UU family harnesses grief to effect change, and other UUs in the media

Victim's family works to protect others

The family of 13-year-old Esme Kenney, who was killed in March 2009, has been working to get laws put into place that would help protect others from violent offenders. Though the family's religious affiliation is not stated in this article, previous articles have mentioned that Kenney was a children's choir member at St. John's Unitarian Universalist Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. (WCPO - 3.10.10)

See also: Esme Kenney's Mother Testifies In Kirkland Trial (wcpo.com - 3.9.10)

Unitarian twist in television show

It's always interesting when UU characters and subjects show up on Prime Time TV, such as in this week's episode of the FOX series "House." (If you haven't watched the episode yet, this'll be a SPOILER.) In a subplot of the episode "Private Lives" (season 6, episode 13), Dr. House is trying to hide the fact that he's reading a book of sermons written by a Unitarian minister. Intrigued, his team sets out to find out why, and it is eventually revealed that the Unitarian minister is House's biological father. You can watch the episode on Hulu.

Minister reflections, a paper airplane contest, and more

In honor of International Women's Day, the Rev. Tess Baumberger, minister of the Unity Church of North Easton, Mass., writes about Margaret Fuller and several other historic UUs who worked for women's rights. (Taunton Daily Gazette - 3.5.10)

The Rev. Becky Gunn, minister of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Bangor, Maine, writes about the importance of acting on our beliefs in our daily lives. (Bangor Daily News - 3.6.10)

The Rev. Steve Aschmann, minister of the UU Congregation of Erie, Pa., reflects on Unitarian Universalism and religious tolerance. (GoErie.com - 3.6.10)

The Rev. Tom Rhodes, minister of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh, N.C., jumped into a local debate from his pulpit Sunday when he spoke against a Wake County school board resolution that may end a policy of busing students to schools outside of their communities to create socioeconomic diversity. (MyNC.com - 3.7.10)

Terrance Health and Rick Imirowicz, who were married by the Rev. Robert Hardies at All Souls Unitarian Church on March 9, the first day same-sex couples were allowed to legally wed in Washington, D.C., discuss the new law and its impact on the GLBT community. (Washington Post - 3.10.10)

The Bradenton Times interviews the Rev. Bonnie Devlin, minister of the Manatee Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Bradenton, Fla. (The Bradenton Times - 3.7.10)

The Main Line Unitarian Church in Devon, Pa., donated more than $1,500 to Friends Association for Care and Protection of Children, a child welfare organization. (Philadelphia Bulletin - 3.5.10)

The SouthWest Unitarian Universalist Church in Berea, Ohio, recently purchased its first permanent home and is preparing to embark on a $150,000-renovation of the building. (Plain Dealer - 3.10.10)

The First Unitarian Universalist Society in Marietta, Ga., held its 16th annual Great Paper Airplane Contest at which it collected canned food donations for a local food pantry. (Parkersburg News - 3.8.10)

Allegheny Unitarian Universalist Church in Pittsburgh, Pa., celebrated its 100th anniversary. (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - 3.8.10)

The Rev. Timothy Temerson will be installed as the 20th settled minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron, Ohio, this weekend. (Suburbanite - 3.6.10)

Pluto discoverer featured on NOVA, and other UUs in the media

NOVA explores Pluto and the UU who discovered it

The PBS series NOVA focuses on Pluto—discovered in 1930 by Unitarian Clyde Tombaugh—and the continuing debate over its loss of planetary status. You can watch the entire program, "The Pluto Files," online. Part four includes a visit to Tombaugh's hometown, an interview with his family, and a stop to see the Tombaugh stained-glass window at the UU Church of Las Cruces, N. Mex., a church he and his wife helped found. For a good chuckle, don't miss the slideshow of angry post-demotion letters from Pluto-supporting third graders. (PBS.org - Feb. 2010, UU World - Fall 2005)

See also:
My Dad Discovered Pluto (PBS.org - Feb. 2010)
He found a planet and founded a church (UU World - Fall 2005)
UU astronomer's ashes en route to Pluto (uuworld.org - 10.6.06)

Same-sex marriage in D.C., Haiti fundraising, and more

The Rev. Robert Hardies, senior minister of All Souls Unitarian Church in Washington, D.C., says he has been inundated with calls from same-sex couples looking to wed now that same-sex marriage is legal in the nation's capital. (10connects.com - 3.3.10)

A February 10 pro-marriage equality column by the Rev. Cynthia Landrum, minister of the Universalist Unitarian Church of East Liberty in Clarklake, Mich., has continued to generate debate in the Jackson Citizen Patriot. (The Jackson Citizen Patriot - 2.10.10, 3.1.10)

