First Existentialist Congregation

UU recounts memorial Boston Marathon run

Listen to Helene Newberg, a Unitarian Universalist from Arlington, Mass., share the moving story of running in the 2013 Boston Marathon in honor of her neighbor, a young Muslim girl who committed suicide one year ago—a memorial run that was sadly interrupted by the bombings at the finish line. (That’s Some American Muslim Life – 4.26.13)

In the congregations

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Caribou, Maine, made the difficult decision to sell its building. (Bangor Daily News – 4.25.13)

The UU Fellowship of Winston-Salem, N.C., unveiled the permanent home of its Community Clothes Closet, which provides free used clothing to low-income area residents. (Winston-Salem Chronicle – 4.29.13)

The UU Fellowship of San Dieguito in Solana Beach, Calif., submitted a petition to the city council requesting action on several items to potentially reduce the likelihood of gun violence. Discussion at the city council meeting revealed strong feelings on both sides of the argument. (Coast News – 5.1.13, Del Mar Times – 4.26.13)

First Parish UU Church in Canton, Mass., held a candlelight vigil for those affected by the Boston Marathon bombing. Photos from the event appear in gallery of “Recent Happenings” in Canton. (The Canton Citizen – 4.26.13)

The Rev. David S. Blanchard resigned from the UU Church of Canton, N.Y. (Watertown Daily Times – 4.30.13)

The congregation of First Parish in Concord, Mass., prepared to meet the Ministerial Search Committee’s candidate for senior minister: the Rev. Howard Dana. (The Concord Journal – 4.25.13)

UUA president responds to proposed Boy Scouts change

On April 19, the Boy Scouts of America released a draft proposal—to be voted on in May—that would accept gay scouts but still bar gay leaders, a move that failed to please religious leaders on both sides of the issue. (Scouting.org – 4.19.13, Religion News – 4.22.13)

UUA President Peter Morales issued a statement in response to the proposal, saying in part: “The proposed resolution from the BSA is a step in the right direction, but it falls short of ensuring equality for gay scout leaders. Unitarian Universalists remain hopeful that there is still time to persuade the BSA to move from discrimination and prejudice to inclusion and respect for all Americans who wish to participate in scouting.” Pink News and GLAAD’s blog both point to Morales’s statement. (UUA.org – 4.19.13, Pink News – 4.22.13, GLAAD – 4.20.13)

Climate activist Tim DeChristopher released from prison

Yes! magazine profiles environmental activist and UU Tim DeChristopher, who was released this month after spending 21 months in federal custody for disrupting a 2008 oil and gas auction. (Yes! – 4.22.13)

See also:
Tim DeChristopher Speaks Out After 21 Months in Prison for Disrupting Oil Bid (DemocracyNow – 4.22.13)
Activist Tim DeChristopher Released From Prison (KUTV – 4.21.13)
Tim DeChristopher’s path (UU World – Winter 2012)
Activism is an act of faith (UU World – Winter 2012)

UU leaders discuss religion and spirituality for CBS

A CBS segment that examines religion and spirituality in a changing society features UUA President Peter Morales; First Parish of Cambridge, Mass., minister the Rev. Fred Small; and other UUs.

Bostonians seek solace, British Unitarians get a new leader, and more

The choir at Arlington Street Church, UU, in Boston, appears in an NPR story about Bostonians finding comfort in religious and memorial services as they await further developments in the marathon bombing case. (NPR – 4.21.13)

The Rev. Bill Darlison is the new president of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches in Britain. (Pontefract and Castleford Express – 4.21.13)

Members of the UU Congregation of Northern Chautauqua in Fredonia, N.Y., celebrated its 30th anniversary. (The Observer – 4.21.13)

Boston UUs remember bombing victims

Several hundred people gathered Tuesday night for a candlelight vigil at Boston’s Arlington Street Church, UU, to seek comfort and to remember those who were killed or injured in Monday’s terrorist attack on the Boston Marathon. (Charlestown Patch – 4.17.13)

The New Yorker has a beautiful and detailed account of the vigil at Arlington Street Church, which is located only a few blocks from where the explosions occurred. (4.17.13)

The Rev. Kim K. Crawford Harvie, senior minister of Arlington Street Church, said she realized almost immediately that a citywide service was necessary and urged people to “not give in to the root of terrorism.” (Boston Herald – 4.16.13)

