Rebuilding the Gulf Coast, mourning a religious ally, and more
UU youth lend a hand in New Orleans
The Winchester Star ran a three part series on 33 high school students from the Winchester Unitarian Society in Massachusetts who spent their recent school vacation on a five-day relief-work trip to St. Bernard's Parish in New Orleans. The experience proved to be life-changing, giving the youth a new perspective on the world. As one participant, Becca Newhouse, put it: "Now, whenever I'm walking home, I look around and see all these happy people and wonder what if, all of a sudden, their worlds were turned upside down and everything they knew as part of their communities, homes and ultimately their lives was gone. I often think of that now, and that's what seeing the devastation does to you; it makes you think."
"Local youth group heads into the fray" (Winchester Star - Lexington, MA 3.30.06)
"Unitarian youth group antes up and pitches in" (Winchester Star - Lexington, MA 4.6.06)
"The long road leads home--for now" (Winchester Star - Lexington, MA 4.13.06)
See also: "Picking up the Gulf Coast pieces" (uuworld.org - 3.31.06)
Churches unite to build a home
Six River Falls, Wisc., churches including the Unitarian Universalist Society are raising money and organizing volunteers to build a house on the Gulf Coast. The project will cost $75,000 through Habitat for Humanity, and the group hopes to start work on the house in September. First Congregational pastor Chris Myers, who recently returned from a youth mission in Mississippi, said of the destruction he witnessed, “It took my breath away. Out of 35 city blocks, only two houses were standing." (River Falls Journal - River Falls, WI 4.7.06)
Where faith and technology meet
Religious leaders are increasingly making use of new technology, such as mp3 download sites, mp3 players, and blogs, to get their message out to members who cannot or do not make it to church. Reaching a wider congregation through podcasting technology--sometimes called 'Godcasting'-- is one method that has become particularly popular. The Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson, which started podcasting in January, reports that in March there were 776 downloads, up from 629 in February. (The Boston Globe - Boston, MA 4.8.06)
See also: "Podcasting the living tradition" (uuworld.org - 1.16.06) and "Death with dignity, 'godcasting' and more" (uuworld.org UUs in the Media blog - 10.14.05)
Interfaith worship features gay rights advocates
Gay rights advocacy group Soulforce Equality Ride was the special guest Sunday at an interfaith worship held at the Community Congregation Church in Provo, Utah. Nearly 100 members from local churches, including the Utah Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Springville Presbyterian Church, and Provo United Church of Christ turned out to hear speakers discuss the importance of love, unity, and acceptance of all people. Kristine Alvarez, a lay leader with Utah Valley Fellowship, supported the message of equality: "We are all members of the human family," she said. "God created us the way we are and made no mistakes. (Daily Herald - Provo, UT 4.10.06)
Blink and you'll miss us
Sometimes Unitarian Universalism is the main focus of a feature or news story, but other times it appears in a more incidental way. Two stories this week feature just such cameo appearances by UUs.
Syndicated columnist Molly Ivins, writing about Global Warming, the Bush Administration, and the media, says: "Time magazine warns us to 'Be worried. Be very worried.' On the other hand, my sister is on the Global Warming Committee of the Unitarian Church in Albuquerque. They go around replacing old light bulbs with more energy-efficient models. My money's on my sis." (Chicago Tribune - Chicago, IL 4.6.06 registration required)
And Metro columnist John Kelly, in a story about a woman not being allowed to buy alcohol, outs himself as a UU when he says that the woman in the story "taught both my daughters the Bible class that every fifth-grader takes at our Unitarian church." (Washington Post - 4.12.06 registration required)
And just when I thought I'd covered everything, uuworld.org Editor Chris Walton jumped in at the final hour with the following piece of news:
UUs remember a liberal religious ally
Many religious liberals are mourning the death of the Rev. William Sloane Coffin, best known for his civil rights and antiwar activism as Yale University chaplain in the 1960s. A Presbyterian minister, Coffin was a mentor to many UU leaders. The Rev. Scotty McLennan, the UU minister who serves as chaplain at Stanford University, was a student at Yale during Coffin's chaplaincy. McLennan is quoted in the Hartford Courant's obituary: "This man was a giant...His influence was very wide, very deep and very long-lasting. And he's certainly the best white preacher I've ever heard."
The Washington Post's coverage includes a photo essay with a UU angle: Picture 3 shows Coffin and other supporters of draft resisters inside Boston's Arlington Street Church in 1968, the UU church that served as sanctuary for many resisters, although the caption doesn't name the church. (Its stained glass windows and pipe organ are clearly visible.)
UU bloggers are mourning his death, too: The Rev. Debra Haffner pays tribute; so does "Fausto," who recalls his own undergraduate encounter with Coffin.
