Homily
by Margaret Shaklee
April 29, 2012
This homily is both a tip of the hat and a wag of the finger.
Recently, your transition team conducted a series of cottage meetings to talk about what we learned from our look at our history in the timeline exercise and to think about how we want to be as we move forward with new ministry. One wish for ourselves that kept cropping up was to do more to let the Evanston community know what we stand for and to invite them more frequently to stand with us, to join us.
I would like to tell the stories of a few of the many times in our history when we did just that. Then I would like to suggest how that sort of event happened and how that might continue to happen for us.
Civil and human rights
In our history we have stood tall for civil and human rights.
For example, in 1998 and again in 2006, we brought to UCE and to Evanston touring exhibits that fostered the human rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. “Love makes a family” told stories through positive images to challenge and change damaging stereotypes about LGBT families. TheShower of Stoleswas silent witness to LGBT religious leaders in Protestant congregations, both those who have been welcomed into their churches and those who have been excluded because of their sexual orientation or gender identity; the Shower of Stoles is a program of the Institute for Welcoming Resources which fosters the Welcoming Congregation experience for LGBT people in Protestant churches.
While the Shower of Stoles was here, our knitting ministry learned about a national biennial conference of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America being held on Navy Pier the summer of 2007. The conference was to consider a resolution allowing clergy to minister to folks in same-sex relationships and to ordain gay and lesbian clergy. Our knitters thought that they could help raise the visibility of the issue by handing out rainbow stoles that supporters of the resolution could wear in silent witness to their conviction. The knitters recruited folks from UCE and other Unitarian congregations to knit and crochet some 800 rainbow stoles. At the plenary session, the stoles were such a visible demonstration of overwhelming support for the resolution from the rank and file,that the governing folks, who had expected the resolution NOT to pass, instead listened to the discussion and tabled the issue. Two years later, the conference met again and passed the resolution. We think our stoles might have swayed the vote toward success.
Peace
In our history we have stood tall for peace
For example, in September, 2005, Camp Casey and the “Bring them Home Now Tour” protesting the war in Iraq came to the front lawn of UCE, on its way to Washington D.C for a rally at the end of the month. Camp Casey was the name takenby the group of protesters camped outside President Bush’s summer ranch in Crawford Texas. They supported Cindy Sheehan, whose son Casey died in the war. The display that stood on the Ridge lawnwas a mass of crosses for soldiers who died in Iraq and their boots stood by the crosses. The display drew a crowd of hundreds to the speakers program in the evening.
In 2009, UCE members joined with the North Shore Peace Initiative on Mothers Day for “Take back Mothers’ Day for Peace.” The program in downtown Evanston called attention to the original meaning of Mothers’ Day. The day was established by peace activist Julia Ward Howe to be a time when mothers stood against war and the killing of sons. Julia Ward Howe stated her sentiments thus:
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy, and patience.
We, the women of one country,
Will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs.
Social service
And in events that go WAY back in our history, the congregation led the Evanston community in social service. In 1905 our young congregation caught the spirit of that great age of social improvement at the turn of the twentieth century. For five summers, they staged “Camp Good Will’near Central Street and Sherman Avenue. They invited poor families from Chicago to have a week’s respite and fresh air in the north woods of Evanston.
In the mid-60’s, UCE members and teens invitedchildren from nearby Dewey School for a twice a week program of tutoring, including opportunities to learn crafts, cooking, and sports. They then conducted a summer camp for their young charges as well.
Finally, we have connected with Good News Partners, a faith-based community organization of East Rogers Park, to help create safe and affordable housing for people struggling with poverty. And our UCEers have developed tutoring, craft and cooking programs for the children.
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These widely diverse programs all have one thing in common: They were suggested and developed by relative newcomers to our congregation. “Love Makes a family” was suggested by Teri Blommaert and Lori Nelson in their second year of membership. The Shower of Stoles was the idea of Cathy Deamant in her 8thyear. The stole-knitting idea was Tammy Besser’s in her 7th year.
Jeff Ayoub brought Camp Casey to UCE in his 4th year of membership. Mary Dudek had the idea for “Take back Mother’s Day for Peace” in her 6thyear.
Camp Good Will was proposed and organized by Julie Hintermeister, in her 2nd year of membership.The 1960’s tutoring program was the idea of BJ Wagner, a member of 4 years then. And Eileen Wiviott linked with Good News Partners in her 6th year.
And I could go on. Several of our campaigns were ideas of our new ministers: indeed, Lester Mondale, Ross Allen Weston, Charles Eddis, and David Sammons came through our doors with a social justice bee in their bonnet and soon had us rattling the Evanston community to action.
Why newcomers? Why is public witness so often the work of newcomers? I submit that new folks come in still remembering that there is a world out there who needs our healing work. I wonder if as new members, we are still of that world, compelled to go back out and take with us the wonderful people we have found in this community to save a little corner of the world out there. Then, perhaps, as we age in membership, we become comfortable in, even protective of our UCE world as a refuge and sustenance for ourselves. Until another newcomer comes along to charge us up again to battle for our values in the world out there.
Think about it the next time you meet a newcomer – this could be the fellow or gal who will excite our church community next. And when we think about inviting folks into our UCE community, let’s be a little selfish, remembering the excitement they may bring, and URGE them to join us. Let’s also keep in mind how satisfying it will be for them, to work together with us to make more visible their – our – values in the world.
Ultimately, it seems to me that the more Unitarian Universalists we have – the more NEW Unitarian Universalists we have -- ready to live their values in the world with us, the greater chance we have of changing the world.
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