The Rev. Peter Morales, president of the UUA, which is headquartered in Boston, wrote in a pastoral letter the day after the bombings: “At this time we do not know who did this or what twisted thinking produced this horrific act. We do know this: everything we do to spread compassion, understanding, acceptance, and peace matters.” (UUA.org – 4.16.13)

Life goes on

As a reminder that not all news was centered on Boston this week—even if it sometimes felt like it—the UU Parish of Monson, Mass., is holding a dedication ceremony after finally replacing a steeple that was destroyed during a 2011 tornado. (The Republican – 4.18.13)

 

Unitarian couple’s WWII heroism subject of film

Artemis Joukowsky III has directed and co-produced a documentary film, Two Who Dared: The Sharps’ War, about the work his grandparents—Unitarians Martha and the Rev. Waitstill Sharp—did to aid refugees and dissidents in Europe during World War II. The film has been screening at film festivals, museums, libraries, and churches, and has won several awards. (The Recorder – 4.3.13)

See also:
‘Two Who Dared’ puts UUSC founders’ heroism on film (uuworld.org – 4.1.13)
Church reflects on message of ‘Two Who Dared’ (Quad-City Times – 4.2.13)
Story of Courage and Rescue during World War II to be Shown at Venues Around the Country (San Francisco Chronicle – 4.8.13)
USC Upstate sponsors movie screening of “The Two Who Dared – The Sharps’ War,” April 7 (USC Upstate – 4.4.13)
FPUU to show premiere of ‘Two Who Dared’ (Canton Citizen – 4.4.13)

UUA, UUSC show support for marriage equality

UUA President Peter Morales and United Church of Christ President Geoffrey Black spoke about supporting marriage equality at a joint event in Providence, Rhode Island. (The Boston Globe  – 4.6.13)

On the fourth anniversary of Iowa legalizing same-sex marriage, the Rev. Jay Wolin of the UU Congregation of Quad Cities talks about the joy it has brought him to perform same-sex weddings, and how he believes society is shifting toward acceptance of marriage equality. (WQAD – 4.3.13)

UUs seek improved gun regulation

The Rev. Bill Sinkford, senior minister of First Unitarian Church in Portland, Ore., and former UUA president, spoke at a large gun safety rally, saying that, “The tougher the gun safety laws are in any state the fewer gun deaths there are.” (Statesman Journal – 4.4.13)

Members of the UU Fellowship of San Dieguito in Solana Beach, Calif., put together a petition that asks the city council to encourage gun control by limiting the number of stores that sell firearms and opposing gun shows at the county fairgrounds. (U-T San Diego – 4.7.13)

Church’s ad pledges support for LGBT community, and more

Eight Denton, Tex., churches, including the Denton UU Fellowship, ran an ad in the local paper pledging support for and inclusion of the LGBT community. (Dallas Voice – 4.1.13)

The Rev. Michael A. Schuler, minister of First Unitarian Society of Madison, Wisc., is quoted in an article about churches using social media to attract members. (The Capital Times – 4.4.13)

The Rev. Lara Hoke, of the UU Congregation in Andover, Mass., is quoted in a Boston Globe story about hundreds of people gathering for an immigration reform rally in Boston. (4.7.13)

The Social Justice Committee of the UU Congregation in Binghampton, N.Y., hosted a panel discussion on immigration. (WBNG – 4.7.13)

See also: Local Church Discusses Immigration (WICZ – 4.7.13)

With a plan in place to rebuild the UU Church of Brunswick, Maine, which was destroyed in a 2011 fire, the minister and members talk about how the spirit of the old church will live on in the new building. (Bangor Daily News – 4.3.13)

First Parish in Taunton, Mass., has started offering Soulful Sundown services. (Taunton Gazette – 4.7.13)

The Rev. Don Garrett, minister of the UU Church of the Lehigh Valley in Bethlehem, Pa., writes about how UU congregations embrace the American value of e pluribus unum, “out of many, one.” (The Morning Call – 4.5.13)

The Rev. David Green, minister of Amarillo UU Fellowship in Texas, writes about the benefits of being a “giver.” (Amarillo Globe-News – 4.5.13)

The Rev. Tom Goldsmith, of First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City, lead a “Funeral for the Future” service to protest the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline project. (The Salt Lake Tribune – 4.4.13)

