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February 2003

A welcoming congregation that seeks to be a spiritual home to people of free faith regardless of race, sexual orientation, class, or any of the other differences that might separate us

Scheduling conflicts have forced our two-session introduction to UUism and membership, intended for this month, to be shifted to March. Watch THE CHALICE for details.

Per an earlier column about political activism in UU congregations, I'm steadfast in my belief that our con- gregations are, first and foremost, religious communities. Nothing in my reading of our movement's history supports the notion that, in order to be a "good" UU, one must be aligned with a particular political view or party.

That said, religious communities that seek insulation from the social and political orders seem hollow to me. Even more perplexing are congrega- tions - UU or otherwise - that prac- tice lots of "talkivism" and very little activism, to borrow from my colleague, Steve Hammond.

The history of UUism in this country is bound up with the country itself, sometimes finding our religious an- cestors in opposition to the prevail- ing political winds. I'm not talking about the Parkers and the Bartons and the Sangers, but the "everyday" folks -- people who were reluctant hell- raisers in the face of injustice, oppression and wrong-headed policies.

If the volume and intensity of word and action are any indication, we have entered yet another time of decision, a time not defined accord- ing to political party but a sense of outrage. A possible war with Iraq, the threat to Roe v. Wade, the ero- sion of Affirmative Action and a host of state and local issues have com- bined to lead forth yet more reluc- tant hellraisers from the pews and pulpits of UU congregations, our own included.

Let us be clear: ours is indeed, first and foremost, a religious community, and a liberal (inclusive) religious community at that! But the fact that we differ in our convic- tions about these troubled times should not render us silent and inac- tive. Too much is at stake.

A weekend with all the fun of Summer Institute and none of the program- ming. Some community meals, lay-led worship at the open and close of each day. Hiking, swimming, games, pizza, music, laughter.

Registration information is available from Dana Bjorklund or Linda Coulter at dmbjork @ aol . com or Kathie or Joel Slater at kslater1 @ neo . rr . com.

Join UUs, college students and other Oberlinians for the next Underground Coffeehouse: Friday, February 21, 8- 11 P.M. at First United Methodist Church, 45 S. Professor. Come play, sing, read or listen. A $1 donation and canned food item are requested. The coffeehouse is a chemical-free environment.

There continues to be a Peace Vigil on Wednesdays 12:30-1 p.m. at Tappan Square. There has been a suggestion to have either a second time or an alternate time so high school kids can participate, as well as daytime working folks. The Wednesday group will be thinking about this the next week or two. Suggestions welcome.

Andy will be working with the person planning a service to help find music that will tie into the theme, in whatever role is needed: Picking music, finding people to play it, providing recorded music (he has some of John Marshall's CDs), and so forth. He plans to tap into OUUF's existing musical resources, as an organizer as much as anything. Members and friends are urged to offer their talents or whatever they have to share musically; he will plug them into spots in services. Andy will also accompany on guitar as required.

Some two years ago Andy attended a UU service in North Brookfield, Massachusetts. "It spoke to me, and I wondered if there was one of these in my town." At the time that was Amherst, Massachusetts. The fellowship there, and now here, are "what I'd been waiting for in terms of religion and community."

Andy lives with wife Cindy, sister Valerie and sons Dalin and Noah. The family was drawn to Oberlin by Cindy's job as a professor of psychology at Oberlin College. A public school English teacher by professon, Andy is home with the boys this year. Valerie's field is social work; presently she is working retail at Home Depot.

OUUF is fortunate to have Andy step into this role, and we can look forward to a fruitful relationship.

There will be a big membership work- shop at North Olmsted on February 2, from 9-2. The workshop is intended to address how to attract, assimilate and meet the needs of newcomers. Rev Priscilla Richter, a UU minister, will lead. Lunch will be provided free of charge.

All three of the congregations served by Rev Don Rollins are welcome. This is a quick, easy way to get practical tips on growth. Please let Don know if you are attending (366-1027) to make it easier on folks making lunch.

Your Membership and Programming committees were represented...

Based on data from 1,000 congregation in 32 countries, church consultant Christopher A Schwartz -- German founder of the Institute for Natural Church Development -- has concluded that all growing congregations have eight traits in common:

• leaders who empower others to do their ministry [here meaning simply what we do for each other]
• ministry tasks distributed according to the gifts of members
• a passionate spirituality marked by prayer [whatever one means by that] and putting faith into practice
• organizational structures that promote ministry
• inspiring worship services
• small groups in which the loving and healing power of fellowship is experienced
• need-oriented evangelism that meets the needs of people the church is trying to reach
• and loving relationships among members of the church.

If all eight of these characteristics are present, congregations will grow naturally and organically, without organizing an evangelical program.

"Beacon publishes books that promote UU values and make a crucial differ- ence in the world - books that would probably never be published if Beacon didn't exist."

Beacon Press, publishing arm of the UUA, is in dire financal straits. The UUA cannot afford to prop up a loss- making publishing house indefinitely.

