Summer 2003 THE CHALICE NEWSLETTER OF THE OBERLIN UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST FELLOWSHIP 317 East College Street Oberlin OH 44074 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 To be discontinued from this circulation, contact . Saturday, July 26, 2003 TRI-CHURCH UU CAMP DAY Lake Erie Regional Ministry (LERM) -- Oberlin UU Fellowship (OUUF), Sandusky UU Fellowship and North Olmsted UU Congregation -- is planning a picnic and camping trip at Findley State Park in Wellington on Saturday, July 26th. There will be a Group Camping Area reserved for up to 40 people. Cost to tent in the camp area is $4 for adults and $1 for under-18. Camping in a trailer costs $17 per individual site, six persons max, to be called in the morning of the day you plan to camp; Findley's website is . Please RSVP to Bill Snow, the North Olmsted LERM representative, if you plan to attend. Weekend, August 15-17, 2003 OUUF CAMPOUT For those who remember last year's excellent OUUF campout, or who could- n't make it, the same impresarios are at it again. OUUF will be claiming a few sites at Findlay Park south of Wellington the weekend of August 15- 17. All are welcome. Phyl Smith and Cal Frye will spot a couple of adja- cent sites Friday evening -- anyone wishing to make an overnighter of it is welcome to come along. Saturday evening we'll host a campfire for all who wish to attend. Transportation from Oberlin will be available. The Perseid meteor shower peaks on Wed- nesday the 13th, which is also a full moon. We'll hope for a few stragglers on Saturday. Call Cal Frye at 775- 7006 or email to make arrangements. HOLD YOUR WATER! Indeed, save some water from your summer travels! We'll begin the 2003- 04 fellowship year on September 7, with the ritual known as the Water Service, combining our water samples as we celebrate our Ingathering. HEADS UP -- PORCH SALE Another OUUF porch sale will be held this fall. Date to be announced; look for signs & portents. Serviceable items only, please. Please remember this that is not intended to used Jo Huber's porch as a halfway house to the BIF landfill. DON'S VACATION/CONTINUING EDUCATION Per our contract with Don, July and August will be his combined vacation and time for continuing education. He will remain available for emergencies and rites of passage, and can be reached at home, 440-366-1027 or . UUA PRESIDENT APPLAUDS TEXAS SODOMY LAW DECISION Toward the end of June -- just, as it happened, when the UUA General Assembly was convening -- the US Supreme Court struck down a sodomy conviction from Texas, in addition invalidating similar anti-sodomy laws in 11 states, both those limiting their application to gays and lesbians and those applying in equal measure to heterosexuals, including married couples. This decision upholds a justice and personal freedom position long embraced by the UUA General Assembly -- since 1970 -- and underscored repeatedly by UUA officers and corporate actions, and many UU Congregations, including ordination and hiring of "out" UU clergy, and conducting same-sex services of union. On the occasion of the decision, the UUA issued the following press release: (Boston, June 27, 2003) The Rev. William G. Sinkford, president of the Unitarian Universalist Association, yesterday issued a state- ment applauding the decision of the United States Supreme Court in the case of Lawrence et al. v. Texas. Speaking from the UUA's General Assembly in Boston, Sinkford said, "The Unitarian Universalist Association has a long-standing and deeply held commitment to support full equality for bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender people. In that spirit, we enthusiastic- ally applaud today's ruling by the United States Supreme Court, which takes a major step toward affirming the basic human right of full equality for all people. Today's decision reinforces our commitment to work to end homophobia. We acknowledge that while progress has been made, we still have work to do to honor every person's inherent worth and dignity." The full text of Sinkford's statement appears at . BOARD NOTES The board increased the budget line for guest speakers to $600 - which should just about double the number of guest speakers we have. The program committee is also going to explore the guest in your pulpit program - where congregations exchange lay-led services. Barabara Fuchsman will be the OUUF delegate at General Assembly. Peg Tucker and Tim Egan will be attending OWL (Our Whole Lives - a sexuality curriculum) training. Karen Lapidus (Ohio-Meadville RE support person) and Kim Peters met. Katie Styer Board Secretary MINISTER ASSESSMENT: SUMMARY REPORT June 2003 At our Annual Meeting on June 1, the Oberlin UU Fellowship amended the Fellowship's