Zach Wahls, author of My Two Moms, talks about growing up as the child of a lesbian couple and about his work to end the Boy Scouts’ ban on gay members. (Globe Gazette – 4.7.13)

See related: Young activist takes on Boys Scouts (UU World – Winter 2012)

Pete Seeger joined composer/guitarist Jim Scott and others in a benefit concert for the UU Service Committee. (Daily Voice – 4.7.13)

The Rev. Sean Parker Dennison is the new settled minister of the UU Congregation in McHenry, Ill. (Northwest Herald – 4.4.13)

As Supreme Court debates, UUs speak out for marriage equality

With the Supreme Court’s marriage equality hearings, it’s no surprise that there were lots of Standing on the Side of Love campaign sightings in the media recently. The distinctive yellow banners appeared in videos on CBC News, The Rachel Maddow Show, Anderson Cooper 360, ABC News, and in a Human Rights Campaign video. They also show up in a slideshow of photos from outside the court. (CBCNews / ABCNews – 3.26.13, NBCNews / CNN / YouTube – 3.27.13, New Civil Rights Movement – 3.26.13)

The Rev. Ed Hardy and First Parish UU Church of Plymouth, Mass., sent a resolution backing same-sex marriage to the Supreme Court. (Wicked Local Plymouth – 3.31.13)

The Rev. Charlie Davis, of the UU Church of West Lafayette, Ind., spoke at a rally for marriage equality. (Journal Courier – 3.28.13)

The Rev. Steven Protzman, of the UU Society of Iowa City, is quoted in an article about Iowa couples watching the Supreme Court arguments over marriage equality. (kcrg.com – 3.26.13)

The Rev. Jim Nelson, of Neighborhood UU Church of Pasadena, Calif., responds to some of the arguments he heard regarding Proposition 8. (LA Progressive – 3.27.13)

Ministers rally for immigrant rights

The Rev. Barbara Fast of the UU Church in Danbury, Conn., spoke at a prayer vigil for immigrant rights. (Danbury News Times – 3.28.13)

The Rev. Joan VanBecelaere, district executive for the Ohio Meadville District was part of a rally for immigration reform and is quoted in an article about the event. (Examiner – 3.27.13)

A ‘contemptuous’ article, a church prepares to rebuild, and more

Last week, I pointed to a questionably researched article about UUs and polyamory in the Washington Post. (Washington Post – 3.22.13)

Angry UU readers responded to the Post, calling the article “contemptuous” and saying they expected better than “unsupported generalizations and jokes about an entire faith.” (Washington Post – 4.2.13)

Meanwhile, Rush Limbaugh jumped all over the article as proof of the slippery moral slope he thinks same-sex marriage presents. (RushLimbaugh.com – 3.26.13)

Nearly two years after its building was destroyed in a fire, the UU Church of Brunswick, Maine, has permission to begin rebuilding. (The Forecaster – 3.27.13)

See related:
Fire devastates Maine church (uuworld.org – 6.10.11)
From salvaged pew, artisan crafts custom guitar (uuworld.org – 2.15.13)

High school freshman Tilcara Webb, a member of the UU Congregation of Santa Fe, N.Mex., writes about ways that youth groups are working to improve their communities and themselves. (Santa Fe New Mexican – 3.29.13)

First Unitarian Church of Rochester, N.Y., donated a rare hand-printed book designed by Frank Lloyd Wright to the University of Rochester. (Rochester.edu – 4.1.13)

An expensive drum set was stolen from the UU Church of Valdosta, Ga. (WCTV – 3.26.13)

The Rev. Leaf Seligman of Fitchburg’s First Parish Church UU in Fitchburg, Mass., and the Rev. Susan Suchocki Brown, of First Church UU in Leominster, Mass., both appear in an article about Easter. (Sentinel and Enterprise – 3.31.13)

The Rev. Jeanne Lloyd is the new settled minister of the Mattatuck UU Society of Woodbury, Conn. (The Waterbury Observer – 3.30.13)

Ashley Horan is the new consulting minister at the UU Church of Joliet, Ill. (The Herald-News – 3.27.13)

 

UU congregation gives $680,000 for Sandy relief

The UU Congregation at Shelter Rock in Manhasset, N.Y., will give $680,000 in grants to five area organizations for Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. Read more about Shelter Rock’s history of charitable giving through its Veatch Program. (The Island Now – 3.28.13, UU World – Fall 2005)

