UU human rights lawyer calls for end to torture

The Rev. Karen Tse, a UU minister and human rights lawyer, says that in the Year of the Dragon, it is time for us to finally stop torture. Watch Tse’s 12-minute TED talk on CNN, and read a profile of her from UU World. (CNN.com – 1.22.12, UU World – Winter 2007)

Church’s rare silver sells for $1.72 million

Last week I pointed to this great Sotheby’s video, which gives the background on a collection of rare silver being auctioned off by the First Parish Church of Dorchester, Mass., and features interviews with church members. This week, the Boston Globe reports that the congregation sold several pieces from the collection, bringing in about $1.72 million, which will be used for building restoration work. (Sotheby’s – January 2012, Boston Globe – 1.21.12)

Assisted suicide, leather spirituality, and more

The Washington Post has a lengthy profile and slideshow about Lawrence Egbert, a retired anesthesiologist and UU from Baltimore, Md., who has made headlines for his work with assisted suicide. Site may require registration to view this article. (Washington Post – 1.22.12)

Huffington Post blogger and UU Amy Shiner is looking for an integration of her spiritual and sexual life. (Huffington Post – 1.24.12)

As part of a continuing series on local houses of worship, the Martha’s Vineyard Times profiles the UU Society of Martha’s Vineyard. (Martha’s Vineyard Times – 1.25.12)

The Rev. Amy Brooks, minister of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Lake Norman in Davidson, N.C., is working to promote faith-based environmentalism. (Charlotte Observer – 1.25.12)

To mark the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, members of Harbor Unitarian Universalist Church in Muskegon, Mich., gathered to discuss reproductive justice and sexual freedom. (WZZM – 1.21.12)

John Sutterby, who serves the All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church in Brownsville, Tex., will perform same-sex marriage ceremonies as part of a marriage equality event in February. (KGBT-TV – 1.22.12)

The Statesman Journal profiles newly ordained UU minister the Rev. Lise Adams Sherry. (Statesman Journal – 1.22.12)

Video details Massachusetts church’s historic silver

A Sotheby’s video giving background on a collection of rare silver being auctioned off by the First Parish Church of Dorchester, Mass., features interviews with the Rev. Arthur Levoie and other congregation members, shots of the interior and exterior of the building, the neighborhood, and, of course, the historic silver. The 4-minute video has such high production values you’ll feel like you’re watching Masterpiece Theatre. (Sotheby’s – January 2012)

Martin Luther King Jr remembered, and more

The Central Unitarian Church in Paramus, N.J., hosted a Martin Luther King Jr. Day event that included a speech from a local who worked with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and the recognition of local students who carry on King’s legacy. (North Jersey.com – 1.18.12)

First Unitarian Universalist Church and Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church in Nashville, Tenn., celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. at a joint service. (NewsChannel5 – 1.15.12)

The Rev. Robert Murphy, minister of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Falmouth, Mass., reflects on Martin Luther King Jr. and the time for social and economic change

See related: A passion for environmental justice (UU World – Winter 2011)

The Rev. Mark Kiyimba, of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Kampala, Uganda, spoke in Maryland about his campaign against homophobia in his home country. (Metro Weekly – 1.18.12)

See related: Ugandan UUs oppose anti-homosexuality bill (uuworld.org – 2.22.10)

As temperatures in the Pacific Northwest dropped, the 24-bed shelter at the First Unitarian Fellowship of Nanaimo, British Columbia, was expected to reach near capacity. (Daily News – 1.17.12)

The Unitarian Universalist Church in Reading, Mass., is partnering with the Food Project of the North Shore. (Wilmington Advocate – 1.14.12)

The First Unitarian Universalist Church of Youngstown, Ohio, called the Rev. Matt Alspaugh as its minister following two and a half years of his serving there as a consulting minister. (Youngstown Vindicator – 1.14.12)

UUSC continues recovery work in Haiti

Wendy Flick, who runs the UU Service Committee’s relief program in Haiti, is interviewed in a Chronicle of Philanthropy article about continuing earthquake-recovery work in Haiti and the complications of land disputes. (Chronicle of Philanthropy – 1.11.12)

UU, documentary subject discusses film

The South Whidbey Record interviews the Rev. Dr. Marilyn Sewell, the subject of a feature-length documentary film about the now-retired minister from Portland, Oregon. (South Whidbey Record – 1.12.11)

Read a 2011 UU World Q&A with Sewell in which she discusses the filming experience. (UU World – Fall 2011)