The First Unitarian Congregational Society in Brooklyn, N.Y., donated $4,000 for Haiti relief during a special Sunday morning collection and is making the cause an ongoing campaign for the rest of the church year. (Brooklyn Daily Eagle - 3.4.10)

The Tapestry Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Mission Viejo, Calif., held a Haiti relief fundraiser featuring live music and belly dancing, which raised $1,234. (OCRegister - 2.26.10)

A recent report from the Religious Institute, a multifaith organization promoting sexuality education led by the Rev. Debra W. Haffner, a community minister with the Unitarian Church in Westport, Conn., continues to draw attention for urging faith leaders to better meet the sexuality needs of congregants by 2020. (WomensRadio - Feb. 2010)

The Rev. Jeff Briere, minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Chattanooga, Tenn., comments on the Religious Institute report and on a statement by the UUA that it will start requiring ministerial candidates to show competency in sexuality issues before they can be ordained. (Chattanooga Times Free Press - 2.27.10)

A group of about 100 people met in Uganda, at an event organized by the Rev. Mark Kiyimba of the Ugandan Unitarian Universalist Church, to speak out against a proposed anti-homosexuality bill. (GlobalPost - 2.26.10)

See also: Ugandan UUs oppose anti-homosexuality bill (2.22.10)

Nancy Vedder-Shults, a member of First Unitarian Society in Madison, Wisc., shares her thoughts on proposed language changes in the UUA's Principles and Purposes, specifically the environmentally focused Seventh Principle. (Tikkun - 3.3.10)

The Aiken Unitarian Universalist Church in S.C. was awarded $28,000 in matching funds to help the congregation hire its first minister. (Aiken Standard - 2.28.10)

One woman's fall into homelessness, and other UUs in the media

Morales discusses priorities on West Coast visit

The North County Times interviewed UUA President Peter Morales as he stopped in California during a tour of West Coast churches. (North County Times - 2.26.10)

Homelessness frustrating for woman, those trying to help

The Tulsa World profiles Joey Baker, who has been living in her car with her pets since she lost her home last June. Baker often drops by All Souls UU Church, which her family has attended for years, but the Rev. Marlin Lavanhar expresses frustration over not knowing how best to help her. (Tulsa World - 2.21.10)

UU ministers on miracles, love, equality, community

The Rev. Erik Walker Wikstrom, Worship and Music Resources director for the Unitarian Universalist Association, writes in the Washington Post that we have stopped noticing miracles: "Maybe we need a walking-on-water, parting-the-seas kind of miracle to catch our attentions today, yet aren't we surrounded by miracles enough?" (Washington Post - 2.10)

The Rev. Tess Baumberger, minister at the Unity Church of North Easton, Mass., explores the question: "What would it feel like if I began to source my life and my work in love, rather than in the frantic need to do, to impress, and to achieve?” (Norton Mirror - 2.19.10)

The Rev. Andrew Pakula, minister of the Newington Green and Islington Unitarians in England and a member of the national Executive Committee of the Unitarians of Great Britain, writes in defense of civil partnerships. (The Guardian - 2.23.10)

The Rev. Daniel Budd, minister of the First Unitarian Church of Cleveland, Ohio, writes of his city: "In order to create a sustainable culture in and for our city and its metropolitan area, we must value one of the most important resources we have. We must value one another." (Plain Dealer - 2.20.10)

Burned church rebuilt, knitting ministry, and more

The new sanctuary of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Rock Tavern, N.Y., whose previous building was destroyed by a fire in September 2006, is almost complete. (Times Herald-Record - 2.22.10) See also: Fire destroys Rock Tavern UU church (uuworld.org - 9.15.06)

Massachusetts minister the Rev. Judy Campbell started a knitting ministry--the Martha's Vineyard Knitting for Charity group--which meets weekly to create hats, mittens, and other projects for the needy. (Martha's Vineyard Times - 2.25.10)

George Beykovsky, a 78-year-old Holocaust survivor who now calls the Evergreen Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Marysville, Wash., his "second home," shares the story of how his family fled Europe to escape the Nazis. (HeraldNet - 2.21.10)

Once a month the First Unitarian Universalist Church in Youngstown, Ohio, hosts a coffee social that supports GLBT teens and young adults and their families. (TheJambar.com - 2.23.10)

Police have asked the public for help finding a man they believe stole a purse from the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bangor, Maine. Video is 02:43. (WCSH-TV - 2.19.10) See also: Bangor Police Ask Assistance in Catching Purse Snatcher (WABI - 2.19.10)

