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.

Church targeted in arson

The First UU Church of San Diego, Calif., was targeted in a case of arson. The fire broke out in and around a shed on the property and spread to playground equipment and a storage room but was put out before it could damage the inside of the main building. (CBS8.com – 1.6.13)

Standing on the Side of Love on “Biggest Loser”

The Standing on the Side of Love campaign made a brief appearance on the season premiere of reality TV show “The Biggest Loser.” The opening montage on contestant Jackson Carter featured him standing in from of an SSL banner. He also spoke about how he was bullied for being gay, which contributed to his weight problem. The banner can be seen at the 12:12 mark in the video. (NBC.com – 1.6.13)

Two arrested after church break-in, and more

Two men were arrested for breaking into the UU Church of Owensboro, Ky. Upon apprehension, police discovered that the phone of one of the suspects contained sexually explicit photos of apparent minors. (SurfKY News – 1.9.13)

The First UU Church of Youngstown, Ohio, is having its damaged steeple removed. The congregation is exploring its options, which range from restoring the steeple to replacing it with solar panels or wind turbines. (Youngstown Vindicator – 1.10.13)

The Davies Memorial UU Church in Camp Springs, Md., was featured in a news broadcast covering the passing of same-sex marriage laws in Maryland. (NBC Channel 4/Youtube – 1.1.13)

Andy Reese, ministry associate at the UU Church of Augusta, Maine, is quoted in an article about the area’s largest interfaith event, “Keeping the Dream Alive: Why Dr. King Still Matters.” (The Augusta Chronicle – 1.11.13)

The Oak Ridge UU Church in Oak Ridge, Tenn., is considering buying land at the east end of town after agreeing to sell their current church so that the town can make a new shopping center. (Oak Ridger – 1.9.13, WBIR-TV – 10.1.12)

Michigan minister earns social justice award

The Rev. Bill Freeman, minister of Holland’s Interfaith Congregation and Harbor UU Church in Muskegon, Mich., will receive Holland’s Social Justice Award in the area of government and community relations. Freeman, who was jailed in 2011 for trespassing at City Hall during a protest for gay-rights, said he was honored, but “would gladly trade the award for the City Council to support gay rights.” (Grand Rapids Press – 12.31.12, 10.19.11)

Milestone marriages

Thanks to Washington State’s new same-sex marriage legislation, the Rev. Laura Shennum of the Cascade UU Fellowship in East Wenatchee was able to perform a wedding for two women who have been together 20 years, and grant them the same legal privileges as a married heterosexual couple. (The Wenatchee World – 12.29.12)

On Saturday, the Rev. Todd Eklof, minister of the UU Church of Spokane, Wash., performed his first marriage ceremony in almost a decade. In 2004, while a part-time minister at a church in Louisville, Ky., he announced that he wouldn’t perform marriages until same-sex couples could wed. (Salon – 12.27.12)

A sermon on violence, celebrating the Emancipation Proclamation, and more

The Hopedale Unitarian Parish in Hopedale, Mass., had a sermon on guns and violence in American society at a joint service with the First UU Church of Milford and the Unitarian Congregation of Mendon and Uxbridge. (Milford Daily News – 12.29.12)

On New Year’s Day, the Murray UU Church in Attleboro, Mass., heeded the call of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Committee of Greater Attleboro to participate in publicly marking the 150th anniversary of the moment that the Emancipation Proclamation was signed and became effective on Jan. 1, 1863. (The Sun Chronicle – 1.2.13)

Despite uncooperative weather, the First UU Society of Marietta, Ohio, with the Marietta Rowing and Cycling Club put together the 17th annual Marietta Holiday Lights Bicycle Tour, with cyclists riding through the city’s decorated downtown streets and neighborhoods before ending at the church for refreshments. (Parkersburg News – 12.27.12)

Members of the UU Fellowship of Kamloops, British Columbia, have chosen to take a stand against the proposed construction of the Ajax mine. (Kamloop’s Daily News – 1.4.13)