Being Human

I have been dealing with illness for the last few months, first with hypothyroid disease which sapped my energy during September and October, and then with a diagnosis of shingles, which has meant resting at home for the past two weeks. It is a reminder of how much we human beings are dependent upon these bodies we can easily take for granted. It is also a reminder about how much we human beings are dependent on other people to help us out, in all kinds of ways, but especially when something like illness takes away our illusion of independence.

Even the minister is a vulnerable human being. What a funny statement to make, since it is so obviously true. But sometimes the role of minister sets up a dynamic where the minister expects herself to be always available to help others, and not to need help for herself. It is very humbling. Not because I have needed some help during this time of illness, but because I find it so challenging to sort out how to be human at the same time as being a minister.

There is something in the role of minister that creates powerful expectations: it asks me to bring hope, compassion, and kindness to the people and work of our A2U2 community. It asks me to welcome people just as they are, and to affirm their humanity in the midst of troubles or tribulations. And I feel great joy to be able to do that. But the role of minister also creates an expectation of separateness: that somehow the minister is not to bring her whole self to the community, but merely the helper self. The minister is supposed to shut off other parts of the self, to keep separate any weakness, sadness, illness, loneliness, or frustration that I might experience. As ministry has become more professionalized, this dynamic has increased.

While resting at home, I have been reading Kitchen Table Wisdom by Rachel Naomi Remen, who talks about a similar phenomenon among medical doctors. As a doctor who also dealt with her own chronic illness, she discovered a power in bringing her whole self to her work with her patients. She believes that healing can happen when we recognize that we all are wounded, and we all are healers. I agree with her, I truly believe this in my heart, but I don't yet know how to make it function within the role of minister. It taps into the deep place in me that learned early to find my identity as a helper.

As we approach the busy month of December, I don't yet know how much I will have recovered from this illness. I hope to be back among you, but will likely have to pace myself, and not work as many hours as I usually do. My first priority is to be back in the pulpit and worshipping with you, even if I can't yet do everything else. Even there, I plan to draw from previous years reflections on the winter holidays, to help with the process of preparation.

The spiritual teachers say that everything can be a lesson for us, a way to grow, to become whole. I hope that this experience will be that for me, and I hope for you too to find growth and wholeness in the challenges that you face in your lives. May we all help each other on the journey.

And I also want to say a very warm thank you to those who have sent good wishes, and who have been helping out in various ways!

Occupy

The seasons are turning once again, the leaves falling. As it gets colder I think about the hardy young people who are Occupying in so many cities of our nation and around the world. (And some older people as well.) Occupy Wall Street started in mid-September with a march of about a thousand people, 200 of whom camped out in Zuccotti Park in New York City's financial district. It has grown into an international movement. Calling themselves the “Ninety-nine Percent,” protesters are challenging the greed of Wall Street, the policies that enable the upper one percent to be making enormous profits while thousands of people are losing their homes, are unemployed, or just getting by.

I visited the Occupy Maine encampment in Portland last week, to drop off some sleeping bags for the campers there. People are camping in Lincoln Park at Congress and Franklin, and sticking it out in all kinds of weather, along with enduring some acts of harassment such as a homemade bomb that was thrown into their kitchen tent early in the morning of October 23. (No one was hurt, thank goodness.)

It was quiet when I stopped by—a Wednesday afternoon. They don't do a big demonstration at Monument Square on the days when the Farmer's Market is there, but there were only a few people at Lincoln Park right at that time. When I asked whom I might speak to, a man who appeared to be homeless pointed me toward three young adults. They were delighted to chat with me, and seemed very articulate and dedicated as they talked about why they were there. When I mentioned that I was the minister at Allen Avenue, one of them said—That is my alma mater! It turned out he had grown up at our church. His name is Evan McVeigh.
He was also quoted in some local media about the occupation: Portland Press Herald Oct 11 and MPBN.

It made me proud of what we do for young people at our church. Young people here are encouraged to think for themselves, and to believe that they can make a difference in the world. They are encouraged to act on their values, and speak up about them. We help them become articulate and dedicated citizens. We teach our kids to look at the big picture, and care about how we treat each other as a society. No wonder they can spot the injustice of 1% of the people growing richer every year, while 99% of the people are falling back. Hurray!