A group celebrated the dedication of a new roof-mounted solar power system at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Anaheim, Calif. (OC Weekly - 2.19.10)

The Interfaith Dialogue on Earth Care brought together a large group of educators, community members, and spiritual leaders, including the Rev. Peter Connolly, minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bowling Green, Ky. (Bowling Green Daily News - 2.20.10)

Defending gay rights in Uganda, and other UUs in the media

UU minister defends gay rights at Ugandan conference

The Rev. Marlin Lavanhar, senior minister of All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Okla., traveled to Uganda to speak in opposition of a proposed new anti-homosexuality law. (Tulsa World – 2.16.10)

See also: Minister speaking out on bill in Uganda (Tulsa World – 2.13.10) and Ugandan UUs oppose anti-homosexuality bill (uuworld.org - 2.22.10)

'Standing on the Side of Love' on Valentine's Day

A few days before Valentine's Day, GLBT equality supporters held a Standing on the Side of Love rally at State University of New York, Potsdam, part of a nationwide campaign sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Association. (video) (News 10 Now – 2.13.10)

The Unitarian Universalists of Sterling, Va., the Neshoba, Tenn., Unitarian Universalist Church, and the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ogden, Utah, also held "Reimagining Valentine's Day" events as part of the Standing on the Side of Love Valentine's campaign. (Washington Post – 2.14.10; Memphis Flyer – 2.12.10; StandardNet – 2.12.10)

See also:
Unitarian Universalists push for anti-discrimination laws (StandardNet – 2.15.10)
Ogden urged to pass gay anti-bias ordinances (Salt Lake Tribune – 2.15.10)
Gay-rights push spreading to other Utah locales (Salt Lake Tribune - 2.11.10)

Two Loudoun County, Va., officials—John Stevens and Stevens Miller, both UUs—joined a panel discussion for "Standing on the Side of Love Day," February 14. (Loudoun Independent – 2.10.10)

See also: Church To Host Panel On LGBT Issues (Leesburg Today – 2.12.10)

In related news, someone stole the "Standing on the Side of Love" banner from the Northern Hills Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Cincinnati, Ohio. A link to a short video appears at the top of the story. (kypost.com – 2.10)

On the topic of GLBT equality and Valentine's Day, the Rev. Daniel O'Connell, lead minister at the Eliot Unitarian Chapel in Kirkwood, Mo., writes that "one day, the day will come when marriage fairness will be a given. And 18 year old children off to college will be able to say—there has always been gay marriage." (St. Louis Post-Dispatch - 2.15.10)

'Sexually healthy' ministers, green buildings, and more

The Rev. Kate Lore, social justice minister at the First Unitarian Church of Portland, Ore., is one of the forces behind the creation of the church's Thirteen Salmon Family Center, a day shelter for homeless families. (Neighborhood Notes - 2.16.10)

The Rev. Dr. Susan Suchocki Brown, minister of the First Church Unitarian Universalist in Leominster, Mass., asks: Are you prepared for the unimaginable? (Leominster Champion - 2.19.10)

A report from the Religious Institute, a multifaith organization promoting sexuality education led by the Rev. Debra W. Haffner, a community minister with the Unitarian Church in Westport, Conn., calls for faith leaders to focus on becoming "sexually healthy" and to better meet the sexuality needs of congregants by 2020. (Christian Post - 2.15.10)

See also: Not enough sex talk in churches or seminaries, report says (Austin American-Statesman – 2.12.10)

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Tarpon Springs, Fla., issued a Statement of Conscience that repudiates the Christian Doctrine of Discovery and presses the U.S. government to adopt the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. (Indian Country Today – 2.14.10)

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the South Fork in Bridgehampton, N.Y., is hosting a free two-day holistic healing clinic. (The Sag Harbor Express - 2.17.10)

After four years of work by a total of 197 volunteers the Quimper Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Port Townsend, Wash., dedicated its new "built green" sanctuary. (Peninsula Daily - 2.16.10)

Davies Memorial Unitarian Universalist Church in Camp Springs, Md., embraces wind-generated electricity and other environmentally friendly initiatives. (Gazette – 1.28.10)

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Grand Traverse, Mich., recently completed a new 1,600-square-foot expansion, which includes classrooms and children's space. (Traverse City Record Eagle – 2.12.10)

The Huntsville, Tex., Unitarian Universalist Fellowship prepared to have its first service in its new church building. (Huntsville Item – 2.13.10)