Minister on ‘gayest city’ status, and more

In a TV news segment, the Rev. Chris Buice, minister of the Tennessee Valley UU Church in Knoxville, reacts to news that The Advocate has named Knoxville the “8th gayest city in America.” (WVLT – 1.9.12)

The DuPage UU Church in Naperville, Ill., joined other groups across the country in commemorating the Jan. 8, 2011, shooting in Tucson, Ariz., with a vigil that also remembered others who have been lost to gun violence. (Chicago Sun-Times – 1.11.12)

Three Dallas-Fort Worth-area UU congregations are working to earn Green Sanctuary status from the UUA. (Pegasus News – 1.9.12)

The UU Church of Ogden, Utah, announced that the Occupy Ogden General Assembly has voted to disband its camp at the church. (Standard-Examiner – 1.9.12)

UUs at Christmastime

The Rev. Wendy von Zirpolo, of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Marblehead, Mass., and the UU Wolinski family are interviewed in a Boston Globe article about families celebrating both Christmas and Hanukkah. (Boston.com – 12.25.11)

The Rev. Dr. Julia Corbett-Hemeyer, community minister for the Unitarian Universalist Church of Muncie, Ind., writes about the “December dilemma” she faces as a UU Buddhist. (Muncie Star Press – 12.21.11)

The 300-year-old First Unitarian Church of Norton, Mass., held its first Christmas service in more than fifty years. The congregation had dwindled to just two members, but new leadership in the form of the Rev. Christana Wille McKnight, has brought new life to the church over the past year. (Boston.com – 12.24.11, The Sun Chronicle – 12.23.11)

The words and music to the song now know as “Jingle Bells” were written by James Lord Pierpont, music director of his brother’s Unitarian church in Savannah. (Boston.com – 12.28.11)

The “Angry Bear Blog” on Business Insider picked up a sermon by the Rev. Nathan Detering, of the First Parish UU Area Church in Sherborn, Mass., on “How Unitarians Saved Christmas.” (Business Insider – 12.24.11)

After 14 months of renovations, the 177-year-old Unitarian Universalist First Parish in Brewster, Mass., reopened in time for four Christmas Eve services. (Wicked Local – 12.23.11)

UU on 102 years of life lessons, and more

Maine UU Beatrice Robbins, who turned 102 on January 2nd, says that in life, “the important thing is to do it.” (Kennebec Journal – 1.2.12)

Melissa Harris-Perry, a UU scholar who gave the Ware Lecture in Salt Lake City in 2009, was named the host of a two-hour weekend show on MSNBC. (MediaBistro – 1.5.12)

The Rev. Scott Alexander, minister of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Vero Beach, Fla., is planning a 3,300-mile bicycle ride across the United States to raise $50,000 for hunger causes. (TCPalm – 12.26.11)

Randy Bradley, a short book published by the Rev. Jake Morrill, minister of the Oak Ridge, Tenn., Unitarian Universalist Church, is “a story of family entanglement, fury and grief.” (Knoxville News Sentinel – 12.27.11)

As 2011 came to a close, the Rev. Rhett Baird, minister of High Street Unitarian Universalist Church in Macon, Ga., wrote about new beginnings. (Macon Telegraph – 12.31.11)

The Gloucester Times profiles the Rev. Susan Moran, interim minister of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Rockport, Mass. (Gloucester Daily Times – 12.23.11)

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Minnetonka, Minn., and the City of Wayzata reached a settlement, ending a four-year dispute over zoning restrictions. (KSTP.com – 12.23.11)

See also: Wayzata congregation wins dispute with city (Minneapolis Star Tribune – 12.28.11)

Minister’s abolishing torture talk a ‘Best of 2011’

The Rev. Karen Tse’s TED talk, “Abolishing Torture,” was selected as #3 in the “Best of TED 2011 Countdown” by TED and the Huffington Post. UU World profiled Tse, a UU community minister and director of International Bridges to Justice, in 2007.

UU activist named ‘person of the year’

Spanish-language paper Frontera named UU and immigrant rights activist Mar Cárdenas Person of the Year. Cárdenas, South Bay ministry team coordinator for the UU Church of San Diego, was arrested in Phoenix in 2010 during protests against Arizona’s anti-illegal immigration law SB1070. (Frontera – 12.20.11)

See also: 29 UUs arrested in Phoenix protest (uuworld.org – 8.2.10)

Fifty years in a manger, a Unitarian carol, and more

Member Billy Hobbs has performed in the Nativity play at First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church in Portland, Maine, for 50 consecutive years. (Press Herald – 12.17.11)

