Mother's Day, contemporary worship, and more

Mother's Day

Unitarian Universalist bloggers marked Mother's Day with posts on mothering, ministering to children, and being a "childfree" woman in a congregation of mothers.

Shannon at "Unmitigated Bliss" stresses the value of gratitude and lists those things for which she is grateful, including:

I am alive. I am a mother. I am married to a wonderful man. My children are healthy, as am I. This is enough and is the most important blessing of all. (May 11, 2008)

Anna Banana at "Mom, What's for Dinner?" considers how her children have been influenced by her mother:

I hope I give my sons the best parts of what I got from my mom. Definitely love of music, appreciation of interesting people, respect for independent thinking. Maybe someday they will also love nature, art, and beauty as much as their grandmother and I do. They're still young, and there is still time for mothering. (Sunday, May 11)

Having dedicated six children in her Mother's Day worship service, the Rev. Kit Ketcham of "Ms. Kitty's Saloon and Road Show" writes:

What I like about the child dedication I've worked out is the words I use with each child and parent. I ask the parent(s) the child's name, then I repeat the name, dip a rosebud in the "holy" water and touch the child's head with it, saying "I touch your head that you might learn to think clearly", touch the lips, saying "I touch your lips that you might learn to speak truth", touch the heart, saying "I touch your heart that you might learn to love deeply", touch the hands, saying "I touch your hands that you might learn to serve others", and touch the parent(s), saying "I touch your parents that they might always remind you how deeply you are loved". Then I say, "welcome, Zoe, (or whoever) to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Whidbey Island." (May 11, 2008)

And Elizabeth Barrett of "ExUUberance" reflects on Mother's Day as a "childfree" woman in a congregation full of mothers:

I find, though, that at church a woman in her 30s and 40s is assumed to be a mother. It's as if people assume that women in this age range would not be at church if it weren't that they need religious education for the kids. Hey, I'm here for me! Yes, my own faith development, my need for community, my hunger for justice, my wish to connect with the sacred bring me to a faith community. (May 11, 2008)

Contemporary worship

As her congregation plans to add a third worship service, the Rev. Christine Robinson of "iMinister" compares traditional and contemporary worship services:

Contemporary Worship seems to be a matter of developing a higher level of energy than a traditional worship service has. Indeed, I think that the basic aim of a traditional worship service is to calm people, quiet them, help them be receptive to the message. The music is used to awe and impress...big organ, beautiful anthem...the Glory of God revealed in Music.

In Contemporary Worship, the aim is to get folks up, singing along, and clapping. There's a beat to the music, and the singing goes on for a good long (20 minutes?) time. Well done, and in a well-filled room (last night was well done but a very small crowd, perhaps 60 people in a room that must seat 4-500 people) all that energy is very, well...enlivening, and I can easily imagine that this, too, helps people to focus on the message of the day. (May 11, 2008)

Best practices in the Prairie Star District

Nancy Heege, district executive of the UUA's Prairie Star District, articulates the importance of programs that help connect people within congregations at "Nancy's Views on the Landscape":

Research tells us that if newcomers to a church don’t make some significant friendships in the church within a few months, they’ll leave the church. Wise leaders in growing congregations provide many opportunities for people — newcomers and longer time members — to get to know each other and begin to form friendships. (May 12, 2008)

She goes on to describe two Prairie Star District congregations and their efforts to help congregants form friendships.

Unitarian Universalists and class

At "The Yes Church," Chip suggests that Unitarian Universalists are hindered by economic insecurity:

I am not sure what it means, but the progressive Christian magazine, Sojourners, has classifieds that advertise opportunities to volunteer in Africa, Brazil and the streets of our USA, while our UU magazine, UU World, has classifieds that advertise house rentals in the south of France and Hawaiian eco-tours...

I am more and more persuaded by David Bumbaugh's analysis that the thing that best characterizes UUism is our middle-class-ness, which he defines as anxiety that we will lose our middle-class status, or at least appear to lose it. Thus, even a compelling religious call to serve the poor pales in comparison to the fear of *becoming* the poor. (May 12, 2008)

Not to be missed

The Rev. Scott Wells of "Boy in the Bands" lists Unitarian Universalist congregations that are not members of the Unitarian Universalist Association and do not fall into recognizable categories. "PolityWonk" suggests that the UUA bylaws should be changed in order to facilitate greater engagement between UUA trustees and their local congregations. Steven R at "UU-ing: Thoughts about being an Unitarian Universalist" suggests hymns that are easy to sing.