I encourage you to stop over, have a conversation, bring along some food or blankets or tent stakes to help them out.  Like and follow them on Facebook to hear the latest news. https://www.facebook.com/OccupyMaine

There are things happening these days—who knows where it all may lead us?

Blessings, Rev. Myke

The Walk to the Well

Almost every morning I take a walk in our neighborhood—lately I have been taking the same route, down Baston to Sweetser, turning right next to the farm fields and then turning left into land that is owned by the Yarmouth Water District. A couple days ago, as I was walking down the dirt road that led to two small square buildings made of brick, I realized—these are well houses. I am walking to the wells. There are two wells in that spot—one from 1947, and one from 2000—and they mostly serve the water needs of nearby Yarmouth. I have been walking there for years now, but before this I wasn't thinking about wells. It has given me a sort of magical delight, even though I don't go there to draw water. It harkens to such an ancient human activity—especially for women, to go to the well to get water.

There has been a lot in the news lately about the water quality of wells in Maine. We haven't got around to testing our own well, but I wonder--since it is probably drawing from the same sources as these municipal wells—whether that might bode well or not. One of the 13 Indigenous Grandmothers, Mona Polacca, spoke at A2U2 this summer. She advised--”Know your water.” How often do we think about the water flowing beneath the ground? No wonder that the ancients thought of wells as sacred places, where what is hidden is revealed, and gives us sustenance and life.

This past summer, Margy and I went to Star Island, a UU Conference Center, 10 miles off the coast of New Hampshire. It was our first visit to the island, and what a beautiful place it was! We were surrounded by water, and the conference was about Water and the International Issues related to water in our time. At some point during the year, I hope to be able to share more of what I learned there. What comes to me now is that same message—know your water. I discovered that you can find out about water quality in your own municipal location by going to the Environmental Working Group, Drinking Water Quality Report at http://www.ewg.org/tap-water/home. There, you can see what contaminants have been found in the water. Of course, if you have a private well, you have to have it tested on your own.

The water at our church, Portland city water, comes from Lake Sebago. The Portland Water District provide public water services to nearly 200,000 people in the cities of Portland, South Portland, and Westbrook, and the towns of Cape Elizabeth, Cumberland, Falmouth, Gorham, Raymond, Scarborough, Windham, and Standish. It is governed by an elected Board of Trustees. Do you know your water representatives? It is a lot to ponder—next time you turn on the tap. Gratitude, safety, understanding, history, refreshment.

Love and blessings, Rev. Myke 

Many Prayers, One World

The tenth anniversary of the tragedy of 911 is occurring on our traditional ingathering Sunday this September. Already in the U. S. news in mid-August, we began seeing a poisonous increase in anti-Muslim fear and hate being stirred up by this occasion. At Allen Avenue we have a different vision: 

We believe that all the world is one world, 

and all the peoples of the world are one family. 

It is an important time to stand up for the values we hold dear, and so I invited Reza Jalali, who is the Coordinator of Multicultural Student Affairs at USM, and an educator on Islam, to join me in planning an interfaith gathering for Sunday, September 11.  

We were soon joined by other wonderful interfaith leaders:  Rabbi Carolyn Braun of Temple Beth El, Interfaith Youth leader, Pious Ali, and Rachel Talbot Ross of the NAACP.  Our participants will include Anita Talbot, of the NAACP, Eda Trejo of Tengo Voz, Rabbi David Freidenreich of Colby College, Qutaiba Hassoon of Maine Seeds of Peace, Rev. Kitsy Winthrop, guest music by Spoonmaker's Diamond, as well as member of our A2U2 choir, and Dale Churchill, our music director.  

Our ingathering this year will be a gathering in of our neighbors as well as our church community. Invite your neighbors and friends too!

We will begin with our traditional water ritual—using a structure based on the story of Stone Soup—so remember to bring water you may have collected, or stones, from places and events that have nourished your soul this summer.

Every Blade of Grass

"Every blade of grass has its angel that bends over it and whispers, 'Grow, grow.'”

From the Talmud

Slugs and mushrooms

Sitting under the screen tent on a blanket, I slow down enough to pay attention to small beings. It is morning. I watch the journey of the slugs on the fruiting bodies of the mushroom. Really slow, these small beings I rarely even notice. There is a beauty in their journeys. Sometimes they eat the mushrooms, but perhaps sometime they are just looking for a quiet spot in the shade. There were three slugs, three mushrooms, whose journeys I was following.