The carol “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear,” written by Unitarian minister the Rev. Edmund Hamilton Sears in Wayland, Mass., may have had its roots in his time spent in the town of Lancaster, Mass. (Sentinel and Enterprise – 12.19.11)

See also: It Came Upon a Unitarian Midnight Clear (UU World – November/December 2002)

Members of First Unitarian Church of Rochester, N.Y., are expected to donate between $50,000 and $80,000 to a juvenile delinquency prevention program. (Rochester Democrat and Chronicle – 12.18.11)

Since 2008, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Salem, Ore., has given about $10,000 to its Microfinance Project, but in 2012 it will add another $5,000. (Statesman Journal – 12.21.11)

This lengthy article about emergency homeless shelter system in Illinois’s McHenry County begins at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Woodstock. (Northwest Herald – 12.19.11)

The Rev. Jay Leach, of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Charlotte, N.C., joined other clergy at the Lowes Mooresville headquarters to talk to the company about reinstating their advertising on the TLC reality show All-American Muslim. Lowes pulled its advertising after receiving complaints from conservative groups. (Charlotte Observer – 12.21.11)

Members of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Brunswick, Maine, watched as the remains of their 126-year-old building, which was damaged by fire in June, were demolished. (WCSH-TV – 12.20.11)

Vandals targeted the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Eau Claire, Wisc., leaving six graffiti markings on its building. (WEAU-TV 13 – 12.20.11)

This article about pagans in British Columbia talks about the annual Yule celebrations at the Vancouver Unitarian Church. (Vancouver Sun – 12.18.11)

The UU Congregation of the South Fork in Bridgehampton, N.Y., and the First Universalist Church in Minneapolis, Minn., opened their doors to the community for their annual winter solstice celebrations. (The Sag Harbor Express, Minneapolis Star Tribune – 12.16.11)

Holiday break

Season’s greetings from UU World. Our offices will be closed for the holidays December 26 to January 3. UUs in the Media will return on January 6. See you next year!

UUs reflect on Christmas issues

Attorney and political activist Morris Goodman reflects on Christmas from the standpoint of a Jewish Unitarian Universalist. (Dearborn Press and Guide – 12.13.11)

Jennifer Nichols, district director for lifespan faith development for the UUA’s Southwest District, expresses her opinion in an article about the debate over “Merry Christmas” vs. “Happy Holidays.” (Victoria Advocate – 12.12.11)

Congregations, individuals connect with community, world

The Rev. Barbara Meyers and the Rev. Jeremy Nickel, both of the Mission Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Fremont, Calif., talk about the congregation’s involvement in the local Occupy movement. (Fremont Bulletin – 12.8.11)

Harbor UU Congregation in Muskegon, Mich., is offering free condoms to the community to help prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. (MLive.com – 12.14.11)

The First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Terre Haute, Ind., took part in an international candle lighting in memory of lost children. (Tribune Star – 12.12.11)

See also: Lights of Compassion (WTHI – 12.12.11)

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Rock Tavern, N.Y., has started a War Healing Circle for veterans, civilians, and active duty military and their families. (Goshen Chronicle – 12.9.11)

The Baltimore Sun profiles Dana Sohr, a member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia, Md., who was inspired by his son’s religious education class to get involved in social action. (Baltimore Sun – 12.12.11)

‘Family Guy’ writer details upsetting Occupy L.A. arrest

Patrick Meighan, a writer on the animated sitcom “Family Guy” and a member of the UU Community Church of Santa Monica, Calif., detailed his upsetting arrest at Occupy Los Angeles in a blog post (where he also states his UU affiliation). His description of the unsettling ordeal caught the attention of the media, who picked up the story. Culver City Crossroads ran the entire post as a Letter to the Editor. (LA Weekly 12.7, Herald Sun 12.8, Culver City Crossroads – 12.9)

See also:

‘Family Guy’ Guy Busted at Occupy L.A. (TakePart – 12.7.11)

FOX Employee Tells of Police Brutality at the ‘Peaceful’ Occupy LA Raid (FishbowlLA – 12.7.11)

‘Family Guy’ Writer Arrested During Occupy L.A. Raid Shares His Anger In Vivid Account (LAist – 12.7.11)

Web journalism, humanist at the holidays, and more

In part one of a three-part series, former UU World editor and president of the Banyan Project, Tom Stites, looks at the current state of web journalism and suggests a model for the future. (Nieman Journalism Lab – 12.7.11)

The Rev. Tess Baumberger, minister of Unity Church of North Easton, Mass., writes about the challenges and joys of being a humanist at the holidays. (Wicked Local Easton – 12.3.11)