The 2002 General Assembly unanimously passed a resolution calling on each delegate to buy Beacon books and to see that the members of our congrega- tions do the same. It suggested that if every UU bought two Beacon books a year, the struggle to keep the Press economically viable would be won.

There are gift ideas in the Beacon Press in the current UU WORLD: eight special holiday packages, each one containing at least two books related to one of the UU Principles.

"If Beacon can sell two books to every adult member in the UUA annual- ly, it can survive. It's up to you, to me, to us."

Rev Bill Sinkford, President of the UUA, has called for more "religious language" in the UUA Principles and Purposes. A misquote in a local paper after he expressed this in a sermon sent concern about the form of this change around the UU Internet. What- ever is done, the UUA Bylaws make it clear this will be a General Assembly decision, under procedures tightened since adoption of the Sixth Source.

ENVIRONMENTAL THREAT:

Refreshments on Sunday morning are supplied by members and friends of the congregation.
We invite you to please participate.

BOARD NOTES

Kim Peters plans to attend RE renais- sance training on March 21-23.

OUUF will accept charitable contribu- tions to OUUF in memory of Jeff Stewart to be used in social action projects or charitable causes on the recommendation of the Stewart family.

The next Board meeting is on February 16, 7 pm, at the home of Tom Phinney. The Board will try to meet henceforth on the third Sunday of the month, personal schedules permitting, for less frantic dissem- ination of Board news.

Visitors are always welcome at Board meetings, and the input of OUUF mem- bers is both welcome and guaranteed under our Bylaws.

East Shore UU Church is offering a benefit performance of Vagina Mono- logues Feb 15th, 7pm, East Shore UU.

Classical Guitarist Jane Rosenbohm is a solo classical guitarist promoting an appreciation for the guitar as a solo concert instrument. Ms Rosenbohm has performed in the Castellani & Andriaccio Master Class in Rome, Italy; the Christopher Parkening 1985 Eastern Summer Master Class; and the Clare Callahan Master Class at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio. In addition, Ms Rosenbohm has studied privately with guitarist composer Gilbert Biberian, from England.

In 1995 Artsbridge awarded Ms. Rosenbohm the Founder's Club Award for artistic excellence in recogni- tion of her personal dedication and contribution to the cultural commun- ity of the Mid-Ohio Valley.

Jane Marie also works full-time for DuPont as a senior process operator; and as adjunct professor of applied music at West Virginia University -Parkersburg. She started flying and bought her first airplane when she was twenty. She's logged thousands of hours and currently owns a Cessna Cardinal. Her Cardinal is four place, IFR rated, and hanger at Wood County Airport. Her hangar is both a guitar studio and a hanger.

Sunday Jane Marie will talk about having Gender Dysphoria, the journey, and having Gender Reassignment Sur- gery (GRS). She has recently had GRS in November 2002 and will talk about the requirements for surgery.

Imbolc, a pre-Christian Celtic holiday on the same sacred calendar as Yule, Beltane and Samhain, will be the focus of the forum and service this Sunday. The forum will provide background about the holiday, and will be followed (after the social half-hour) by an Imbolc service. Rebekah Brenner will conduct both. She is a Worship Associate for the UU Church of Akron, and a member of Akron CUUPS. We welcome her to the OUUF pulpit.

Recall that old saw that says that if you don't know where you're going, any road will do. This is a sales pitch for a short, relatively pain- less mission and covenant process. All are welcome.

Don will facilitate a discussion of Robert Latham's model of congrega- tional governance, particularly in the areas of evaluation and conflict management/resolution.

Prof Ahnen, a recently joined member of OUUF, will reflect a bit on the challenges of becoming aware of, and reacting to, injustices among people who are both very different and dis- tant from us. Ron teaches in the Politics Department of Oberlin College; we welcome him to the OUUF pulpit.

Santa Elena of the 20th of October is a twice-displaced Mayan (Native American) village in Guatemala. At one time they were forced to take refuge in Mexico from civil war, and later were relocated to a new village in their own country.

In the Santa Elena Project of Accompaniment (SEPA), North American accompaniers act as witnesses to guarantee fulfillment of the terms of resettlement. John Gates, Chair of SEPA, and Bill Fuchsman, SEPA Treasurer, will share the progress Santa Elena has made and its hopes for the future. All are welcome.

Liberated UU Voices (LUUV) is the Oberlin College student UU group. Once again they will be presenting an OUUF service, and it's good to have them back.

This talk will explore how the evangelical founders of Oberlin envisioned their work to make heaven on earth. We will think about the importance of the founders' sense of human agency and responsibility, with its gendered implications, and the influence of this vision on the commitment of the town to radical notions of racial equality. I also want to think about the tensions between moral commitment and tolerance for diversity that emerge from Oberlin's utopian experiment.

Prof Lasser teaches History at Oberlin College. We welcome her to the OUUF pulpit. All are welcome.

PRESCHOOL - KINDERGARTEN

GRADES 1-3

GRADES 4-5

GRADES 6-7

GRADE 8-9