Green Sanctuary
OCUUC Green Sanctuary’s mission is to have OCUUC become a certified Green Sanctuary, per the requirements outlined by the Unitarian Universalist Association. Green Sanctuary also does everything we can to inform the members and friends of the congregation about best environmental practices.
Coastal Clean Up Day on September 17, 9 AM, Newport Back Bay
Meet at Merrie Lee’s house in East Side Costa Mesa at 8am for carpooling (there’s a car lot across the street). Leave by 8:20am.
OR you can join us at the preserve located at 2301 University Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660 in the parking log at the Interpretive Center on Irvine Avenue & University Drive.
What to bring: Bring filled reusable water bottle, sunscreen, closed toed shoes, hat and comfortable clothes. Volunteers are encouraged to reduce the environmental footprint of the Cleanup. Please join our efforts this year by participating in the “Bring Your Own” philosophy and bringing your own grocery/retail plastic bags (for reuse), bucket and/or reusable water bottle to make this event as ZERO WASTE as possible.
They are requesting an RSVP, so follow the link to sign up and we will all meet at the event.
Walking the Walk – Stop the Tar Sands Pipeline
From the desk of Rev. Craig C. Roshaven, Witness Ministries Director, Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations…
Walking the Walk-Stop the Tar Sands Pipeline
Dear friends,
We want to invite you to join us in an effort to stop the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. The UU Ministry for Earth (UUMFE), All Souls Unitarian in Washington, DC and other national and local UU groups are joining with interfaith leaders from Jewish, Catholic, Christian, and Buddhist communities on August 28th and 29th to protest the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline (the proposed pipeline to transport Tar Sands to the US for refinement).
The Keystone XL Pipeline will be built from the Tar Sands in Canada, across the US, down to Texas refineries. First Nations communities in Canada and Native American tribes along the pipeline route in the U.S. have demanded the destruction of their sacred lands cease. People impacted by the construction and the “state of the art technology” predicted to leak every seven years don’t want to see it built. People of color and the poor are at a significantly greater risk of health impacts from dirty fossil fuels, and are amongst the first to suffer from the impacts of climate change. Concerns about the Tar Sands Pipeline include the risky extraction methods, the dangers of the pipeline itself, and the long-term climate change consequences.
The Tar Sands Action rolling wave of civil disobedience (or “divine obedience”) is shaping up to be the longest civil disobedience on climate change in U.S. history. The Obama Administration has the sole authority in deciding whether or not the pipeline will be built which is why folks across faith communities are participating in a rolling series of demonstrations, including risking arrest, from August 20th – September 3rd.
More than a dozen UU’s from around the country are coming to DC to participate. We invite you and members of your congregation to participate if you feel called in one or more of the following ways:
- Join the religious contingent (including UUs) and risk arrest at the rally on Monday, August 29th. A required nonviolence civil disobedience training and legal briefing for our witness will take place on Sunday, August 28th from 4-9 p.m.
- Attend the rally at Lafayette Park on Monday, August 29th to show support for those risking arrest. The legal witness in Lafayette Park will begin mid-morning, probably around 10 a.m. Look for the Green Sanctuary Banner in Lafayette Park to stand in solidarity with other UUs.
- Sign the Stop the Tar Sands Petition. Those who can’t join the rally can join the movement to stop the Keystone XL pipeline by signing the petition that will be delivered to President Obama during the Tar Sands Action.
- Write an op-ed (or letter to your local news editor).
- Join the UUMFE. Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth is a non-profit organization whose supporters envision a world in which reverence, gratitude, and care for the living Earth is central to the lives of all people. As a 501(c)3 organization, contributions are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.
- Please contact Robin Nelson, Environmental Stewardship Manager for the UUA, if you or people from your congregation will be attending the rally, especially if you are intending to risk arrest (Rnelson
uua
org (Rnelsonuuaorg) , 617.948.4251). Robin will be providing a support role and organizing UUs. Watch for more timely information on the UUMFE Facebook page.
