A 'Jeopardy!' champ, and other UUs in the media

Oregon UU a 'Jeopardy!' champion

Amy Wilson, a UU from Portland, Ore., was the "Jeopardy!" champion on April 20. During her on-air conversation with host Alex Trebek, she mentioned that she had visited Transylvania with her UU church. I don’t know of anywhere to watch the episode on the Internet, but there's a very brief "hi there" video from Wilson online. She also wrote about her experience and how she'll spend her prize money on the Jeopardy Winners' Blog. (Jeopardy.com - 4.22.10)

Baby Boomer religion, church vandals, and more

David Traupman, a UU, is featured in this story about Baby Boomers seeking self-fulfillment from their religions. (MiamiHerald.com - 4.16.10)

For the second time in several weeks, vandals tore down the rainbow flag from the outside of the First Parish Church, UU, in Bridgewater, Mass. (Enterprise News - 4.16.10)

See also:
Church's Rainbow Flag Target For Vandals (WCVB-TV - 4.16.10)
Rainbow flag flown higher after vandalism at Bridgewater church (Wicked Local - 4.20.10)

The Rev. Peter Hughes, a retired Unitarian minister who has post-polio syndrome, spoke to Ontario lawmakers who are debating changes in the Elections Act about the importance of making voting accessible to all. (healthzone.ca - 4.20.10)

The Rev. Erica Baron, consulting minister at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Bennington, Vt., writes about standing together "in love and solidarity." (Bennington Banner - 4.16.10)

The Rev. John Martin, minister of All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church in Bellville, Ohio, asks: "Which side are you on?" (Mansfield News Journal - 4.17.10)

The Rev. Dr. William F. Schulz, a former executive director of Amnesty International USA and former president of the Unitarian Universalist Association, comments on President Obama's human rights record. (Minneapolis Star Tribune - 4.15.10)

The Unitarian Universalist Society of Fairhaven, Mass., was recently awarded Green Sanctuary status by the UUA, a goal it has been working toward since 2007. (South Coast Today - 4.17.10)

The Comal County Unitarian Universalist Society in New Braunfels, Tex., is aiming to become a Green Sanctuary. (Herald Zeitung - 4.18.10)

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Lexington, Ky., took part in a large interfaith Earth Day event. (Lexington Herald Leader - 4.17.10)

UUs protest Palin event, and other UUs in the media

UUs protest at Palin-Tea Party event

Sarah Palin and the Tea Party made an appearance on the Boston Common--just a short walk from UUA headquarters--attracting large crowds of supporters. Plenty of UUs, particularly representatives from the Standing on the Side of Love campaign, were on hand to voice their opposition and speak to the press. (Boston Herald - 4.14.10)

See also:
Area residents among crowd wowed at tea party in Hub (Sun Chronicle - 4.15.10)

Palin rallies tea partiers with anti-tax message (The State - 4.14.10)

Tea party rally attracting dissatisfied voters of every persuasion (The Salem News - 4.14.10)

Film about UU minister wins award

Nashville Public Television chose Raw Faith, the personal portrait of First Unitarian Church of Portland, Ore., minister Marilyn Sewell, as the 2010 Human Spirit Award winner at the Nashville Film Festival.

Holocaust survivors, historic UUs, and more

In honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day, several UU churches hosted talks by those who lived through the events. Martha Kranzthor-Osvat, a Holocaust survivor, shared her story with the First Unitarian Society of of Milwaukee, Wisc. And Hanz Kautzky spoke to a group at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva, Ill., about his escape from a Nazi concentration camp at age 15. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - 4.10.10, Aurora Beacon News - 4.12.10)

Unitarians, including the Rev. Thomas Wentworth Higginson (1823—1911), appear in this article about a historical incident that made Bostonians stop criticizing slavery and actually do something to stop it. (Boston Globe - 4.11.10)

The Rev. Tess Baumberger, minister of the Unity Church of North Easton, Mass., writes about how the democratic process and the values UUs affirm each week, create a sanctuary. (Stoughton Journal - 4.11.10)

About 50 students attended the 15th annual Youth Empowerment Conference held at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Danbury, Conn. (Danbury News Times - 4.9.10)

Glenn Beck on Obama's grandparents, and other UUs in the media

Glenn Beck on Obama's UU grandparents

Fox News's Glenn Beck points to President Barack Obama's grandparents' former membership at the East Shore Unitarian Church in Bellevue, Wash., as some sort of guilt-by-association proof that Obama is a socialist or Communist. You can read a transcript here. (Fox News)

This isn't the first time Obama's link to Unitarian Universalism has come up in UUs in the Media. In August 2009 the Rev. Mike Young wrote about an encounter with Obama at his previous church, and in December 2008 the press reported on Obama and his family attending a memorial service for his grandmother at the First Unitarian Church of Honolulu.

