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The eclectic musical acts will appeal to all ages, ranging from traditional folk songs, foot-tapping blues and jazz, and moving on to experimental and distinctive original music! The audience never knows who the final performers will be, what new talent will be unveiled or what surprises are in store. “There has never been anything but toe-tapping musical enjoyment at our COFFEE HOUSE LIVE” evenings,” said Jeannette Debs, UUFEC member and Co-Chair of the event. Musical talents will include well-known musician Dave Abraham, who plays a blend of acoustic blues and original tunes, including ballads to blues. For more information contact Dave Abraham at 217-8481 or Jeannette Debs at 225-3832.

On July 11 and August 9, (second Sundays) “Roller Skating as a Spiritual discipline,” a book of daily meditations by the UU Reverend Christopher Buice, minister of the Tennessee Valley UU Church of Knoxville, Tennessee, will be the text used for discussion topics. In a humorous and informal style, Buice illustrates how everyday experiences can be “reframed” as spiritual encounters, thereby deepening one’s spirituality.

A new UUA Tapestry of Faith program for adults, “What Moves Us: Unitarian Universalist Theology,” will be offered on the third Sundays, July 18 and August 16 in the board room. The series of workshops are designed to help participants “to engage in theological reflection, not as an intellectual exercise, but as a process of meaning-making that equips one for living in the world as a Unitarian Universalist person of faith.” The sessions, the first two in a series of ten, will discuss the theologies of Hosea Ballou (July) and William Ellery Channing (August). The sessions will provide opportunities for the participants to reflect on their personal life experiences and how their personal theology compares with those of historic and contemporary UU theologians.

The sessions will be facilitated by members of the facilitators circle. Come check them out!

Even before I’d heard of UUism, I remember thinking that if this guy isn’t going to heaven, why would anyone want to bother with it anyway? Of course these words from one of our Unitarian “saints” ring especially clear and poignant in these perilous times, don’t they?

Indeed, talk of morality is much on everyones’ lips these days. It’s encouraging that book by Harvard’s Humanist Chaplain, Greg Epstein, “Good Without God” hit the best seller lists. The secular roots of good behavior are being pushed hard by the American Humanist Association in posters appearing on buses and road signs from L.A. to Idaho and Chi town, warranting even a top of the fold editorial piece in that city’s “Chicago Tribune.” Imagine “Don’t believe in God? You’re not alone.” appearing among the messages on one of our local buses? Ouch!

Within our own little UUFEC free thought communities, the moral dimensions of human evolution are coming in for a lot of play lately. Even visiting our annual Humanist conference in San Jose this June, I was struck by how the human family’s morals were on everyone’s minds. Dr. Rodrigue Tremblay (a fellow Montrealer), did an inspiring and optimistic presentation on the topic, followed by a signing of his fine book, “The Code for Global Ethics, Ten Humanist Principles.” Hosts of the conference, Secular Coalition of Silicon Valley, hold super seminars every Sunday with many on human behavior. The videos can be viewed at their website.

My own bottom line in living a humanist lifestyle is the survival, possibly flourishing, of our species, habitat and our fellow creatures, but in reality we could hardly have made it to this point had we not developed conduct and behaviors critical to our security and mutual well-being. The humanistic “Golden Rule” comes to mind. Of course these were rapidly seized upon by all the various religious and tribal entities and incorporated into their own dogmas, inevitably, leading to particularization of “our” morality, national, denominational or other tribal interests – applicable to our kind, or possibly those “others” who happened to agree with us. I’m okay, but I’m not really so sure about you!

If it’s been a while since you picked up on another UU free-thinking celebrity, re-visit Reverend Robert Fulgum’s little book, “All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten.”

Yes, here we are groping around in this new time and century for a new moral rock on which to build the new church for humanity. Why? In reality, even with a huge game change under way, the rules remain pretty much the same, don’t you think? Hardly a liberal or conservative concept – but like Nike says, “JUST DO IT!”

