Quotes on new Oval Office rug have Unitarian origin

Two of the five quotes woven into a new rug for President Barack Obama’s Oval Office are ones usually attributed to Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr., but which can both be traced back to Unitarian minister Theodore Parker, as discussed in the Fall 2010 issue of UU World. NPR talked to Clayborne Carson, a King scholar who has also written introductions for Beacon Press’s new series of King’s work, about Parker’s influence. And FOX News jumped on the opportunity to point out the attribution error. (Daily Caller -  8.31.10, NPR – 9.2.10, FOX – 9.2.10)

And a postscript for the true UU history junkies: King probably learned about Parker’s phrase through the Unitarian minister, pacifist, and Gandhi promoter John Haynes Holmes in 1956. See footnote 5.

Green General Assembly, mystery minister, and more

The Minneapolis Convention Center reports that a combination of recycling and processing during the Unitarian Universalist Association’s 2010 General Assembly June 23–27, 2010, resulted in no waste going to landfills for the event. (Meet Minneapolis – 8.25.10)

The Cape Cod Times interviews the Rev. Judith Campbell, a UU minister who recently published her first mystery novel, A Deadly Mission. (Cape Cod Times – 8.29.10)

The Rev. Elizabeth Linton Greene, minister of the Boise Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Idaho, writes about the value of Beliefnet’s Belief-O-Matic, which helps you determine what faith is right for you. (IdahoStatesman.com – 8.28.10)

A conversation among members of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of New Bern, N.C., about serving the community led to the formation of a support group for the unemployed and underemployed. (New Bern Sun Journal – 8.30.10)

The Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva, Ill., and the Fox Valley Jewish Neighbors are hosting a community celebration of the International Day of Peace, featuring children’s activities, documentaries, and speakers. (Suburban Life Publications – 9.1.10)

Breda May, a member of the First Unitarian Society of Plainfield, N.J., is part of a group of volunteers at the church who are training to be mentors to at-risk youth in the community. (myCentralJersy.com – 8.29.10)

Volunteers from 13 congregations, including the Unitarian Universalist Church of Asheville, N.C., began work on a Habitat for Humanity’s Interfaith House. (Asheville Citizen-Times – 8.28.10)

Chris Walton contributed to this week’s blog.

Religious leaders defend proposed NYC Islamic center

CNN reports that a group of 60 interfaith leaders, including the Rev. Anne Felton Hines, minister of Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church in Canoga Park, Calif., are speaking in support of the controversial proposal to build an Islamic center near New York’s “Ground Zero.” (CNN – 8.20.10)

The Jewish Journal of Greater L.A. also covered the interfaith group’s press conference, during which the Rev. Anne Felton Hines read a statement affirming “the right of Muslim Americans to build a house of worship like any other American, at any location according to local ordinances and U.S. law.” (The Jewish Journal of Greater L.A. – 8.20.10)

UU martyr mentioned on ‘Mad Men,’ ‘Variety’ blog

A Variety blog post discussing a new episode of the popular TV series Mad Men refers readers to a UU World article about the Rev. James Reeb because a voiceover in the episode mentions Reeb’s death. Reeb, a UU minister from Massachusetts, was killed in Selma, Ala., while there to demonstrate for black rights. The Variety blogger identifies herself as a UU, saying, “I am proud to be a Unitarian Universalist and to support in my own small way movements for social justice and equality.” (Variety – 8.23.10)

Eco-friendly churches, the importance of questions, and more

The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames, Iowa, is leading by example in the realm of solar power, becoming the first customer to have solar panels connected to the Ames Electrical Services power grid. (Ames Tribune – 8.24.10)

The Towson Unitarian Universalist Church in Lutherville, Md., was awarded $5,000 for dramatically reducing its carbon footprint. (Explore Baltimore County – 8.24.10)

Guest columnist the Rev. Tess Baumberger, minister of the Unity Church of North Easton, Mass., writes about repairing your relationship to the world. (Mansfield News – 8.20.10)

Sara Lewis, director of religious education at the Olympia, Wash., Unitarian Universalist Congregation, explains why questions are often more important than answers. (TheNewsTribune.com – 8.21.10)

The Rev. Rob Robinson, executive director of A Third Place Community Foundation, which runs a community center and food pantry in Turley, Okla., says the group has a plan to buy an abandoned block and turn it into a community garden. Robinson has previously been featured in InterConnections, the UUA’s newsletter for congregational leaders. (Tulsa World – 8.27.10, InterConnections – 7.15.08)

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Pueblo, Colo., has created an unusual new labyrinth. (Pueblo Chieftain – 8.21.10)