The Rev. Steven Protzman, minister of the UU Society of Iowa City, Iowa, is interviewed in an article about openly gay clergy. (Campus Progress – 12/7/11)

As legislation allowing same-sex couples to wed in religious buildings was about to go into effect, Derek McAuley, chief officer of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Church in Great Britain, released a statement to make it clear that same-sex couples are welcome to join in civil partnerships at Unitarian churches. (Pink Paper – 12.3.11)

Kitty Emery, a UU, is quoted in a story about an interfaith group of people who participated in an Alabama march for religious freedom. (WALA-TV – 12.4.11)

An act of resistance by the Rev. Jeremy Nickel, minister of Mission Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Fremont, Calif., inspired Occupy movement supporters to organize Fremont’s first Occupy event. (San Jose Mercury News – 12.1.11)

A UU church gets a brief mention in an article about LGBT rights. (Huffington Post – 12.7.11)

This is a lovely photo of the two steeples of the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church in Milton, Mass. (Patriot Ledger – 12.1.11)

Zach Wahls in the spotlight again

It has been quite a year for 20-year-old Iowa UU Zach Wahls. After a video of his testimony before the Iowa House Judiciary Committee about the normalcy of his two-mom family become an internet sensation, he was interviewed in newspapers, on MSNBC’s The Last Word, and on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Just as his life was starting to quiet down, MoveOn.org promoted his video again on November 30, setting off a second wave of internet fame that bumped viewership of his YouTube video to more than 10 million. The Washington Post has a new interview with Wahls, and both The Advocate and Time have articles about his second round of celebrity. Wahls wrote an essay reflecting on his UU upbringing and his experience before the Iowa House in UU World‘s Winter 2011 issue, just before the new media frenzy started.

And just in case all of that media attention wasn’t enough, Salon named Wahls one of its “Sexiest Men of 2011.” Congratulations, Zach!

Occupy movement still going strong

Churches, including the First Unitarian Church of Portland, Ore., are working to help the Occupy movement in the face of city crackdowns and cold weather. (Washington Post – 11.29.11)

A UU church offered its kitchen for cooking and storing food so that Occupy demonstrators in Augusta, Maine, could have Thanksgiving dinner. (The Republic – 11.23.11)

The eco-preserve of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort Myers, Fla., is the new gathering place for the local Occupy movement. (WINK News – 11.18.11)

First Church in Jamaica Plain Unitarian Universalist, located near Boston, said that despite supporting the movement, it will not be hosting Occupy JP’s campers on its lawn. (Jamaica Plain Gazette – 11.29.11)

The Rev. Eleanor Rice, of the Springfield, Vt., UU Church, co-organized a local Occupy event that attracted 50 people and a goat. (Rutland Herald – 11.23.11)

Teaching sex-ed, UUs donate their weight in food, and more

Page 2 of a lengthy New York Times Magazine article on sex-ed includes references to UU-created sexuality education curricula About Your Sexuality and Our Whole Lives. (New York Times – 11.16.11)

See also: Forty years of UU sexuality education (UU World – Winter 2011)

Organizers got creative during this year’s food drive at South Church, UU, in Portsmouth, N.H., challenging members to donate their weight in food. And they did, bringing in more than 8,000 pounds of food. (Foster’s Daily Democrat – 11.21.11)

Members of the All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Okla., voted to accept a gift of property that will help the nation’s largest UU church return to a downtown location after more than fifty years. (Tulsa World – 11.22.11)

First Unitarian Society in Madison, Wisc., has had such success working with microfinancing that members have created an online microfinance starter kit to inspire and help other groups that want to join the movement. (Wisconsin State Journal – 11.20.11)

The UU Church of Halifax, Nova Scotia, decided to host a Blue Christmas service, which recognizes that the holiday season isn’t a joyous time for everyone. (Halifax News Net – 11.29.11)

Ithaca Journal‘s “Then & Now” column looks at two Unitarian churches designed by architect William H. Miller in the 1800s. (Ithaca Journal – 11.25.11)

UUs stand by Occupy demonstrators

Three people from Starr King School for the Ministry, a UU seminary in Berkeley, Calif., are mentioned in a Salon.com article about arrests made during the evacuation of Occupy Oakland. (Salon – 11.14.11)

As police prepared to evict Occupy Portland demonstrators, local religious leaders, including the Rev. Kate Lore, social justice minister for the First UU Church of Portland, announced their intention to spend the night bearing witness in the hope of avoiding the sort of violent conflict that occurred in Oakland. (OregonLive.com – 11.11.11)