Immigration reform, an end-of-life bill, and more

The Boston Globe picked up an AP story about the UUA moving its headquarters from Beacon Hill to South Boston. (Boston Globe – 3.24.13)

See also:
UUA to purchase new Boston headquarters (uuworld.org – 3.15.13)
Farewell, 25 Beacon Street? (UU World – Spring 2013)

An article about faith groups working for immigration reform includes efforts by the Unitarian Universalist Association’s “Standing on the Side of Love” campaign to mobilize nationally during Congress’s upcoming in-state district work period. (American Progress – 3.25.13)

Members of the First Unitarian Church of Rochester, N.Y., were on hand for a rally in support of immigration reform. (Democrat and Herald – 3.22.13)

The Rev. Douglas Peary, president of the UU Society of Meriden, Conn., is interviewed in an article about a proposed end-of-life bill. The Rev. Joshua Pawelek, of the UU Society: East in Manchester, Conn., is quoted in another article about the proposed bill.  (The CT Mirror – 3.20.13, Westport News – 3.21.13)

Tennessee Valley UU Church in Knoxville is donating 100 percent of the money collected during a Sunday service to help fund the University of Tennessee’s Sex Week, a student-organized event focused on topics of sex, sexuality, and gender. (Channel 6 WATE.com – 3.24.13)

The Rev. Jay Leach, of the UU Church of Charlotte, N.C., joined other local religious leaders to commemorate the 48th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery civil rights march. (clclt.com – 3.25.13)

An article about musician Catie Curtis, who has performed at the White House holiday concert for three years running, mentions her “increasing participation with Unitarian Universalism.” (Metro Weekly – 3.21.13)

Members of First UU Church of Stockton, Calif., are celebrating the congregation’s 100th anniversary. (Record.net – 3.23.13)

And finally, a reporter for the Washington Post clearly had to dig pretty deep to find any sources for an article about UUs and polyamory, citing a 2007 sermon and the 2004 writings of a former UUA employee. (Washington Post – 3.22.13)

Congregations embrace jazz in worship

The Atlantic looks at the use of jazz music in Christian worship, and talks to the Rev. Galen Guengerich, senior minister of All Souls Unitarian Church in New York, whose congregation has held jazz services since 2000. (The Atlantic – 3.14.13)

Guengerich also appears in a 2003 UU World feature article about jazz and Unitarian Universalist theology.

UUs work to improve their communities

A small group of volunteers, primarily members of the UU Church of Fresno, Calif., has been working to improve conditions in local homeless encampments. (indybay.org – 3.14.13)

First Religious Society (UU) of Newburyport, Mass., has joined with three other area congregations to raise money to restore and maintain a local playground. (Newburyport Daily News – 3.18.13)

The Champlain Valley UU Society in Middlebury, Vt., hosted a forum on “Our Guns, Our Towns, Our Questions,” to help educate the community about current firearms regulations and the ways firearms affect peoples’ lives. (The Addison Independent – 3.14.13)

Mysterious graffiti, immigration reform, and more

A stencil-style graffiti image of 18th-century writer Mary Wollstonecraft has appeared on the side of the Newington Green Unitarian Chapel in London, England, coinciding with a current campaign to create a statue to the feminist icon. (Islington Gazette – 3.15.13)

In an article about clergy seeking immigration reform, the Rev. Susan Karlson, of the Unitarian Church of Staten Island in New Brighton, N.Y., talks about the difficulties immigrants often face trying to access government services, healthcare, and more. (Staten Island Advance – 3.16.13)

UU Treasurer Tim Brennan talks about the Association’s decision to leave its historic home on Beacon Hill and relocate to South Boston. (WBZ-AM Radio – 3.15.13)

The Rev. Jeff Liebmann, of the UU Fellowship of Midland, Mich., is quoted in a story about a stalled state Senate bill that would let health care insurers and providers opt out of offering services based on moral objections. (90.5 WKAR – 3.15.13)

The Rev. Dr. Stanley Sears, of the UU Society of Auburn, N.Y., writes that, rather than giving something up for Lent, he uses it as an opportunity to talk about faith. (The Auburn Citizen – 3.17.13)

UUA to purchase new Boston headquarters

The Unitarian Universalist Association’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously to approve the purchase of a new headquarters building at 24 Farnsworth Street in Boston and sell the Association’s current properties on Beacon Hill. (Boston Business Journal – 3.15.13)

Read UU World’s coverage of the decision, and the Spring 2013 cover story about the possible move.