I have too often just thought of slugs as garden pests--but today I say thank you for beauty, for slowing down, for being my teachers...

Summer Days

On June 21 I found wild strawberries in our back yard--what a way to start the summer!

We didn't do anything to plant them--just neglected an area that had been filled with gravel stones under a clothesline--they grew over the stones bit by bit.

Now all we have to do is pick the harvest--a bit of work, but what a treat from the bounty of the earth!

Yum! I love June!

The Large Wild Strawberry Patch--see the tiny box...
I wish for everyone the bounty of the earth and the beauty of summer time in Maine.

Osama Bin Laden

Is anyone else saddened by the jubilation that erupted in our country about the death of Osama Bin Laden?
Any loss of lives is something to grieve.  The terrorist actions on 9/11 killed many innocent people, and that is a source of grief for all of us.  But I have also grieved over a U. S. response that resulted in even more loss of lives--among our young people who have died as soldiers, among children, women and men living in Iraq and Afghanistan.  
I cannot rejoice in anyone's death, not even the death of a killer.  I recall the words of Martin Luther King, Jr.,  


"Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." 

Rainy Day

I am writing this on a cold rainy day--it seems spring is taking forever to truly arrive, but maybe by the time you read it the greens sprouts will be popping out everywhere. I spent three days last week with my UU ministry colleagues in the mountains of New Hampshire, and we reflected on worship and the sermon writing process. The wind was howling and the rain was pouring down there too. I always appreciate the new ideas that emerge, and the sparks to creativity, when we do deeper sharing on various aspects of ministry. The worship committee and I also have been reflecting on worship, as we plan a special event for May 15--a workshop to orient A2U2 folks who may be interested in the process of planning and leading worship. Even if you are just curious, I encourage you to attend. And if you have ever considered wanting to lead a summer worship service, or help prepare a lay-led service, this will be a chance to go deeper into the worship experience. This would also be a great orientation to joining the worship committee.

In thinking about worship for May, I want to let you know that we are trying a couple of new things this year. First, instead of a Religious Education Sunday in June, we are offering a multi-generational service at 9 a.m. on May 15. It's purpose will not be to showcase our RE program, (as in many years past) but rather to offer a worship service that gathers together all ages of our church community. It's an experiment, and if it serves us well, we may try to do it again like that. Another special worship event will be a Celebration of Music, at the 11 a.m. service that same day. This too will be an alternative style of worship, where the work of the choir will be highlighted, and the service itself will be full of music. I expect that some of you might want to come to both services that day, and you won't regret it.

I have been thinking a lot about what we offer our children growing up as UU's. Most of the time, I don't get to see that part of church life, since it happens while I am leading adult worship. But I care deeply for what happens in our children's program, and how we are helping our children to grow spiritually, ethically, and socially. On May 8^th, I will be exploring these questions in the sermon, “The Spirituality of Children.” I always appreciate input from members and friends, and for this service, especially would love to hear from those of you with children or grandchildren. If you have thoughts, questions, hopes, or challenges you'd like to share with me about this topic, please send me an email, or make an appointment to chat.

Challenges at the other end of the spectrum of our lives will be the topic for a service on May 22^nd. Many of our members are dealing with Alzheimer’s (and other forms of memory loss or mental illness) in their families. To choose this as a topic for worship gives me a chance to learn more about what spiritual resources we can offer as a faith community for our loved ones who are facing these issues. I also want to encourage anyone who might have ideas or questions about this to be in touch, or if you want to talk about what is happening in your own family.

And just so you know, on May 1^st, I will be preaching at the Auburn church, to fill in while Rev. Jodi Hayashida is on sabbatical. You may remember that she came to A2U2 while I was on sabbatical. We have this wonderful arrangement with our fellow UU's to do these reciprocal sabbatical exchanges. I will be visiting the Saco-Biddeford church sometime in the fall as well.

In the meantime, may the beauty of the awakening earth fill your heart and soul with moments of light and joy!

Love,

Rev. Myke

New Moon for Gaia

Would you like to join in a common effort on behalf of the environment? On Sunday April 3^rd, you'll have the option to sign on to be a part of our New Moon for Gaia effort, which goes from the new moon on April 3rd to the new moon on May 3rd. We hope at least 30 people from our congregation will commit to doing one new action for 30 days. You can pick one action that you are not already doing and do that for 30 days, or you can pick different actions for different parts of the month. Some of these action ideas are from the national UU Ministry for Earth. Some of from our own Green Earth group at church.