The Albany Times Union has a slideshow of photos from the recent Blessings of the Animals service at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (Albany Times Union – 8.23.10)

The First Unitarian Universalist Church of Springfield, Mo., held an open house to let community members learn more about the congregation and the faith. (News-Leader.com – 8.21.10)

The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Durango, Colo., is one of several local faith groups focused on studying immigration issues. (The Durango Herald – 8.21.10)

Workers find 100,000 bees in UU church

The Boston Globe reports that construction workers doing restoration work on the roof of the historic First Church of Christ Unitarian in Lancaster, Mass., discovered an enormous hive containing 100,000 bees. (Boston Globe – 8.14.10)

See also: Sticky Situation: Giant Beehive Found In Church (WCVB-TV – 8.13.10)

Welcoming transgender people, growing church gardens, and more

The Unitarian Universalist Church in Cherry Hill, N.J., is working to be a welcoming community for transgender people and is advocating on behalf of transgender rights. (Asbury Park Press – 8.16.10)

The historic Unitarian Universalist Church in Savannah, Ga., got an energy audit and is looking for federal funding to help pay for needed building updates. (Savannah Morning News – 8.14.10)

Congregants at the Countryside Church Unitarian Universalist in Palatine, Ill., have been so successful with their church garden this year that they have been able to donate fresh produce to the local food pantry. (Chicago Daily Herald – 8.14.10)

Hundreds of people, including members of the Fargo-Moorhead Unitarian Universalist Church, were on hand for the 10th annual F-M Pride Parade in Fargo, N.D. (In-Forum – 8.16.10)

Enjoy a UU’s baba ghanouj recipe from Food For All, the 50th anniversary cookbook of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Hagerstown, Md. (The Herald-Mail – 8.18.10)

The Rev. Maureen White is the new interim minister at the Henry David Thoreau Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fort Bend County in Stafford, Tex. (Ultimate Fort Bend – 8.17.10)

UUA president arrested at Phoenix protest

The Boston Globe ran an article about the arrests of UUA President the Rev. Peter Morales and the Rev. Wendy von Zirpolo, of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Marblehead, Mass., both of whom were detained during a protest in Phoenix on July 29. (Boston Globe – 8.11.10)

In the Huffington Post, Morales reflects on his arrest at the SB 1070 protest in Phoenix. (Huffington Post – 8.7.10)

See also: A video of UUA Moderator Gini Courter at the July 29 jailhouse vigil in Arizona is available on UUA.org.

Hiroshima art, a $200,000 grant, and more

All Souls Church in Washington, D.C., sent paintings it received from Japanese school children in 1948 to Hiroshima recently to be shown during Peace Week. (Frederick News Post – 8.7.10)

See also: Children’s gifts redeemed ‘legacy of devastation’ (uuworld.org – 4.20.09)

The Unitarian Church in Charleston, S.C., will receive a $200,000 federal grant for interior building restoration work as part of the Save America’s Treasures program. (Charleston Post Courier – 8.7.10)

See also: Gothic ornaments crown a S.C. Unitarian church (UU World – Spring 2010)

Starting this month, the First Parish in Brewster, Mass., has called a lesbian couple–the Revs. Mary Ganz and JD Benson–to share the duties of senior minister. (Cape Cod Times – 8.8.10)

The Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara, Calif., voiced its support for the recent ruling that said Proposition 8, which limits marriage in the state to being between one man and one woman, violates the federal constitutional rights of gay and lesbian people. (The Daily Sound – 8.8.10)

UUs demonstrate for immigration reform

The Rev. Melissa Carvill-Ziemer from the Unitarian Universalist Church of Kent, Ohio, was arrested in Phoenix while protesting Arizona’s new immigration law. Listen to WKSU’s Jeff St.Clair interview her. (WKSU News – 8.5.10)

Kim Bobo, executive director of Interfaith Worker Justice, writes about the UUA’s successful work for immigration reform and what lessons others in the faith community might learn from the UUA’s example. (Religion Dispatches – 8.5.10)

Twenty UU ministers were among those arrested in Phoenix while protesting the implementation of Arizona Senate Bill 1070. (Examiner.com – 7.30.10)

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Greensboro, N.C., held a Standing on the Side of Love vigil in support of immigrant rights. Article includes short video. (WFMY News 2 – 7.31.10)

More on UUs and the Arizona protests

Protests become celebrations, followed by disorder (Arizona Capitol Times – 7.30.10)

Dozens Protest Arizona Law in Santa Cruz (SantaCruz.com – 7.30.10)

