'Not my people,' recession blues, and loving the unlikable

Is it classism that divides us?

Chalicechick launches a lively new round of discussion about classism and Unitarian Universalism:

This is one thing I don't get about the whole "class within UUism" debate. People draw those "white collar vs. blue collar" lines with such enthusiasm, but as far as I can tell, a lot of the problems are the same or similar when we actually start talking to each other. Especially in this economic climate. ("The Chaliceblog," March 20)

David Throop follows up with a post about the "tribes of interest and identity" that help people feel at home:

Plenty of white collar workers visit us and turn away thinking "Nope, not my people" and some blue collar workers feel right at home from day one. . .

To break through this growth barrier, a church must become a community of communities. If I have 10 peers in the church — folks who I look at and say "Yeah, they're like me," then I can still feel at home, even if the class markers of the larger congregation still seem kind of weird to me. ("UU Covenant Groups, Lay Preaching & Evangelizing," March 20)

Recession blues

The Rev. Cynthia Cain writes that the congregation she serves has "adopted a draconian budget full of reductions" ("Isten Aldjon, Y'all," March 22).

The Rev. Daniel O'Connell says his congregation is halfway to its pledge goal. He reflects on the slow response: "We like church, but we are uneasy with the thought of paying for it" ("Rev. Daniel's Blog," March 22).

Hippie pagans, the Annoyer, good guilt, and 'mixed food identity'

The Rev. Dorothy Emerson liked Joanna Fontaine Crawford's uuworld.org article about the International UU Women's Convocation, but, she writes, "I must say I feel misunderstood and rejected by her labeling of the opening ceremony as 'hippie pagan'" ("California Girl in Massachusetts," March 19).

David Pyle was an Army veteran when the United States invaded Iraq six years ago last week. When the war broke out, he writes, "My growing Unitarian Universalist faith had brought me to a commitment never to personally carry a weapon again, and yet seeing those young men and women going into harm’s way, I felt that somehow I was supposed to be there with them." He goes on to describe how he embarked on the path toward becoming a UU Army chaplain. ("Inspired Faith, Effective Action," March 19).

The Rev. Kit Ketcham tells a story from earlier in her ministry about "the Annoyer," a dedicated member of the congregation that drove everyone else a bit crazy. She recounts her responses when several people asked, "How do I love so and so when I don't even like him/her?" ("Ms. Kitty's Saloon and Road Show," March 19).

NakedTheologian reflects on the upsides of guilt ("The Naked Theologian," March 15).

Sara Robinson says the debate over whether Lyme disease could have played a role in a Baptist church shooting in Maryville, Ill., "is the public version of a medical furor that's been raging more privately for over 20 years, with a million or two patients caught in between." She is one of them. ("Orcinus," March 14)

Lizard Eater wants to know what you want in a UUA president ("The Journey," March 20).

The Rev. Victoria Weinstein is on sabbatical from the congregation she serves as minister, and says she is focused on "doing things that make me feel particularly alive and inspired" ("PeaceBang," March 16).

Alex Winnett of the UUA's Washington Office for Advocacy sees the 18th-century Unitarian minister and scientist Joseph Priestley as a kindred spirit ("Inspired Faith, Effective Action," March 16).

Jeff W. passes along an announcement of a conference for UU scholars, "The Future of Unitarian Universalist Scholarship," October 17-18 in Cambridge and Boston, Mass. ("Transient and Permanent," March 17).

The Rev. James Ishmael Ford shares "The Divine Liturgy of Jesus, Child of Mary and Joseph: A Celebration fo Communion for Unitarian Universalists," which his congregation will use on Maundy Thursday (the traditional observance of Jesus's "last supper") ("Monkey Mind," March 18).

Kari Kopnick is a vegetarian mom "in a house full of men who like their meat and potatoes. . . We're a mixed race family and a mixed food identity family!" ("Chalice Spark," March 18).