UUs trade bedroom for great outdoors

The Boston Globe profiles Josh and Terri Shortlidge, members of the Melrose, Mass., Unitarian Universalist Church, who decided to sleep in their backyard for a night last June as part of the National Wildlife Federation’s Great American Backyard Campout--and liked it so much they've kept doing it ever since. (Boston Globe - 4.8.10)

Six-year-olds on religion, an Irish memorial service, and more

Joe Steinberger writes about taking his toddler to services at the First Universalist Church in Rockland, Maine. (The Free Press - 4.1.10)

A group of young children from the Class of 2022, including a 6-year-old UU, talk about their religious beliefs. (StarNewsOnline.com - 4.3.10)

Marriage equality advocates celebrated the one-year anniversary of legal same-sex marriage in Iowa and set goals for the future. (Iowa Independent - 3.31.10)

More than 3,500 names of victims of the Troubles were read aloud at an annual ceremony at the Dublin Unitarian Church in Ireland. (Irish Times - 4.3.10)

The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Newark, Del., joined billions of people around the globe in observing Earth Hour. (The News Journal - 4.4.10)

Walkers for a Nuclear Free Future, a group of eight monks and activists on a 43-day walk from Burlington, Vt., to New York City, stopped at the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church in Kennebunk, Maine. (York Weekly - 4.8.10)

A group of youth from the Unitarian Universalist Congregational Society of Westborough, Mass., is going to help a West Virginia family with home repairs this summer as part of the Appalachia Service Project. (Westborough News - 4.5.10)

The Rev. Paul Britner, minister of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Montgomery, Ala., is participating in an interfaith Holocaust remembrance ceremony. (Montgomery Advertiser - 4.7.10)

The Boston Globe's "Shelf Life" column notes The Antiracism Trainings, a new satirical novel by former UU World editor David Reich (second book listed). (Boston Globe - 4.4.10)

Instead of an egg hunt, the Boulder Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Lafayette, Colo., holds an annual Easter Soup Hunt, in which children find canned goods that get donated to the local food bank. (Daily Camera - 4.4.10)

Here's another story on the Unitarian Universalist Church of Minnetonka in Wayzata, Minn., which I noted last week is suing the city. (Minneapolis Star Tribune - 4.3.10)

Historic church's first Latina minister, and other UUs in the media

Historic church calls first Latina minister

The Boston Globe reports on the First Parish in Cambridge, Mass., which recently called the Rev. Lilia Cuervo as associate minister—the church's first Latina minister in its nearly 400-year history. UUA President Peter Morales, quoted in the story, says the appointment "speaks well to the aspirations of our people." (Boston Globe - 3.30.10)

A minister's brush with Obama, a solar-powered church, and more

In advance of this year's General Assembly in Minneapolis, the Rev. Rob Eller-Isaacs, a senior minister at Unity Church-Unitarian in St. Paul, Minn., explains to the public what Unitarian Universalism is. (MinnPost.com - 3.30.10)

A community pledge to renounce racism and prejudice, posted on Facebook by the Rev. Cynthia Landrum, minister of the Universalist Unitarian Church of East Liberty, Mich., is gaining fans. (The Jackson Citizen Patriot - 3.30.10)

See also: Jackson Pledge Facebook page

Until a last-minute change of plans, the Rev. Mike Young of the Universalist Unitarian Church of Waterville, Maine, was scheduled to give the invocation at President Barack Obama's recent appearance in Portland, Maine. (Morning Sentinel - 4.2.10)

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Fresno, Calif., held a dedication ceremony for new solar panels on its roof and grounds, which are now generating almost all of the church's power. (KFSN - 3.28.10)

Main Line Unitarian Church in Devon, Pa., donated more than $3,000 to Radnor A Better Chance, one of the community schools of the national A Better Chance program. (Philadelphia Bulletin - 3.28.10)

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Minnetonka in Wayzata, Minn., has filed a lawsuit against the city accusing it of violating a federal law. (KSTP.com - 3.25.10)

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Whidbey Island, Wash., celebrated the legacy of Charles Darwin by presenting a public program about Darwin and his theories. (South Whidbey Record - 3.23.10)