for service trips, including for ministers and youth
• Host receptions for traveling UUA leaders
• Create curriculum for economic competency “O.W.L. for money”

It is ironic to me that many congregations are having difficulties transitioning to newer methods of communication — it was actually reassuring that we aren’t the only ones struggling with this issue. And I’m excited to see that there is interest in doing just journeys [trips to lands where poverty and oppression are rampant and help is badly needed], especially to make it possible for those who need financial assistance to join these ventures.

Peter’s goals include support for our ministry — making certain that it is ready for the multi-cultural world that is increasingly the world we live in, and also to promote growth in our denomination so that our voice may be heard loud and clear. We have work to do — exiting work, prophetic work, and work to create the beloved community wherever we are.

In the meantime, may you
Go shining, Karen

The watchword in all of this for me is “fairness”. I’m hoping we can come to a conclusion that treats everyone involved fairly. That will include those who are here undocumented, those who are here and following the established procedure for citizenship or the right to work, and those of us who have been citizens since birth — all of us are entitled to a solution that is fair. Here’s what the UUA is saying about this subject:

Our current immigration system is broken. Families are torn apart through a tremendous backlog in family-based immigration and unjust detentions and deportations. Workers’ rights are eroded by flawed guest worker programs. About 11 million undocumented immigrants are living and working within U.S. borders without a path to citizenship. Clearly we need comprehensive immigration reform now.

The Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations has been explicitly on record in support of more just immigration policies since 1963. In a statement entitled “Immigration,” the 1963 General Assembly recognized that the outdated system “contradicts the founding principles of the nation and is at variance with national needs and international responsibilities.” In dozens of resolutions over the years, the Association has affirmed that:

• All people—without regard to immigration status—deserve access to fair wages, education, housing, healthcare, and other social services; and
• Immigrants are at high risk for being denied basic rights and services and thus warrant our special support.

The Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations and Unitarian Universalist Service Committee joined with 60 other religious groups in signing the Interfaith Statement In Support Of Comprehensive Immigration Reform (PDF <http://www.interfaithimmigration.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/interfaith-cir-statement-final2.pdf> ). The Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations is also one of the more than 20 members of the Interfaith Immigration Coalition http://www.interfaithimmigration.org/ [taken from the UUA website]

I’m looking forward to lively discussions on this topic in the next four years. I hope you will share your thoughts with me.

In the meantime, may you
Go shining,
Karen

The reason I’m telling you this now is because we are about to celebrate Association Sunday at OCUUC. This annual event raises funds to support congregations and districts in doing good work and it is from this fund that we are receiving the grant mentioned above. It is a wonderful indication that we are indeed an Association of Congregations, not a bureaucracy of people who are distanced from those of us sitting in the pews [or filling the pulpits!]. We are fortunate to have these resources available to us and it is my fervent hope that you will once again support the UUA in their efforts.

Taken from the UUA website is the following statement: “Proceeds from this year’s Association Sunday special collection will go to ensuring that our faith thrives for generations to come. Beginning in spring 2010, the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) will embark on an in-depth strategic review of leadership and growth in order to develop an action plan to strengthen our community for future generations.” And what could be more important to OCUUC as it begins the transition from my ministry to the next one you will call!

Peter Morales, UUA President, has enlarged upon the above statement, saying,

“We want congregations that are spiritually deep places where strong and enduring relationships can flourish, and that are engaged in their communities as sources of moral vision and effective action. We want our religious homes to be truly multi-generational and reflect the racial and cultural diversity of the wider world. And, we want professional religious leaders who are visionary, spiritual, innovative, and diverse.”

I believe that OCUUC is already a vibrant, spiritually deep community and I know that you will continue to grow in that direction this year and beyond.

In the meantime, may you

Go shining,
Karen

I am also sad that a community of people that I have found to be loving, peaceful, and welcoming to others are being targeted because of the actions of a few fanatics. Every group has a fringe of fundamentalists and often they live and work in ways that do not fit the mainstream understandings of the entire faith group. To condemn all because of the hostile and destructive acts of a few is to violate, at the very least, the first, sixth, and seventh principles we espouse as Unitarian Universalists [respect for the inherent worth and dignity of all people, work for a world of peace, justice, and liberty, and respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part]. I try to live by those principles and I know you do too, so it is abhorrent to me to see someone who claims to represent a religious group violating them.

And I am disturbed that anyone would think the way to protest the acts of 9/11 was to burn the holy book of a faith tradition. No matter what any of us may think about sacred writings, they are each sacred to a group of people who are striving to live their lives decently and with a sense of morality. To defile that book in any way is to disrespect the people who believe in it. It is an individual’s right to do so [according to the Bill of Rights], but that doesn’t make it right. It is also our right to object to this action.

It was good to hear Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton report that many, many people were expressing outrage at the intention to burn the Muslim Holy Book. I definitely want to add my name and voice to that number. I want to stand with those who are supporting and sympathizing with the Muslim community that is suffering this outrage. My heart is with them. Through the Newport Mesa Interfaith Council, I have signed a letter of support for the Muslims in our area that will be sent to the local press.

We must stand for those who are being oppressed and this is certainly such a case.