See also:

Unitarian Universalists selling Beacon Hill base (Boston Herald – 3.15.13)
Unitarians to sell Beacon Hill portfolio, move to Seaport District (Boston Business Journal – 3.15.13)

UUA puts pressure on coal producers, UU martyr remembered, and more

InsideClimate News reports that the Unitarian Universalist Association and advocacy group As You Sow have asked two of the country’s largest coal producers to tell investors “how much of their coal assets would be left ‘stranded’ in the ground” if the United States passed broad greenhouse gas regulations. (3.7.13)

Chevron Corp. is pushing back against interference from its activist shareholders, including the Unitarian Universalist Association. (SFGate – 3.12.13)

Forty-eight years later, Don Schilling reflects on his too-brief friendship with UU minister and civil rights activist the Rev. James Reeb, who was killed in Selma, Ala. (Press Democrat – 3.10.13)

See related: Witness to Reeb’s death looks back (UU World – May/June 2001)

The New York Times looks at the story of Colonel Thomas Wentworth Higginson, a Unitarian minister, and his connection to John Brown and the Harpers Ferry raid. (3.6.13)

Fresno Bee columnist Paula Lloyd has a brief history of the UU Church of Fresno, Calif. (The Fresno Bee – 3.9.13)

Christine Organ, a UU who was raised Christian, reflects on the one thing she misses from her childhood faith. (Huffington Post – 3.7.13)

First Parish UU Church in Framingham, Mass., installed 84 solar panels that will provide 75 percent of the church’s power. (Framingham Patch – 3.5.13)

Second Parish UU in Hingham, Mass., which had a tree fall on its bell tower during a February blizzard, gets a mention in an article about continued storm cleanup. (The Boston Globe – 3.10.13)

The Rev. Michael F. Hall will be installed as the new minister of the Keene, N.H., UU Church. (Middleboro Gazette – 3.7.13)

Budget concerns have put a strain on the UU Church of Lancaster, Pa. (LancasterOnline.com – 3.7.13)

UU activists push for gun control

A multi-part series looking at perspectives on gun control and gun use in East Tennessee includes an interview with John Bohstedt, one of four people who helped subdue a gunman at Knoxville’s Tennessee Valley UU Church five years ago (part 3, Bohstedt segment begins at 3:12). UU World interviewed Bohstedt about the experience in 2008. (WBIR.com – 2.27.13, uuworld.org – 7.28.08, 8.1.08)

First UU Church of San Diego, Calif., hosted a rally against gun violence and debate about gun control laws. Coverage includes a short video. (NBC San Diego – 3.4.13)

The Rev. Beth Johnson, of the Palomar UU Fellowship in Vista, Calif., took part in a candlelight vigil for gun safety. (The Coast News )

See related: New urgency spurs advocate for gun control (uuworld.org – 2.25.13)

Climate change activism

Tim Brennan, treasurer and chief financial officer of the Unitarian Universalist Association, argues that divestment from fossil fuel companies is not the only solution to climate change. (Huffington Post – 2.26.13)

Brennan is interviewed in an article reporting on two shareholder resolutions aiming to demonstrate that coal companies would be overvalued in financial markets if carbon regulation becomes the norm. (Inside Climate News – 3.7.13)

Youth volunteers, advocate ministers, and more

Youth from First Church of Belmont, Mass., spent their winter school vacation week volunteering in New Orleans. (The Belmont Citizen-Herald – 3.2.13)

The Rev. Ellen Cooper-Davis, minister of Northwoods UU Church the The Woodlands, Tex., is interviewed in a TV news segment about religious leaders advocating for increased funding of women’s health, including birth control for low-income women. (KXAN – 3.4.13)

The Rev. Marti Keller, minister of the UU Congregation of Atlanta, was named Georgia’s Chaplain of the Day. (North Druid Hills-Briarcliff Patch – 3.2.13)

Darlene Anderson-Alexander, director of religious education at the UU Congregation of Danbury, Conn., writes about the First Principle, the Golden Rule, and why we should respect people of all faiths. (Danbury News-Times – 3.2.13)