In her Sunday sermon, the Rev. Theresa Novak, minister of the UU Church of Ogden, Utah, said she thinks the Occupy movement is “completely in sync with Unitarian Universalism and our Seven Principles.” The congregation is serving as a temporary camping site for demonstrators, and also held a candlelight vigil and march in honor of an Occupy participant who died in a tent in Salt Lake City. (StandardNet – 11.11.11, 11.13.11)

The Occupy encampment on the lawn of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ogden got an influx of new campers after Occupy Salt Lake City’s Pioneer Park Camp was shut down. (Salt Lake Tribune – 11.16.11)

See also: Two churches become Occupy sites (uuworld.org – 11.14.11)

For the next month, the Unitarian Society of Northampton and Florence, Mass., has agreed to allow up to 10 Occupy Northampton protesters to camp on the congregation’s front lawn. (MassLive.com – 11.16.11)

See also: Occupy Northampton sets up camp on front lawn of Unitarian Society (GazetteNET – 11.16.11)

Nude calendar attracting international attention

A First Parish in Framingham, Mass., fundraising calendar featuring older male members nude has been selling as far away as Ireland, Germany, and New Zealand, and was even used in a “Tonight Show’’ parody. (Boston Globe – 11.17.11)

Halloween event sparks debate, churches win environmental honors, and more

Honolulu Magazine interviews the Rev. Dr. Jonipher Kwong, the first openly gay minister of the First Unitarian Church of Honolulu, as well as its first Asian minister. (HonoluluMagazine.com – November 2011)

A Halloween-themed fundraiser held at a local cemetery by the Harbor UU Congregation in Muskegon, Mich., angered a group of locals who called the event “disrespectful of the dead as well as the living members of their families.” (Muskegon Chronicle – 11.12.11)

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Eugene, Ore., received a Trashbuster Award for its work to recycle a range of materials from the 18,000-square-foot building it is renovating. (The Register-Guard – 11.12.11)

The American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment named the First Unitarian Society Meeting House in Madison, Wisc., one of the top 10 “green” building projects for 2011. (AZoBuild – 11.17.11)

The Rev. Wendy von Zirpolo, minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Marblehead, Mass., speaks out in support of immigrants. (Wicked Local – 11.11.11)

The Rev. Suzanne Marsh, minister of the Magic Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Twin Falls, Idaho, talks about Unitarian Universalism.(Twin Falls Times-News – 11.14.11)

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron, Ohio, is celebrating the 50th birthday of its current building. (Akron Leader Publications – 11.10.11)

Holiday break

To our U.S. readers, we wish you a very happy Thanksgiving holiday. UUs in the Media will return on Friday, December 2.

UU congregations, ministers welcome Occupy movement

First Unitarian Universalist Church of Burlington, Vt., has been temporarily opened to Occupy Burlington demonstrators after an apparent suicide at the Occupy encampment led the city to close the occupied park. (Burlington Free Press – 11.11.11)

The Unitarian Society of Northampton and Florence, Mass., extended a conditional invitation to demonstrators participating in Occupy Northampton to use the congregation’s lawn for a long-term encampment. (GazetteNET – 11.5.11)

A small group of people—and two cats—have been camping outside of the UU Church of Ogden, Utah, as part of Occupy Ogden. (StandardNet – 11.9.11)

Several UU ministers are among the faith leaders in California who are participating in the Occupy Oakland demonstrations. (Oakland North – 11.8.11)

Chaplains on post-DADT ministering, and more

Military Chaplain the Rev. Chris Antal, a UU minister, is interviewed in a story about the ministering opportunities the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” has given progressive chaplains. (Dallas Voice – 11.3.11)

The Rev. Bill Freeman, minister of Harbor UU Congregation in Muskegon, Mich., will be arraigned on charges of disorderly conduct for refusing to leave Holland City Hall after a city council meeting until the council voted in favor of changing the city’s non-discrimination ordinances to include sexual orientation and gender identity. (HollandSentinel.com – 11.8.11)

Two UU ministers are quoted in an article about Latino immigrants in Milford, Mass., being harassed after an alleged illegal immigrant was charged with drunken driving and vehicular homicide this summer. (Worcester Telegram – 11.8.11)

Members of the Unitarian Church of Cork, Ireland, are hoping to find a way to restore their historic 1717 building. (Irish Times – 11.8.11)

The Denton Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Tex., has started an LGBTQ youth program. (Dallas Voice – 11.3.11)

The Rev. Scott Rudolph is the new minister of the UU Church of North Hills in Pittsburgh, Pa. (Pittsburgh Post Gazette – 11.3.11)