Go shining,
Karen

Meanwhile we do need to think about immigration reform. Whether it is a particular passion of yours or not, it is going to be a much talked about [and argued about] topic in the months to come. I’m so glad that the association delegates voted to define it as our next study topic and I hope it will engender a discussion group right here at OCUUC. Some of the questions that have already been suggested for study include:

• What are the definitions of refugee, migrant, permanent resident, citizen, non-immigrant, and undocumented and documented immigrants?
• Is international law concerning migrants and refugees (mainly the UN Declaration of Human Rights and the Geneva Conventions) adequate for people seeking asylum in a current context?
• What underlying factors contribute to global migration? And where are we complicit or accountable in these factors?
• What is the economic impact of immigration on countries and on individuals?
• For what reasons are immigrants arrested and incarcerated? And once incarcerated, how are individuals and families treated in detention centers?
• What are our positions on the enforcement of national boundaries?
• What are the myths and realities regarding immigrants?
• What role do racism, hate and intolerance play in driving immigration and enforcement policies?
• Are there ways that immigrants enrich the social fabric of the country in which they settle and in particular the United States?
• Using UU principles and values, what would be a just and humane immigration policy?

These and other questions intrigue me and I look forward to sharing thoughts, feelings, and ideas with you as we explore the subject of immigration in the near future.

In the meantime, may you

Go shining,
Karen

The other reason I’m going is to work for a world of justice, liberty, and peace. I believe along with Martin Luther King, Jr., that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” and I am heeding the lesson of Martin Niemoller who pointed out that when we don’t stand for the other, we risk there being no one left to stand for us when we are oppressed. So I am going to Phoenix to live out our sixth principle as well as our fifth principle.

I feel honored and excited to have this opportunity to live my faith — it is the spirit that moves me. I’m writing this before the trip, but it is serendipity that I will be preaching on May 30th about the importance of “doing” when the spirit moves us. By the time you read this I’ll probably have told you all about it! In the meantime, may you

Go shining,
Rev. Dr. Karen Stoyanoff
ministerocuucorg

P.S. A video was made by the UUA of this important event and I wanted to share it with you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvT7OoDKSXc

Sometimes the work is difficult and sometimes the cost is high — we might accidently offend someone or even lose a friend when we stand strong for what we believe. No matter the work must be done, and I believe that with respect for our first principle [the inherent worth and dignity of every person] we can find ways to work through our differences and move to new high ground. As the song we love to sing says, “we know the way will be hard and the road will be muddy and rough, but we’ll get there.” In the meantime, may you…

Go shining,
Karen Stoyanoff
ministerocuucorg  (ministerocuucorg)  

What is a big deal is the sense of our history that I got spending time in buildings whose walls were covered with pictures of notable figures of our past. We stand on the shoulders of amazing women and men who stood for their beliefs in spite of ridicule and sometimes outrage. That is the history we have inherited. One of the questions we ask ourselves is “to whom are we accountable?” I think there are several answers to that question, but one of the important ones is that we are accountable to those who went before us, paving the way for freedom of thought and religion, the right to question anything that doesn’t ring true for us, and the right to stand by, for, and with those who are oppressed. While they made great strides in the era of their lives, the job isn’t done.

So we must take up the mantle they have laid down and work to create a world that is better, freer, kinder and more compassionate. We must steward the earth as well as fight oppression. That is our legacy and it is a proud one. Oh, and if you get a chance to go to Boston, be sure to visit “25” — hopefully it will inspire you as it did me. In the meantime, may you

Go shining,
  (ministerocuucorg)  

ministerocuucorg  (ministerocuucorg)  

I know that we UU’s often say that we live on in the memories of those who knew us and that as long as they remember we have a form of existence. I was thinking of this the other day, remembering my own grandmother and recognized that when I am no longer alive, there won’t be anyone to remember her. It was a disquieting thought — especially as I look at my own two young grandchildren and imagine that when they die, there will be no one to remember me. It’s a grim sort of view of immortality — the thought that we only exist as long as someone remembers us. And I’ve decided that it’s too simplistic a version of our impact on history and society.

I know that many people — my parents and other family members, many of my teachers, friends, co-workers, and even people I’ve met in more peripheral settings — have influenced who I am and how I’m living my life. In particular I remember a woman I knew as a young adult who was a role model for me. She was a serious career woman, running for political office, who was also a homemaker and family woman. She entertained beautifully and was gracious to a fault. I dearly wanted to be just like her. She died young and I grieved intensely over the loss, but have striven to live up to the model of life she exhibited. I know that I’m a different person than I would have been without her example. I have to believe that there may be others in this world who have been affected by me and the model I’ve lived. And their life will be transformed because of that. They, in turn, will affect others, and it won’t matter that they didn’t know me: my life will still — in this small way — influence theirs. That’s a much more acceptable form of immortality for me to consider. I like the idea that it is a gradual process — that I’ve been affected by all sorts of people that I never actually knew — and that I will continue to impact the world even long after I am no longer here.

And still I come back to the bittersweet sense of loss because someone I cared about, someone who made life better and more interesting, to say nothing of more joyful, is no longer here. I am looking forward to the day when I can remember with joy all the lovely ways in which she impacted my life. In the meantime, may you

Go shining,

ministerocuucorg  (ministerocuucorg)  

Of course I also believe that there is a real benefit for each of us in helping out when we can. The good feelings that come from rising to the ocassion are indeed a lovely recompense for our efforts. Still, as John Buehrens has said, “Blessed are those who when asked to serve, do it gladly, who realize that change is brought about through human meeting, who do the work of committees, and stay till the end.” Thank you one and all!

In the meantime, may you

Go shining,

ministerocuucorg  (ministerocuucorg)