Iowa legalizes same-sex marriage, and more

Iowa legalizes same-sex marriage
Iowa's Supreme Court voted unanimously on Friday that a 1998 law limiting marriage to a man and a woman was unconstitutional, making Iowa the third state in America to allow same-sex marriages. Sean Fritz and Tim McQuillan were married in the First Unitarian Church of Des Moines by the Rev. Mark Stringer in August 2007 after a local judge ruled that a state law defining marriage as only between a man and woman was unconstitutional. They were the only same-sex couple who managed to marry before a stay was issued. (New York Times - 4.4.09)

See also:
UUA President Celebrates Iowa Marriage Ruling (UUA.org - 4.3.09)
UU minister performs Iowa's first same-sex wedding (uuworld.org - 9.7.07)

UUs still making church a financial priority
Despite the economic crisis, UU parishioners in Harvard and Bolton, Mass., are continuing to give financial support to their churches. (Bolton Common - Harvard, MA 3.30.09)

Gloucester church a 'great' place
The Independent Christian Church, UU, in Gloucester, Mass., made it onto a Boston Globe list of suggested "great" places in Massachusetts. A new Massachusetts commission began a search for "1,000 great places" across the state, which prompted the Globe article about what makes a place "great." Be sure to check out the photos in the linked gallery. (Boston Globe – 3.29.09)

See also:
Gloucester's Revival (UU World - Spring 2006)
Universalism: 200 years and growing (UU World - July/August 1993)

Minister discovers historic documents
The Rev. Mary Moore, interim pastor at the UU Church of Akron, Ohio, discovered a long-forgotten box containing two bound volumes of handwritten minutes of congregational meetings, membership lists, baptismal and marriage records from 1872 to 1910, as well as other books of records and personal memories. (Akron Beacon Journal - Akron, OH 3.27.09)

Also in the media:

On the too-cute-to-believe front, the parents of baby Montgomery Young decided he's such a little monster that he should skip the traditional garb and be christened in a furry purple monster costume at the Macclesfield Unitarian Church in England. (Macclesfield Express - Macclesfield, England)

The Unitarian Church in Burlington, Vt., hosted a rally for same-sex marriage supporters. (WCAX - Burlington, VT 3.29.09)

The community has approved plans for the new UU Congregation at Rock Tavern, N.Y., church building. The congregation has been meeting at a local Episcopal church since its own building burned in a 2006 fire. (Times Herald-Record - Middletown, NY 3.30.09)

See also: Fire destroys Rock Tavern UU church (uuworld.org - 9.15.06)

South Coast Today profiles a New Bedford, Mass., senior high school track star and member of the UU Church of Fairhaven's youth group. (SouthCoastToday.com - New Bedford, MA 4.2.09)

Members of UU churches across the Midwest got a taste of what it feels like to be homeless last weekend when they took part in "Cardboard City" demonstrations. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Milwaukee, WI 3.28.09)

See also: Night in cardboard city teaches, generates funds (The Southern - Carbondale, IL 3.29.09)

The First UU Congregation in Terre Haute, Ind., inspired community members to recycle newspapers by making clothes. (WTHI - Terre Haute, IN 3.27.09)

Ministers talk about the ways that humor helps connect congregants with their sermons. (Waco Tribune Herald - Waco, TX 3.29.09)

The Community Betterment Grant Program at Prairie Meadows awarded $10,000 to help renovate the town’s historic Universalist Church in Mitchellville, Iowa. (DesMoinesRegister.com - Des Moines, IA 4.1.09)

The UU Church in Rutland, Vt., called the 27-year-old Rev. Erica Baron as its new minister. (Rutland Herald - Rutland, VT 3.26.09)

UU teen lobbies in DC, churches take on homelessness, and more

UU teen lobbies for federal sex-ed funding
Zoe Paddock, a 14-year-old UU from Gloucester, Mass., joined a delegation of interfaith teens to lobby Congress to vote for a bill that would provide federal funding for comprehensive sexual education in schools. (Boston Globe - 3.24.09)

Illinois demonstrations put focus on homelessness
Young members of the Beverly Unitarian Church in Chicago, Ill., held a Cardboard City event, sleeping outside in cardboard boxes to raise awareness about homelessness. (Chicago Tribune - 3.25.09)

Participants of all ages took part in a Cardboard City demonstration at the North Shore Unitarian Church in Deerfield, Ill. The event was part of the church's "No More Turning Away" campaign, a joint homelessness awareness effort with other Midwest UU congregations. (Waukegan News Sun - Waukegan, IL 3.23.09)

Also in the media:

The April 2009 issue of Madison Magazine features an article on the recent green expansion at the First Unitarian Society of Madison, Wisc.'s Frank Lloyd Wright-designed meetinghouse. (Madison Magazine - Madison, WI April 2009)

See also: Expanding a landmark (UU World - Spring 2009)

A vigil held at the UU Church in Binghamton, N.Y., marked the sixth anniversary of the war in Iraq and called for troops to be brought home. (News 10 Now - Syracuse, NY 3.26.09)

The Rev. Dr. Tess Baumberger, minister at the Unity Church of North Easton, Mass., writes about the values that brought her to Universalism. (Easton Journal - Raynham, MA 3.19.09)

Constance Kane of Brookline, a longtime human rights advocate, has joined the UU Service Committee of Cambridge as vice president and chief operating officer. (Brookline TAB - Needham, MA 3.22.09)