Green Theology Course – Interesting Links for Reading
There were a few links I wanted to share from the Green Theology course a few weeks ago.
Mike Hogue’s column in Tikkun Magazine.
The Science of Why We Don’t Believe in Science: How Our Brains fool us on Climate Change, Creationism, and the Vaccine-Autism link. By Chris Mooney in Mother Jones Magazine from April 18, 2011. Gives empirical evidence why the facts are not enough for some individuals.
An article by Dr. Klaus Toepfer recommended by Mike Hogue titled “Nature’s Capital. The Key to Poverty Eradication.”
A supplemental reading that we shared in the Saturday afternoon class from James K. A. Baker’s “Desiring the Kingdom – Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation.“ Scroll down in the document to Page 9 (Page 19 in the corner of the document), where Baker discusses a bit of a riddle called “Making the Familiar Strange: A Phenomenology of Cultural Liturgies.“ See if you can figure out the riddle before he ultimately gives the answer. ;-)
The course wrapped up with a tremendous amount of food for thought and a desire to turn ethos into moral choices and action. If you have other ideas to share, let’s keep the conversation going in the comments section of this site.
Green Theology Course – Six Weeks In and Wrapping Up This Weekend
Our Green Theology course wraps up at the end of this week. We have held a full, exciting discussion of why the environmental crisis is a fundamentally religious issue. We’ve explored the crisis from three dimensions – seeing, judging, and acting. Those who participated in each Wednesday course have a broad understanding of people’s choices in life and their moral implications – virtuous and vicious. I’ve learned a lot and had a lot of fun.
And now…
Join us for a great weekend workshop on “Green Theology”, April 29 and 30!
On Friday evening, Mike Hogue, Meadville Professor and Templeton Prize winner, will lead us in a discussion of the environmental crisis as a fundamental religious issue. On Saturday, Reverend Karen will lead a workshop, offer another short talk, and then a second workshop. The first workshop will have a moral or ethical focus. We will think together through the ecojustice principles discussed at the Friday night talk, asking questions about the virtues and practices those principles would require in order to be realized. The purpose of this first workshop is to help participants to develop a personal ecojustice mission statement. Following the first workshop on Saturday morning, Reverend Karen will offer another short talk that will bridge over to the Saturday afternoon workshop. This talk and its complementary workshop will help participants to understand and develop a theological frame for the ecojustice mission statements they developed earlier. The whole of the day will be primarily discussion based.
Mike Hogue will also give a two-part sermon on Sunday, May 1. Each part of the sermon has a theme of sorts. This first part of the sermon is about the joy of discovering oneself as a part of nature. The second part is about the terror and responsibility of discovering oneself as a part of nature. Ideally, these parts would be divided by a song and a time of silent meditation.
We look forward to your participation this weekend!
Weekend Workshops on Ecotheology
Join us for a great weekend workshop on “Green Theology”, April 29 and 30!
Friday evening Dr. Mike Hogue, Meadville Professor and Templeton Prize winner, will lead us in a discussion of the environmental crisis as a fundamental religious issue. On Saturday Karen will lead a workshop, offer another short talk, and then a second workshop. The first workshop will have a moral or ethical focus. We will think together through the ecojustice principles discussed at the Friday night talk, asking questions about the virtues and practices those principles would require in order to be realized. The purpose of this first workshop is to help participants to develop a personal ecojustice mission statement. Following the first workshop on Saturday morning, Karen will offer another short talk that will bridge over to the Saturday afternoon workshop. This talk and its complementary workshop will help participants to understand and develop a theological frame for the ecojustice mission statements they developed earlier. The whole of the day will be primarily discussion based.
Everyone is welcome! Lunch will be provided for Saturday’s sessions. Questions? Talk to Karen Stoyanoff or Mike Harmanos. Sign up at the OCUUC Church office or by email at greenocuucorg.
Sample Statement of Purpose and Commitment
This sample Statement of Purpose and Commitment comes from the First Unitarian Church of Omaha (“A Different Kind of Congregation”). I thought it made a very practical outline for a congregation, community, and family.
