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January 2004

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

FROM THE MINISTER...

As I mentioned during a service at North Olmsted last month, one of the great perks of parish ministry is that one gets paid to read. Such a deal! That's not to say that everything I read is particularly useful, professionally or personally (especially in the mainstream American press) but it's still a rich blessing to get paid to read.

Like most ministers, I keep the good stuff that I read. When I can't improve on someone else's words, I simply quote him or her. As we begin this new year, I can think of no way to improve upon the following quote from the Rev. Charles Johnson. I offer it as a gift to be posted (under the magnet of your choice) on your refrigerator door.

This year I resolve that I will not be seduced into easy answers and I will resist the temptation to make things more complicated than they need to be. I will pay more and more attention to the lines drawn with expressways and police tape and doctrine and dogma and color or colorblindness, gender orientation or preference. I will be guided by a commitment to a beloved community which is as broad as the world is wide, yet I will not let immensity and ambiguity keep me from taking a

I will honor the new year and the spirit of Martin Luther King by being more self giving and less critical of others, I will acknowledge the presence of the divine in as many of my sisters and brothers as I can and I will be willing to be changed...I will be in love as much and often and deeply as I can. I will get up when I fall down, stand when I need to and rest when I am weary.

And when I forget all this, as surely I will, I will remember by resting in family and church, in work in play, and kindred gifts of grace and love.

The Kendal UU service is on the third Sunday of each month between September and June. We meet at 4:15 P.M. in Whittier Lounge. OUUFers are certainly welcome to join us.

Loose cash and change in today's collection basket will be donated to SEPA. Offerings for OUUF may be made by check or by cash/change in a marked envelope.

Each Tuesday evening in January (6, 13, 20 and 27) Don will facilitate Articulating Your UU Faith, an adult RE course designed to help one clarify and describe UUism and one's own beliefs. We'll meet in the Formal Dining Room, at Kendal at Oberlin, from 7-9 P.M. There is no fee for the course and all are welcome.

Lake Erie Regional Ministry (LERM) is the joint council of the Sandusky, Oberlin and North Olmsted UU congregations. LERM serves as the coordinator of Don's schedule and events among and between the congregations. The next meeting is scheduled for Saturday, January 10 at the home of Jayne and Bill Djubek, near Sandusky.

Don is available for pastoral care and/or short-term counseling, in addition to his other activities. Feel free to contact him at 440-775-9989 or by email. Just a reminder that Friday is generally reserved for writing sermons and Monday is Don's day off.

The Committee on Ministry (COM) promotes and preserves the Fellowship's Mission and Covenant by evaluating lay and professional ministry, by facilitating communication within the Fellowship, by making recommendations for improvement, and by resolving conflict.

Thank you to all members and friends who completed the recent lay ministry survey. The responses will help us assess how well we as a Fellowship

The COM will provide survey results at the February 8, 2004, Forum. Also at the Forum, there will be an opportunity to revisit the COM concept. The Committee was created by the Fellowship in June 2003. The current elected members are John Marshall, Cindy Frantz, and Keith Koenning.

The Site Team has been created to relieve the board of set-up/take-down chores. Now this team needs your help. We need team captains to be first in, last out; and team members to unload/load the storage shed, and for cleanup. This is NOT an every week commitment. Please contact Peg Tucker, 775-0301; or Katie Styer (email), 775-0959.

What would OUUF do without our members and friends who were born in the month of January?? We have Alice Culbert who came in with the New Year. Then Margaret Medina, Anna Geitz, Scott Koenning and Randy Tucker. Followed by Randy Knavel, Gerry Stewart, Gerlind Jenkner and Betsy Thomas. Happy Birthday to you all this month.

Don writes:
As you may know, a pro-choice march is scheduled for Sunday, April 25 in D.C. I've received a message that a bus will be going from Oberlin. The cost is $50. If you don't want to or can't attend, you may want to sponsor someone else. For more information contact Ovidia Guaderrama at 440-775-3711. If interested, call right away - the deadline for booking the bus is coming up.