Cleveland Heights minister travels to Arizona to protest immigration law (Sun Star Courier – 8.5.10)

Call out the Posse the Unitarians are in town (Examiner.com – 7.30.10)

Immigration rally attracts 15 in the rain (Greensboro News & Record – 8.1.10)

Advice for Anne Rice, a marriage equality rally, and more

The Rev. Debra Haffner, director of the Religious Institute and a community minister with the Unitarian Church in Westport, Ct., writes in the Washington Post in response to author Anne Rice’s decision to leave Christianity. (Washington Post – 8.3.10)

Same-sex marriage supporters gathered at the First Unitarian Church of Sioux City, Iowa, for a Standing on the Side of Love service and rally. (Sioux City Journal – 8.1.10)

A new garden at the Universalist Unitarian Church in Joliet, Ill., will provide fresh produce to help feed the hungry. (Joliet Herald News – 8.5.10)

UU ministers protest as SB 1070 takes effect

The Rev. Pallas Stanford of the UU Fellowship of the Santa Cruz County, and the Rev. Gregory Scott Ward of the UU Church of the Monterey Peninsula, were among the more than 20 UU clergy arrested in Phoenix while protesting Arizona’s immigration law SB 1070, which went into effect this week. (The Arizona Republic – 7.29.10)

The Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray of the UU Church in Phoenix joined a large group that blocked an entrance to the Fourth Avenue Jail in an attempt to slow a crime sweep they felt was designed specifically to arrest undocumented immigrants. (The Arizona Republic – 7.30.10)

UUA president, ministers weigh in on immigration

UUA President Peter Morales wrote an opinion piece on the need for immigration reform in the Washington Post‘s “On Faith” section: “We must continue to advocate for comprehensive immigration reform. We helped to create this crisis. It is our job to fix the mess we have made.” (Washington Post – 7.29.10)

Morales also wrote a piece for the Huffington Post explaining his decision to join the protests in Arizona: “I will be there to defend the America I believe in–a country that rewards hard work, protects privacy, and guarantees civil and human rights for all. We must act now before we betray our deepest American values and damage the soul of our nation.” (Huffington Post – 7.28.10)

The Rev. Josh Pawelek, minister of the UU Society: East in Manchester, N.H., wrote a similar piece for the Hartford Courant: “Our nation needs immigration reform desperately, but let us achieve it in a manner that respects the integrity of undocumented people and honors their contributions to our society.” (Hartford Courant – 7.25.10)

More national, local coverage

President Morales and other UUs also appeared in the following national and local media coverage of the SB 1070 controversy:

What’s the buzz about immigration law? (CNN.com – 7.29.10)

Bishops, other faith leaders commend ruling on Arizona immigration law (The Catholic Review – 7.29.10)

For Faith Leaders, SB 1070 Ruling Is Bittersweet (New America Media – 7.29.10)

Realizarán religiosos vigilias pese a bloqueo parcial a ley SB 1070 (El Financiero – 7.28.10)

Local Group Headed To Arizona To Monitor Law (10 News – 7.28.10)

Faithful protest Arizona law (The Columbus Dispatch – 7.22.10)

Judge Blocks Part of AZ Immigration Law (KPSP Local 2 – 7.28.10)

Santa Cruz marchers protest Arizona immigration law (San Jose Mercury News – 7.29.10)

Arizona law stirs SCV debate (Santa Clarita Valley Signal – 7.29.10)

Vigil calls for true immigration reform (Kenosha News – 7.29.10)

Local Man Arrested In Ariz. Law Protests (KSBW – 7.29.10)

Dear Abby recommends UUism, teens build LEED house, and more

The Guardian marks the bicentennial of Unitarian author Elizabeth Gaskell’s birth. (The Guardian – 7.20.10)

In her July 27 advice column, Dear Abby recommended Unitarian Universalism to a “New Mom” (scroll down the page) who wanted to take her child to church but didn’t agree with the teachings of her own childhood religion. (uexpress.com – 7.27.10)

A group of teens and adults from the Morristown, N.J., Unitarian Fellowship spent a week building a LEED-designated home for a family seeking asylum from Congo. (Charlotte Observer – 7.25.10)

The Huntsville Item profiles James Moore, coordinator of Sam Houston State University English Language Institute and a member of the the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Huntsville, Tex. (Huntsville Item – 7.24.10)

Two UU teens appear in this Charlotte Observer article about an interfaith summer camp in North Carolina. (Charlotte Observer – 7.26.10)

A district attorney ruled that the 41-year-old woman who brought a loaded gun into a service at the Unitarian Universalist West Church in Brookfield, Wisc., won’t be charged. (todaystmj4.com – 7.20.10)