SHALOM

Enjoy life, your family, and associates. Recognize the beauty all around. Don’t fear death. It happens to us all, eventually. More and more of the people I know and love are dead. But I meet new ones and develop new relationships. I’m not sure what I think of life after death but it’s something to look forward to. Since my husband died I’m often alone. Church is where I come to get hugs. We don’t always practice the tolerance we strive for, but we know better. We must respect each other’s beliefs no matter how hard it is sometimes . . . and remember to give hugs.

A Statement of Conscience on Creating Peace was passed – a very strong statement on how we UUs, as a community, will work supporting Global Peace initiatives but also peacemaking in the community and our personal relationships. We advocate a culture of peace through a transformation of public policies, religious consciousness, and individual lifestyles.

In 2012, the UU General Assembly is to meet in Phoenix AZ. A Proposal to Boycott was put forward to protest the Arizona Immigration Law which is seen basically a racial profiling law. After a great deal of work and cooperation to come to a consensus, we passed, as near to unanimous UUs can be, a resolution that we will hold the General Assembly in Phoenix, but not ‘business as usual’. We will focus on supporting the Arizona communities and organizations with workshops, worship and hands-on projects focused on community involvement – an exciting prospect.

There are a number of changes being put forward to how our Association will support the local churches and fellowships, but I won’t bore you with that – just to say we are streamlining our organization to join the 21st Century.

We participated in numerous workshops and worship services: fantastic music, speakers and discussions. We came away with ideas and tools we hope will be of assistance to our Fellowship. But what I mainly came away with was the excitement and energy gained from being with 3800+ UUs – what an experience!

Our next General Assembly will be held in Charlotte NC, 22–26 June 2011. This is within driving distance for us, so please put this on your calendar for next year. It would be exciting to take a large Fellowship contingent there. We’ll talk on this more in the future. There is a strong Youth Caucus here and children’s programs, almost like Summer Camp for the kids!

Well, off I go! Looking forward to sharing more with all. In Fellowship, Denny

This caricature of Unitarian Universalism has an element of truth in it.  But I think it’s a superficial perspective of a mission that is much more worthy.  Past president of the UUA, William F. Shulz writes:

This is the mission of our faith:

To teach the fragile art
of hospitality;
To revere both the critical mind
& the generous heart;
To prove that diversity
need not mean divisiveness;
And to witness to all that we
must hold the whole world
in our hands.

Ours is not just the art of hospitality, but “radical hospitality” in both teaching and practice. Our doors and windows are open, inviting greater diversity of persons and perspectives to broaden and change us.  Unlike a country club, we strive to exclude no one from our circle of compassion and celebration.  “Radical hospitality” means that the earth and all that is on it are embraced in our covenant of “mutual trust and support.”

There are those who say that our pluralism, our covenant to “affirm and promote the right of conscience,” affirming whatever beliefs each person’s integrity demands of them, “washes out” any religious identity within our community. They say we have no mission.  They say Unitarian Universalists are the ones who knock on yourdoor for no particular reason!

I would reply that absence of creed does not reduce us to some indistinct blandness of “anything goes.”  Rather, pluralism weaves a vibrant, rich and colorful fabric of community, each in our own sparkling integrity, each in mutual support and trust toward the other.

More specifically, our pluralism involves a sincere humility that no ancient book, no religious bureaucracy, no genius prophet has the final word how to magically attain a better world. It will take all of our hearts, all our hands and reasoning heads, working together as well as individually to save us.

Sociologists may say that strong fences make good neighbors, that exclusive organizations are stronger than ones that accept diversity. This may be true.  It is also true that a small-minded mission is not worthy of our life commitment.  It seems to me that our mission is universal hospitality, to bless the whole world, in all its diversity, in all its brokenness.  We build our fences to include and embrace all. Edwin Markham wrote:

“He drew a circle that shut me out—
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But Love and I had the wit to win;
We drew a circle that took him in.”