The UU WORLD is free on tape for people who cannot read print like this even when they wear eyeglasses. People with macular degeneration, diabetes or other health conditions may have enough visual acuity to do many things but their eyesight is not good enough for them to read regular print materials. If you know anyone like this please let them know that they qualify for a free UU WORLD subscription audiotape. Devorah Greenstein, 25 Beacon St, Boston MA 02108, dgreenstein AT UUA DOT ORG, 617-948-6451.

Are you a young adult who wants to work for justice and learn more about yourself and UUism? The goal of the UU Social Justice Internship Program is to combine service and learning to produce energetic young adults with the professional skills and strength of character to be lifelong leaders in UUism and working for social justice. The program requires a one-year commitment during which interns invest their time and energy in three main areas: Advocacy, Service and Reflection. More info: See Don Rollins.

The Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA) is a crucial tool for giving victims of human rights violations a chance to have their day in court. ATCA is essential for holding corporations accountable and combating profoundly abusive and irresponsible behavior by U.S. corporations operating overseas.

The center of the controversy is whether ACTA can be used to hold multinational corporations liable for business partners' human rights abuses.

A case in point is Burma, where the Burmese military displaced whole villages, forced residents to work against their will, and allegedly raped or murdered some who refused to make way for a natural gas pipeline, a joint project of Unocal (California) and Total (France). In 1996 Earthrights International and the Center for Constitutional Rights filed a suit, Doe vs Unocal, in federal court on behalf of 11 rural villagers for Unocal's direct complicity in abuses committed by the Burmese military.

This would roll back years of justice for victims of human rights abuse. UUSC is joining with its colleague agency, Earthrights International to ask your help to defend this act as a critical tool in defending human rights around the world.

Former president of the UUA, Dr William F Schulz will be the featured speaker for the Town Hall of Cleveland series on Monday January 26, 2004. Now Executive Director of Amnesty International (USA), Schulz has led amnesty missions to Liberia and Northern Ireland in support of human rights protections. Throughout his career, Schulz has been outspoken in his opposition to the death penalty and his support for women's rights, gay and lesbian rights, and racial justice. His January 26 talk will be at 6:00 PM at the Ohio Theatre in Playhouse Square. Tickets are $35, and may be obtained at or 216-241-1919. Kathy Friedrich, Administrator, informs us that blocks of tickets are available; contact her at that # or admin AT townhallseries DOT ORG. Darlene Krato could go if she could get a ride; carpooling, anyone?

Members or friends of OUUF who harbor a topic for a sermon or forum: OUUF needs your creative participation! Hymns, readings, music, etc. can be furnished by the Program Committee.

On every Sunday when Don is present, some members of the board will be available for 10-15 minutes after the service to listen to members/friends thoughts and concerns.

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

Do you ever wonder where those kids come from and what they were doing as they whirl around the lobby at coffee hour or skim your toes as they whiz by on some 3 wheeled kiddie vehicle on Sunday mornings? Next Sunday, January 4, you will get a chance to be one of them! Meet Kim in the regular service and forum space for a few minutes at 9:30 AM before having the opportunity to wander into our Religious Education classrooms. This is a chance to see how our Fellowship's children spend their first hour.

Senior High Our Whole Lives classes have begun for three of our youth and six other community youth. Tim Egan and Peg Tucker are facilitating this intensive program on Saturday mornings on campus.

There is a second Our Whole Lives training program happening at the end of January for people wanting to teach 5-6 year olds and kids in 4th-6th grades (two different curricula). We will be training two people in this. If you are interested, please contact Kim Peters as soon as possible, and no later than January 7.

Finally, a reminder that children who are present during the service will be going outside unless there is extreme weather. Please bring outdoor clothing to keep your child dry and warm. Maya and Lily thank you!

Welcome to 2004! Your children are our strength!

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

MISSION: The OUUF mission is to promote religious freedom with responsibility, to support each other with compassion, and to serve peace with justice.

COVENANT: We the members and friends of the OUUF covenant to live together in our quest for truth, love, social justice, and environmental responsibility. In this spirit of caring fellowship, we offer our combined gifts and resources.