Members of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Somerset Hills, N.J., prepare to move into their newly purchased church. (NJ.com – 7.21.10)



UUs continue to call attention to Arizona

M & C, a trade journal for the convention industry, touches upon the UUA’s debate about GA 2012 in its discussion of the harmful effects of SB 1070. (Meetings and Conventions, 7.1.10)

The Social Action Committee of the Humboldt Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Bayside, Calif., publishes its resolution regarding Arizona’s SB 1070 law. (Times-Standard, 7.21.10)

Prioritizing the environment

The Staunton News Leader references the UUA and its environmentalist activism in its profile of eco-friendly religious movements. (Staunton News Leader, 7.18.10)

Bill Perry, an active member of the First Unitarian Church of Honolulu, celebrates his 100th birthday by inviting guests to donate to the church’s Perry Environmental Fund. (Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7.17.10)

UU blogger’s comments go viral, and more

One UU blogger’s speculations about Mississippi Public Broadcasting attract the attention of the mainstream media. Read about it at Gawker, The Huffington Post, and the Rachel Maddow Show’s blog.

UU and interfaith activist Jan Spiller writes about how she makes sure that UU principles inform her life. (TheNewsTribune.com, 7.17.10)

UUs in the interfaith community

The Chicago Tribune reports on the interfaith possibilities of the merging of Meadville Lombard and Andover Newton Theological Schools. (Chicago Tribune, 7.12.10)

UPI.com reports on the same possibility. (UPI.com, 7.13.10)

Main Line Unitarian Church is honored for its significant contributions to the Interfaith Hospitality Network of Main Line, Pa., a group that provides resources to homeless families. (Main Line Media News, 7.14.10)

Churches celebrate milestones

The Unitarian Meeting House on Nantucket Island, Mass., once again boasts a working organ made in 1831. (The Inquirer and Mirror,7.16.10)

The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of St. Augustine, Fla., begins its yearlong Silver Anniversary Celebration with theater for the community. (Staugustine.com, 7.16.10)

Examining dreams, meeting with soldiers, and more

A local columnist for Montana’s Bozeman Daily Chronicle draws wisdom and guidance from a Unitarian Universalist. (Bozeman Daily Chronicle, 7.12.10)

UUs take the lead in forming “dream groups,” where people can come to share and decipher their dreams. (New York Times, 7.9.10)

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Kent, Ohio, continues to seek approval to move from its location in residential zoning to the local Twin Lakes Country Club. (Ravenna Record Courier, 7.13.10)

The Ventura County Star profiles retiring UU minister Betty Stapleford of the Conejo Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Conejo Valley, Calif. (Ventura County Star, 7.13.10)

Leo Barrington of the Allen Avenue Unitarian Universalist Church in Portland, Maine, writes for the Portland Press Herald about his experience meeting IDF soldiers working for peace in Israel. (Portland Press Herald, 7.16.10)

UUs march for social justice

UUs join a diverse crowd marching for GLBT rights in Victoria, British Columbia. (Vancouver Sun – 7.5.10)

And UUs in New Bedford march for peace in their community. (SouthCoastToday.com – 7.6.10)

Getting more eco-friendly, guns in church, and more

The Unitarian Universalist Church of the Desert in Rancho Mirage, Calif., looking to be more eco-friendly, expands its participation in the Green Sanctuary program. (MyDesert.com – 7.4.10)

Southwest Unitarian Church, a new church in Cleveland, Ohio, will open its doors this fall. (Cleveland.com – 7.7.10)

The Rev. Tess Baumberger of the Unity Church of North Easton, Mass. writes about “healing core-wounds.” (Register-Mail – 7.7.10)

And a woman carried a gun into a UU church as a silent protest for gun rights in Brookfield, Wisc. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – 7.8.10)

Minneapolis takes note of General Assembly

The Minnesota Independent and Citypages report on House Representative Keith Ellison’s speech to UUs at GA in Minneapolis. Check out the embedded video to watch Ellison’s speech. (Minnesota Independent, CityPages – 7.1.10)

UUs on the environment, theological diversity

UUs in Massachusetts join an interfaith community praying for the earth’s recovery from the oil spill. (“The Republican,” 6.30.10)

The Clifton Unitarian Universalist Church in Kentucky holds a sustainability fair to educate citizens about how to live greener lives. (Louisville Courier-Journal, 6.25.10)

Patch.com interviews a Unitarian Universalist minister in Westchester, N.Y., about the theological diversity of our faith. (Patch.com, 6.27.10)