A peace vigil at the Unitarian Church of Baton Rouge, La., honored those who have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. (The Advocate – 3.4.13)

A finial stone that was cracked by lightning will be reinstalled on the bell tower of First UU Church of Marietta, Ohio. (The Marietta Times – 3.4.13)

The Rev. Fred Wooden, senior minister of Fountain Street Church in Grand Rapids, Mich., weighs in on the debate about how much control religious institutions should have over the lives and values of their employees. (mlive.com – 2.26.13)

Members of Manatee, Fla., UU Fellowship showed their support for the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, who are calling on the Publix grocery chain to join the Fair Food Program. (Bradenton Herald – 3.2.13)

The Rev. Daniel Kanter, senior minister of First Unitarian Church of Dallas, Tex., is one of several faith leaders who responded to the question, “Considering the debate over immigration, what does your faith say about bridging justice and compassion?” (The Dallas Morning News – 2.26.13)

The Rev. Roger Butts, an anti-death-penalty activist, argues that there seems to be an “arbitrary nature” to Colorado’s imposition of the death penalty. (Huffington Post – 2.27.13)

The Rev. Mike Morran of First Unitarian Society of Denver, Colo., is quoted in an article about religious-based adoption agencies objecting to civil unions. (The Gazette – 3.1.13)

State Rep tells concerned minister to leave state

The Rev. Audette Fulbright, minister of the UU Church of Cheyenne, Wyo., wrote to her state legislators recently to express concerns about House Bill 105, which would allow the carrying of concealed weapons at schools. The letter she got back from one of them—Republican State Rep. Hans Hunt—has gotten plenty of attention on the internet for its less-than-cordial tone, which can be summed up with the line: “If you don’t like the political atmosphere of Wyoming, then by all means, leave.” (Star-Tribune – 2.8.13)

See also:

State Representative Under Fire for Letter (KGWN – 2.22.13)
Minister Told by State Rep to ‘By All Means, Leave’ Wyoming Stands Her Ground (The Blaze – 2.28.13)
GOP State Rep. Hans Hunt Says ‘By All Means, Leave’ In Response To Wyoming Resident’s Concerns (Huffington Post – 2.25.13)
Blunt state rep tells woman to GTFO if she doesn’t like gun bill (MSN – 2.25.13)
‘I’ll be blunt. If you don’t like the political atmosphere of Wyoming, then by all means, leave.’ (Maddow Blog – 2.11.13)
Wyoming Lawmaker to Pro-Gun Control Minister: ‘If you don’t like the political atmosphere of Wyoming, then by all means, leave.’ (guns.com – 2.25.13)

Voting rights activist Liuzzo’s legacy

With the U.S. Supreme Court hearing arguments over a challenge to the 1965 Voting Rights Act, CNN ran an excerpt from the book Children of the Movement about Viola Liuzzo, a UU who was killed while working for voting rights in Selma, Ala., and whose death helped the Act pass. (CNN – 2.28.13)

Read more about Liuzzo:

UU civil rights martyr posthumously honored (uuworld.org – 11.10.06)
‘So nobly started’ (UU World – May/June 2001)

Religious people caring for the environment

After joining several youth and adults from his congregation at the “Forward on Climate” rally in Washington. D.C., the Rev. Ken Read-Brown, minister of First Parish in Hingham, Mass., reflects on the importance of climate-change activism. (The Hingham Journal – 2.24.13)

Jan Booher, a member of the UU Fellowship of Boca Raton, Fla., is coordinating an event for South Florida Climate Action Partners that aims to connect religious people who are concerned about the environment with scientists, urban planners, and environmentalists. (Sun Sentinel – 2.25.13)

Judy Moores, a member of the UU Church of Davis, Calif., is helping organize the multifaith environmental conference Climate Crisis: Putting Faith into Action. (Daily Democrat – 2.23.13)

Lincoln, activism, paper airplanes, and more

The New York Times Sunday Book Review explores Lincoln’s Tragic Pragmatism by John Burt, a Brandeis University English professor and member of the First Parish UU in Arlington, Mass. (NYTimes – 2.14.13)

Peace activist Curtis Bell, who is a member of the board of UUs for Justice in the Middle East, writes about parallels between U.S. and Israeli racism. (The Electronic Intifada – 2.21.13)