- We are each committed to learning ways in which we might live more sustainable lives that will help reduce the threat of global warming.
- From that growing awareness and knowledge we will strive to make personal lifestyle changes that strengthen the connection between our spiritual principles and our daily actions.
- We will strive to lead by example and not by words alone.
- We believe that a commitment to change must come from within.
- We believe that each person at First Unitarian must take responsibility for his or her own actions within our church and the greater community.
- We believe that a “greener than thou” attitude has no place in a [Environmental Stewardship] program, inasmuch as we are each in the process of learning and growing.
- We believe the role of the Green Sanctuary Committee is to build upon our church community’s awareness and knowledge of environmental issues and to build upon and strengthen our denomination’s commitment to our Seventh Principle.
- We will strive to encourage widespread congregational participation in the 12 projects and activities required for Green Sanctuary accreditation.
- We will encourage and support both individual and collective action.
- We will encourage and facilitate networking among different committees in our church.
- We will strive to build networks in our wider community as we work on these projects.
- We will provide frequently updated information on the Green Sanctuary Program to our congregation.
- We will remain open to new ideas and to new members.
Green Theology Course – Two Weeks In
With two weeks in, we’ve gone through Part One of the readings. The Lambin article was most interesting, as he is very skeptical of the concept of “sustainable development” and the anthropocentric style of thought. Once again, the chief questions he raises are:
- Is an environmental crisis the reflection of a deeper crisis of social organization and of the underlying cultural values of a society? Or is it simply a problem that can be overcome by inventing more effective technologies?
- If the latter, the solution would appear to lie in quickening the pace of technological innovation and adapting forms of social organization accordingly.
- Or is it necessary, by contrast, to tame the insatiable appetite for greater wealth and power, by profoundly modifying the cultural values that stimulate it?
All very good food for thought.
We discussed our chief environmental challenges for the world and for Southern California.
We meet every Wednesday throughout the month of April. We will also have a weekend wrap-up course on the weekend of April 29 and 30.
Green Theology Course – All the Details
Our Green Theology course starts Wednesday, March 16 at 7 PM.
The course syllabus has been posted.
From the syllabus: This adult religious education course in ecological theology is designed to facilitate new habits of perceiving and analyzing our social and natural environments and to embolden the moral judgments and political acts to which liberal religious people are called in a time of environmental crisis.
The Classes (and potlucks!) will be held on March 16, 23, 30, and April 6, 13, 20. This course will also have a weekend seminar on April 29 and 30. Mark your calendars now! These dates are set!
Regarding the potlucks, all are invited that evening, whether you’re taking the course or not. Please bring a dish with enough servings to share. Drinks will be provided. The potluck will run from 5 PM to 6:45 PM and have no “formal” program, but we will discuss important social justice topics in UULM, UUSC, and throughout Orange County.
OCUUC is working to increase commitment to this faith tradition and to the congregation by creating a replicable adult education curriculum on the topic theology and ecology, “Green Theology.” Our goal will be to deepen theological understanding particularly as it relates to a current day issue for our society. This course will be more intensive than a “Building Your Own Theology” course, but not as rigorous as a class at a seminary.
The project will be under the direction of Dr. Michael Hogue, Professor at Meadville Lombard Theological School and the Reverend Doctor Karen Stoyanoff, minister at Orange Coast Unitarian Universalist Church, Costa Mesa, CA.
Contact Reverend Karen (ministerocuucorg) or Mike Harmanos (greenocuucorg) for details.
Green Theology Course – Syllabus
The course syllabus has been posted for the Green Theology course this March.
From the syllabus: This adult religious education course in ecological theology is designed to facilitate new habits of perceiving and analyzing our social and natural environments and to embolden the moral judgments and political acts to which liberal religious people are called in a time of environmental crisis.
Green Theology – Flyer
Please distribute the following flyer to anyone interested in our Green Theology course this spring. You may click on it for a PDF copy.
