Unitarian Universalists in the Media

A frequently updated guide to stories about Unitarian Universalists from other sources around the web.

Friday, May 09, 2008

Florida UUs in the news, and more

by Sonja L. Cohen

Florida UUs in the news
The 2008 UUA General Assembly in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is less than two months away, and stories about UU activities and faith are beginning to pop up in Florida's media coverage.

The Rev. Susanne Nazian, consulting minister for the UU Congregation of Venice, Fla., answers a Q&A about UU beliefs and work. (Sarasota Herald-Tribune - Sarasota, FL 5.3.08)

An article on Tallahassee.com looks at national and local efforts to get the word out about Unitarian Universalism through advertising campaigns. (Tallahassee.com - Tallahassee, FL 5.2.08)

A group of more than 20 Florida spiritual groups and churches, including Manatee UU Fellowship in Bradenton and Interweave Sarasota, hosted an interfaith worship service as part of Sarasota's Gay Pride Week. (Sarasota Herald-Tribune - Sarasota, FL 5.3.08)

Also in the media:

The UUA, which owns 1,300 shares of Verizon common stock, is pushing the company to add a gender identity clause to its nondiscrimination policy. (Artvoice - Buffalo, NY)

Kate Burns (a UU) and Sheila Schroeder were convicted of trespassing for staging a sit-in at the Denver county clerk's office when they were refused a marriage license. (Rocky Mountain News - Denver, CO 5.7.08)

The UU Congregation of the Lowcountry in Bluffton, S.C., hosted a dinner and fundraiser for Upendo Village, a nonprofit that helps people with HIV/AIDS in Kenya. (Hilton Head Island Packet - Hilton Head Island, SC 5.3.08)

Rethink, a group of middle school students from New Orleans, will speak at an annual UU youth conference in Massachusetts. (Duxbury Reporter - MA 5.8.08)

The Rev. Roy Phillips, who led Unity Church-Unitarian in St. Paul, Minn., for nearly three decades, died April 24 at age 66. (Minneapolis Star Tribune - Minneapolis, MN 5.3.08)

The Rev. Beverly Boke, minister of the UU Church in Newport News, Va., writes about what UUs believe. (Daily Press - Newport News, VA 5.3.08)

The Live Oak UU Congregation in Goleta, Calif., broke ground on a new sanctuary. (The Santa Barbara Independent - Santa Barbara, CA 5.4.08)

posted by Sonja L. Cohen at 4:54 PM

Friday, May 02, 2008

Q&A with a Kennedy speechwriter, and more

by Sonja L. Cohen

Kennedy speechwriter, UU publishes new book
The New York Times interviewed Ted Sorensen, a speechwriter for John F. Kennedy, Unitarian, and author of the forthcoming memoir, Counselor: A Life at the Edge of History. (New York Times - 4.27.08)

Also in the media:

Grist Magazine publishes a speech delivered by UU Ken Ward on Earth Day at the UU First Church in Jamaica Plain, Mass., about the importance of caring for the planet. (Grist Magazine - Seattle, WA 4.29.08)

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia lecturer Dr. Mohamad Tajuddin says mosque designers could learn a lot from the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, such as the Meeting House he created for the First Unitarian Society of Madison, Wisc. (Malaysia Star - Malaysia 4.27.08)

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

The Rev. Barb Greve, a transgender UU minister, leads the annual service on gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people and their experiences at the UU Church of Newburyport, Mass. (The Daily News of Newburyport - Newburyport, MA 4.25.08)

Twelve same-sex couples renewed their vows at the First Unitarian Church of Rochester, N.Y. (Rochester Democrat and Chronicle - Rochester, NY 4.27.08)

The North Shore Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth, which is hosted by the First Universalist Church of Salem, Mass., holds its first fundraising event to help the group offer more comprehensive services to its youth membership. (New England Blade - Boston, MA 4.24.08)

The Rev. Leaf Seligman, minister of the First Parish UU Church of Fitchburg, Mass., writes about how multifaith programs and work can strengthen a congregation. (Fitchburg Pride - MA 4.25.08)

Harvard Law School Professor and famed author, Randall Kennedy, paid tribute to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by reading his “I Have a Dream” speech at the annual Music Sunday of the First Parish UU in Bedford, Mass. (Bedford Minuteman - Concord, MA 4.26.08)

posted by Sonja L. Cohen at 3:54 PM

Friday, April 25, 2008

Earth Day coverage, a minister's book, and more

by Sonja L. Cohen

UUs embrace environmental causes
Though not all of these stories directly mentioned Earth Day, UU churches received a marked increase in environment-related press over the recent Earth Day weekend.