In two pieces for the Midland Daily News, the Rev. Jeff Liebmann, minister of the UU Fellowship of Midland, Mich., writes about the meaning of religion and investing in children. (Midland Daily News – 2.23.13, 2.24.13)

In the week leading up to Valentine’s Day, the UU Church of the Shenandoah Valley in Stephens City, Va., held “rolling” marriage equality vigils at locations around the area. (NVDaily – 2.11.13)

See also:
Local Church Advocates for Gay Rights (Winchester Star – 2.11.13)
Unitarians stand for marriage equality (Winchester Star – 2.14.13)

The Rev. David Carl Olson, minister of First Unitarian Church of Baltimore, Md., spoke to a group who gathered outside of a Walmart to protest low-wage employers and demand a higher minimum wage. (The Baltimore Sun – 2.21.13)

The UU Church of Marietta, Ga., hosted its annual Great Community Paper Airplane Contest. (The Marietta Times – 2.25.13)

Members of the Oak Ridge, Tenn., UU Church, who voted in September to sell their building and land to a commercial developer, have now purchased a parcel of land on which to build a new church. (Oak Ridge Today – 9.30.12, 2.27.13)

The UU Church of Farmington, Mich., is one of three local businesses and organizations being honored for their “community longevity.” (Observer & Eccentric – 2.21.13)

The Unitarian Church of Baton Rouge, La., will ordain Nathan Ryan as a UU minister. (The Advocate – 2.27.13)

The UU Church of Savannah, Ga., celebrated the installation of their new minister, the Rev. David Messner. (Savannah Morning News – 2.24.13)

Film chronicles UU resistance fighters

Two Who Dared, a documentary about UUSC founders Martha Sharp and the Rev. Waitstill Sharp, who helped European refugees escape the Nazis during World War II, is being screened at the UU Church of Chattanooga, Tenn. This will be the first time the film—produced by the Sharps’ grandson, Artemis Joukowsky III, and Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker Matthew Justus—has been screened in Tennessee. (Times Free Press – 2.16.13)

See also:

• Video: ‘Two Who Dared’: New film shares UUSC founders’ story (UU World GA blog – 6.26.11)
• UU World‘s profile of Martha and Waitstill Sharp (Summer 2006)

Rallying on the side of love

On Valentine’s Day, same-sex couples, activists, and church leaders gathered across the country at “Standing on the Side of Love” marriage equality rallies. More than a dozen Salt Lake City couples applied for marriage licenses and were rejected in an event designed to draw attention to issues of marriage equality. (Salt Lake Tribune – 2.14.13)

Members of several UU congregations, including the UU Fellowship of Marion County in Summerfield, Fla., protested the school board’s response to a proposed gay-straight alliance club at a local middle school. (Ocala – 2.20.13)

Congregation worships via Twitter during snowstorm, and more

The Rev. Debra Haffner, a sexologist and community minister with the Unitarian Church in Westport, Conn., gave a worship service via Twitter during the recent blizzard that shut down parts of the East Coast. The local NPR station interviewed Haffner about the service. (WSHU.org – 2.11.13)

Members of the Orange Coast UU Church in Costa Mesa, Calif., gathered one final time at their old church before walking the 2.6 miles to their new building. (OCRegister – 2.14.13)

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Medford, Mass., is celebrating its 300th birthday with a special musical service in March. (Wicked Local-Medford – 2.15.13)

UN panel looks at dangers of gay ‘conversion therapy’

Bruce Knotts, director of the UU United Nations Office, and Mordechai Levovitz, the LGBT advocacy coordinator there, organized a panel at the United Nations Church Center to discuss the harmful effects of gay “conversion therapy.” The panel, the first at the UN to directly address this issue, included mental health experts, human rights advocates, religious leaders, and a former patient. (Huffington Post – 2.1.13)

Scouting alternative continues to grow

FOX 13 has a news video about the first meeting of Navigators USA Chapter 37 at the UU Church of Ogden, Utah. Navigators is a co-ed scouting alternative that emphasizes respect for one another and the environment. (FOX 13 News – 2.5.13)

See related: Alternative scouting group starts to grow (uuworld.og – 3.14.11)