by-laws to create a Committee on Ministry (COM), that in future years will have the responsi- bility of evaluating both the minis- ter and ministry in general at OUUF. However, this spring in response to Don Rollins' request that we assess the progress of his ministry, the Board temporarily assigned evaluation of the minister to an ad hoc commit- tee: Barbara Fuchsman, Janet Hutchison, and Cal Frye. This committee developed a survey based upon earlier models and dissem- inated it widely. Seventeen surveys were returned and the results have been compiled into one large table which has been given to Don and can be provided to Fellowship members upon request. The people responding are for the most part very enthusias- tic about Don's ministry, although there were a number of interesting and helpful developmental comments as well. Respondents appreciate Don's know- ledge, skill, and experience of ad- ministrative processes and see that he is in a position to advise us on how to administer ourselves more ably. Change is difficult, however, and the developmental comments remind us that the Board and members need to listen to Don more and follow his guidance and leadership "so as not to re-invent the wheel and spin our wheels." However, we must manage valid differences of opinion respect- fully, not taking for granted that administrative models are always understood. The situation calls for us to be prepared for misunder- standing and to bring patience and education. People are wildly enthusiastic about Don's Sunday services. They find his sermons engaging and thought provok- ing, his original music a huge plus, and are impressed with the "fantastic rapport" he has with both children and adults. Several people wished he could lead Sunday services more often as they wanted to hear more sermons, notably to provide spiritual leader- ship. Somewhat fewer people indicated that they were familiar with Don's contri- butions to adult religious education. However, the 13 respondents are enthusiastic about his pedagogical approach and are impressed with his background and knowledge. An inter- esting suggestion was made that to help novices gain a better overview, Don have ready a hand-out sheet with important names, dates, places, facts and definitions, and a time-line. There was a call to the Fellowship to support more adult RE activities. People are uniformly impressed with Don's skill in pastoral care and counseling, his work at Kendal, and for weddings, unions, and memorial services. The principal suggestions for development are wishes that he had more time to devote to the first two of these areas, and that he devise strategies to get more Kendal people to participate on Sunday morning. In the area of internal community involvement, people find Don to be knowledgeable, available, and ap- proachable, and they appreciate his excellent advice and positive atti- tude. They find him supportive of lay efforts; one person called for him to empower others to do the things he can not since he is employed only 28% time. People are delighted with Don's presence in the larger community, as his genuine participation in the Oberlin community makes the Fellow- ship more visible and credible. While some people love the coffeehouse, there is also feeling that Don could better put more of his energies elsewhere. There were some general comments addressed to how we structure our- selves, for example, a desire for more clearly defined, written job descriptions for the Board and the committees. The positive comments can be exemplified by "How did we get so lucky? Don Rollins is manna from the heavens. His intelligence, talent and humor are rare and welcome. He, along with Sunday School, is the key to expanding the Fellowship. If we can't clone him, could we please work to get him 1/2 time?" Barbara Fuchsman Cal Frye Janet Hutchison HOW TO FIND THE OBERLIN U.U. FELLOWSHIP OUUF meets in the Oberlin Early Childhood Center at 317 East College Street, marked by a large abstract statue of a parent and child. Service and Forum space is barrier-free. Parking in the front and to the east. MISSION The Oberlin Unitarian Universalist Fellowship 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 Oberlin Unitarian Universalist Fellowship 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. THE CHALICE Published by Oberlin Unitarian Universalist Fellowship: member, Unitarian Universalist Association and Ohio-Meadville District thereof. Member, Oberlin Area Cooperating Ministry. Mail: MPO Box 0354, Oberlin OH 44074-0354. Phone: 774-5591. Clergy: Rev. Don Rollins. R.E. Director: Kim Peters. Chair: Cal Frye. Vice Chair: Barbara Fuchsman. Treasurer: Virginia Erde. Secretary: Katie Styer. Editor: Dave Burwasser. Webmaster: Cal Frye.