(Hartford Courant - Hartford, CT 4.13.06; Washington Post - 4.13.06)
The Winchester Star ran a three part series on 33 high school students from the Winchester Unitarian Society in Massachusetts who spent their recent school vacation on a five-day relief-work trip to St. Bernard's Parish in New Orleans. The experience proved to be life-changing, giving the youth a new perspective on the world. As one participant, Becca Newhouse, put it: "Now, whenever I'm walking home, I look around and see all these happy people and wonder what if, all of a sudden, their worlds were turned upside down and everything they knew as part of their communities, homes and ultimately their lives was gone. I often think of that now, and that's what seeing the devastation does to you; it makes you think."
"Local youth group heads into the fray" (Winchester Star - Lexington, MA 3.30.06)
"Unitarian youth group antes up and pitches in" (Winchester Star - Lexington, MA 4.6.06)
"The long road leads home--for now" (Winchester Star - Lexington, MA 4.13.06)
See also: "Picking up the Gulf Coast pieces" (uuworld.org - 3.31.06)
Churches unite to build a home
Six River Falls, Wisc., churches including the Unitarian Universalist Society are raising money and organizing volunteers to build a house on the Gulf Coast. The project will cost $75,000 through Habitat for Humanity, and the group hopes to start work on the house in September. First Congregational pastor Chris Myers, who recently returned from a youth mission in Mississippi, said of the destruction he witnessed, “It took my breath away. Out of 35 city blocks, only two houses were standing." (River Falls Journal - River Falls, WI 4.7.06)
Where faith and technology meet
Religious leaders are increasingly making use of new technology, such as mp3 download sites, mp3 players, and blogs, to get their message out to members who cannot or do not make it to church. Reaching a wider congregation through podcasting technology--sometimes called 'Godcasting'-- is one method that has become particularly popular. The Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson, which started podcasting in January, reports that in March there were 776 downloads, up from 629 in February. (The Boston Globe - Boston, MA 4.8.06)
See also: "Podcasting the living tradition" (uuworld.org - 1.16.06) and "Death with dignity, 'godcasting' and more" (uuworld.org UUs in the Media blog - 10.14.05)
Interfaith worship features gay rights advocates
Gay rights advocacy group Soulforce Equality Ride was the special guest Sunday at an interfaith worship held at the Community Congregation Church in Provo, Utah. Nearly 100 members from local churches, including the Utah Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Springville Presbyterian Church, and Provo United Church of Christ turned out to hear speakers discuss the importance of love, unity, and acceptance of all people. Kristine Alvarez, a lay leader with Utah Valley Fellowship, supported the message of equality: "We are all members of the human family," she said. "God created us the way we are and made no mistakes. (Daily Herald - Provo, UT 4.10.06)
Blink and you'll miss us
Sometimes Unitarian Universalism is the main focus of a feature or news story, but other times it appears in a more incidental way. Two stories this week feature just such cameo appearances by UUs.
Syndicated columnist Molly Ivins, writing about Global Warming, the Bush Administration, and the media, says: "Time magazine warns us to 'Be worried. Be very worried.' On the other hand, my sister is on the Global Warming Committee of the Unitarian Church in Albuquerque. They go around replacing old light bulbs with more energy-efficient models. My money's on my sis." (Chicago Tribune - Chicago, IL 4.6.06 registration required)
And Metro columnist John Kelly, in a story about a woman not being allowed to buy alcohol, outs himself as a UU when he says that the woman in the story "taught both my daughters the Bible class that every fifth-grader takes at our Unitarian church." (Washington Post - 4.12.06 registration required)
And just when I thought I'd covered everything, uuworld.org Editor Chris Walton jumped in at the final hour with the following piece of news:
UUs remember a liberal religious ally
Many religious liberals are mourning the death of the Rev. William Sloane Coffin, best known for his civil rights and antiwar activism as Yale University chaplain in the 1960s. A Presbyterian minister, Coffin was a mentor to many UU leaders. The Rev. Scotty McLennan, the UU minister who serves as chaplain at Stanford University, was a student at Yale during Coffin's chaplaincy. McLennan is quoted in the Hartford Courant's obituary: "This man was a giant...His influence was very wide, very deep and very long-lasting. And he's certainly the best white preacher I've ever heard."
The Washington Post's coverage includes a photo essay with a UU angle: Picture 3 shows Coffin and other supporters of draft resisters inside Boston's Arlington Street Church in 1968, the UU church that served as sanctuary for many resisters, although the caption doesn't name the church. (Its stained glass windows and pipe organ are clearly visible.)
UU bloggers are mourning his death, too: The Rev. Debra Haffner pays tribute; so does "Fausto," who recalls his own undergraduate encounter with Coffin.
(Hartford Courant - Hartford, CT 4.13.06; Washington Post - 4.13.06)
posted by Sonja L. Cohen at
5:09 PM