In the congregations

The Unitarian Church of Staten Island, N.Y., has opened the borough’s first Little Free Library, a free-standing book-lending structure located outside of the church that invites people to “take a book, return a book, or keep it forever.” (SILive.com – 2.4.13)

The Huntersville Herald has a profile of the three-year-old UU Fellowship of Lake Norman in Mooresville, N.C. (Huntersville Herald – 2.7.13)

Members of the Unitarian Universalist Church of West Lafayette, Ind., have made immigration as a moral issue a priority, hosting book discussions, films screenings, and forums on the topic. (Journal & Courier – 2.1.13)

Morales chats about non-religious churchgoers

UUA President Peter Morales took part in a discussion on HuffPostLive about the various reasons nonreligious people still attend church. Morales describes his own reasons for staying away from church for many years and then explains the UU faith’s appeal to non-traditional churchgoers. Check out the comments section as well, which include several UU voices. (Huffington Post – 1.28.13)

Congregations celebrate updated spaces

The Gloucester, Mass., UU Church held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of a $100,000 accessibilities upgrade to its historic 1806 building, including two lifts, an ADA accessible lavatory, widened doorways and hallway, and a ramp. (Wicked Local Essex – 1.31.13)

The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Hendersonville, N.C., completed a major renovation of its space and invited the community to an open house to explore the changes. (Times-News – 1.26.13)

Unitarians, Quakers, and Liberal Jews in the United Kingdom announced their full support for the government’s same-sex marriage bill for England and Wales, saying they will gladly perform same-sex weddings. (Gay Star News – 1.25.13)

Derek McAuley, the chief officer of Britain’s General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches, explains why he hopes other faith groups will join in agreeing to marry same-sex couples. (PinkNews – 1.25.13)

San Diego lawyer and UU Eric Isaacson will receive an award from the St. Paul’s Foundation on Valentine’s Day for his “tireless volunteer work to ‘Legalize Love for Everyone.’” In 2009, Isaacson received the UUA’s prestigious President’s Award for Volunteer Service for his many years providing pro bono legal services to the UUA and its allies in California court cases related to same-sex marriage. (1.25.13, UU World – Fall 2009)

In the congregations

The Ventura County Star has a Q&A with the Rev. David Pyle, assistant minister at the UU Church of Ventura, Calif., and one of the growing number of UU military chaplains. (Ventura County Star – 1.19.13, uuworld.org – 11.12.12)

About 200 people gathered at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick, Md., to celebrate the recent passage of two state laws expanding the civil rights of LGBT people and undocumented immigrants. (Frederick News Post – 1.20.13)

After eight years serving the UU Congregation of Columbia, S.C., as minister, and having recently completed coursework to earn ministerial standing with the Unitarian Universalist Association, the Rev. Dr. Neal Jones is officially being installed as the congregation’s minister. (The State – 1.19.13)

The Oak Ridge, Tenn., UU Church offers a free community meal on the last Friday of every month, and will have nurses on hand at an upcoming meal to give flu shots to those in need. (Oak Ridge Today – 1.21.13)

UUs engage on the topic of ‘nones’

NPR’s series this week on “nones”—the growing segment of the United States population that identifies itself as religiously unaffiliated—is not about Unitarian Universalists, but many UUs are actively participating in the comments on the stories, and the UUA is encouraging them to do so. (NPR.org, Facebook.com/TheUUA)

UUA President Peter Morales has spoken on the topic before and wrote about how UUs might engage the “nones” in his Winter 2012 UU World column. Dan Cryer also discussed the “nones” in his 2011 article “A nation of religious changelings.” (UU World – Summer 2011)

In the congregations

The damaged steeple of First UU Church of Youngstown, Ohio, was successfully removed this week. The congregation is now considering whether to restore it, replace it with a replica, or install solar panels or a wind turbine in its place. (Youngstown Vindicator – 1.15.13, 1.10.13)

For the fourth year, the Unitarian Church in Summit, N.J., is hosting a reading of one of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speeches on MLK Day, but for the first time they have invited a guest preacher to do it: the Rev. Ronald Allen, of the Pilgrim Baptist Church. (Independent Press – 1.12.13)

The Rev. Dr. Neal Jones will officially be installed as minister of the UU Congregation of Columbia, S.C., this month, though he has served as the congregation’s minister for the last eight years. (Columbia Star – 1.18.13)

Christopher L. Walton contributed to this week’s blog post.