The Green Sanctuary Committee of the First Unitarian Society of Plainfield, N.J., is focusing on energy conservation. (New Brunswick Home News Tribune - New Brunswick, NJ 4.22.08)

The Williamsburg Unitarian Universalists of Williamsburg, Va., help build a green biofuel plant. (William and Mary News - Williamsburg, VA 4.22.08)

The UU Church of Sarasota, Fla., hosted an Earth Day public forum and service. (Sarasota Herald-Tribune - Sarasota, FL 4.19.08)

Members of the UU Fellowship of Columbia, S.C., held a "bike-in" to encourage people to walk or bicycle to church if they are able. (The State - Columbia, SC 4.19.08)

Annapolis-area churches, including the local UU church, are becoming more environmentally active. (Annapolis Capital - Annapolis, MD 4.19.08)

North Carolina churches, such as the UU Fellowship of Wilmington, are supporting environmental causes and activism in many different ways. (StarNewsOnline.com - Wilmington, NC 4.21.08)

Reviewers praise minister's book on Founding Fathers
A review of the Rev. Gary Kowalski's recent book Revolutionary Spirits: The Enlightened Faith of America's Founding Fathers on page 33 of the May/June Utne Reader, not yet online, says: "Who knew that George Washington avoided references to God or Jesus? Or that Thomas Jefferson edited the miracles out of his version of the New Testament? In Revolutionary Spirits, author Gary Kowalski, a Unitarian minister, captures the quirky personalities and nontraditional religious views of these freethinking liberals."

The book also received a lot of positive press back in February. Seven Days said Kowalski's "crisp tour through this feisty period of American history charmingly distills the founders' vigor and vitality" (2.20.08). A review in the Rutland Herald/Times Argus included an interview with Kowalski and made comparisons with today's political climate (2.17.08). The book was also reviewed on North Country Public Radio (2.19.08) and Kowalski was interviewed on Vermont Public Radio (2.18.08).

See also:
Religious liberalism of America's 'founding fathers' (UU World - Spring 2008)

Revolutionary Spirits, by Gary Kowalski (San Francisco Humanities Review)

Revolutionary religion revealed (Burlington Free Press - 4.25.08)

Book paints complex picture of Founding Fathers' faith (USA Today - 2.12.08)

Also in the media:

Unity Unitarian Church in Islington joins Newington Green Unitarian Church, a 300-year-old church in north London, in refusing to conduct weddings until same-sex couples receive equal marriage rights in the United Kingdom. (Islington Gazette - London, England, UK 4.17.08)

The Rev. Clifford Reed, minister of the Unitarian Meeting House in Ipswich, England, is calling for a ban on Sunday-morning football (soccer) games, which he says are noisy and disruptive to churchgoers. (Times Online - UK 4.22.08)

First Unitarian Church in New Bedford, Mass., celebrates its roots and the congregation's 300th anniversary with a Walden-inspired lecture open to the community. (SouthCoastToday.com - New Bedford, MA 4.19.08)

The UU Society of Fairhaven, Mass., plans a peace walk in response to recent local violence. (SouthCoastToday.com - New Bedford, MA 4.18.08)

Dan Mac Alpine, a UU and senior editor of the Beverly Citizen, reflects on attending his first Seder. (Wicked Local Topsfield - Beverly, MA 4.21.08)

Debbie Boen of the UU Fellowship in Clarksville, Tenn., talks about wisdom gleaned from frequent church visitor J.J. Kent, a Lakota-Sioux Indian. (Clarksville Online - Clarksville, TN 4.18.08)

And in pop culture news, apparently a recent episode of the ABC TV show Desperate Housewives included a scene where Bree suggested Lynette go to a UU church (because we're open to asking questions).

posted by Sonja L. Cohen at 3:32 PM

Friday, April 18, 2008

God, race, politics, and more

by Sonja L. Cohen

UUA president on God, race, and more
UUA president the Rev. William G. Sinkford was interviewed at length in the St. Petersburg Times by Bill Maxwell, a Times columnist and fellow UU. The interview was featured on the front page of the Perspectives section and appears in a longer form on the paper's website. (St. Petersburg Times - FL 4.11.08)

Praise for new Forrest Church book
The New York Review of Books praises the Rev. Dr. Forrest Church's book So Help Me God: The Founding Fathers and the First Great Battle over Church and State in the May 1 issue (subscription req'd). "Church has certainly written an illuminating and entertaining work of history, and the best account of the first five presidents and their relation to religion that we have," writes Gordon S. Wood. (New York Review of Books - 5.1.08)

See also: "America's Founding Faiths" by Forrest Church (UU World - Winter 2007)

Also in the media:

Steve Shives follows up a previous article on the popularity of homeschooling among fundamentalist Christians with this article about liberal homeschoolers, including Unitarian Universalists. (American Chronicle - Beverly Hills, CA 4.11.08)

The UU Society of Iowa City, Iowa, is helping to arrange a play focusing on the life and trials of Clarence Darrow as part of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of their building. (Iowa City Press Citizen - Iowa City, IA 4.10.08)

The Chalice UU Congregation in Escondido, Calif., and the Palomar UU Fellowship in Vista are helping to support a new LGBTQ Pride Center at Cal State San Marcos. (North County Times - Escondido, CA 4.12.08)

Eighth-graders at the First Unitarian Society of Newton, Mass., raised about $1,800 to buy meals for a homeless shelter in Boston during a Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament. (Newton TAB - Needham, MA 4.15.08)

Community members prepare to celebrate the planet at EarthFest, a day of free activities, many of which are sponsored by the UU Congregation of Northern Chautauqua, N.Y., which founded the festival in part to mark the church's 25th anniversary. (Jamestown Post Journal - Jamestown, NY 4.17.08)

Chris Walton contributed to this week's blog.

posted by Sonja L. Cohen at 5:47 PM

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