Unitarian roots of Mother's Day, marriage equality bus trip, and more

The roots of Mother's Day
Slate magazine has an article about getting back to the roots of Mother's Day, originally a day for mothers to oppose war and injustice. The article includes some history on the role of Julia Ward Howe—the Unitarian pacifist and suffragist who helped create the first Mother's Day. (Slate - 5.8.09)

See also: Mother's Day for peace, as Julia Ward Howe intended (uuworld.org - 5.19.08)

Same-sex couples head to Iowa for group wedding
A group of 17 same-sex couples from St. Louis, including Missouri Sen. Jolie Justus, traveled by bus to get married in a 90-minute wedding ceremony at the UU Society of Iowa City. Iowa recently legalized same-sex marriage, and the couples were among many who are leaping at the chance to finally wed, even though the marriages will not be recognized by their home state. The Gazette Online has a great slideshow of the event, as does the Daily Iowan. (Kansas City Star - 5.3.09 / The Daily Iowan - 5.4.09 / Gazette Online - 5.1.09)

See also:
Same-sex Missouri couples marry in Iowa City (Iowa City Press Citizen - Iowa City, IA 5.2.09)
Missouri same-sex couples tie knot in Iowa City (Gazette Online - Solon, IA 5.1.09)

Churches respond to swine flu fears
Places of worship in Waco, Tex., including the UU Fellowship of Waco, reported few or no plans to change their routine in response to swine flu fears. (Waco Tribune Herald - Waco, TX 5.2.09)

Churches in Mississippi are taking a more cautious approach when it comes to the flu. Jim Becker, of the UU Church of Jackson, shared some tips from the UUA that he learned at the Association's Mid-South District Annual Assembly. (Jackson Clarion Ledger - Jackson, MS 5.7.09)

Also in the media:

The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Unity Temple UU church in Oak Park, Ill., made it onto the annual list of the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places in the United States. (Chicago Tribune - 4.28.09) (Boston Globe - 5.3.09)

See also: Frank Lloyd Wright's Unitarian Universalist churches (UU World - May/June 2005)

A crowd of more than 350 turned out for a Pete Seeger 90th Birthday Concert at the Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., UU Church. Happy birthday, Pete! (People's Weekly World - 5.2.09)

Farzana Hassan, activist, writer, and former president of the Muslim Canadian Congress, was recently hired as the director of spiritual exploration at the Unitarian Congregation in Mississauga, Ontario. (The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life - Washington, DC 5.5.09)