First of all, on April 3^rd: Bring food for the food pantry, in a cloth bag, to our service!

Then sign up to be part of the New Moon for Gaia, and pick an action that you are not already doing:

1. “Got your bags?” A2U2, through the Green Earth Committee, is working with the National Resources Council of Maine on their “Got Your Bags?” initiative to replace plastic bags with reusable cloth bags. Join the effort by using cloth bags when you shop during the next 30 days.
2. For 30 days, be vigilant in recycling everything you can, particularly plastic. “Right now, millions of pounds of trash are floating in the Pacific Ocean to form an ‘island’ at least twice the size of Texas – 90 percent of that trash is discarded plastic.” – from the film Flow. Pick up (at A2U2) a copy of the article from Consumer Reports on “How to Get Rid of Practically Everything”—or find it at http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2011/02/14/consumer-reports-reveals-spring-cleaning-tips-on-how-to-get-rid-of-practically-anything/
3. Bottle your own water! Say “yes” to tap water and “no” to disposable bottled water for 30 days (or forever). If you’re not sure about your tap water, have it tested some time during the 30 days and install a filter if needed or use a pitcher with a filter for your drinking water. Watch the eight-minute video The Story of Bottled Water to learn why (http://storyofstuff.org/bottledwater/).
4. Turn off the water after you wet your toothbrush for 30 days.
5. If you eat fish, use a sustainable seafood guide to make your choices for 30 days: find a guide here: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/sfw_recommendations.aspx?c=ln
6. Use local and/or organic foods for at least part of every dinner for the next 30 days. Pick up a copy of Green America to learn more about it, or check it out on line. http://www.greenamerica.org/pubs/greenamerican/articles/SeptOct2010/organicorlocal.cfm
7. When you buy Easter candy, use sustainably grown, fair trade chocolate. Find out more at http://www.greenamerica.org/programs/fairtrade/whatyoucando/2010Scorecard.cfm.
8. Plan a garden to start growing some part of your food. If you don't have space, start a potted lettuce plant. If you already have a garden, plant a row to share with the food pantry.
9. Join our Green Earth Committee, or our Ethical Eating Committee to get more involved. You can find out more on our website http://www.a2u2.org/green-earth-maine.aspx, or contact the chairs, Harold McWilliams (GEC) or Julie Harrison (EEC). Come to the Green Earth meeting on April 10^th.
10. OR, Pick your own action for the earth!

Small changes when done together can create larger changes. We are joining with UU's across the country during this time to create a better relationship with the Earth. Maybe we can even get 60 people to sign up!

Rev. Myke

Church Size

Those who have been in church leadership at A2U2 during the past seven years have been talking about the differences that exist in churches based on the size of the church. According to experts, there are four basic church sizes—family size (less than 50 adults and children in attendance on a Sunday), pastoral size (51 to 150 at church on Sunday), program size (151 to 400 at church on Sunday), and large size (over 400 at church on Sunday). (One might also add the mega-church as an even larger fifth size.)

These sizes were identified by church consultants as they observed that church growth doesn't happen easily across those “borders” from one size church to another. The essential character of a congregation changes, based on the numbers of people involved. So when you go from 150 in attendance to 200 in attendance, you begin to have very different needs in order to build a thriving community.

Allen Avenue is a program size church, (also called “mid-size”) and has been working on the shift from pastoral to program size structures over the last several years. This transition can be a cause of stress in our volunteers and staff, and unfortunately can also result in some important needs occasionally falling through the cracks. If this has happened to you, I am really sorry. Our intention is to make sure that everyone is noticed and cared for in their times of distress or concern. But we are still learning how to make that happen.

For example, according to Alice Mann, in a pastoral-size church every member can know everyone else, and the primary work of the minister is to build one-to-one pastoral relationships. In a program size church, however, there are too many people for everyone to know everyone else, and new systems are needed to create connection and intimacy. The minister's primary work shifts to creating high-quality Sunday worship, and building lay leadership—especially strong lay teams for pastoral care and new-member ministry.

We have been working on building up our lay ministry program for the last five years. This past month, our Pastoral Care Team has been officially commissioned, and as each season comes around we are developing better ways for the team to learn about pastoral needs and respond to them. Our Caring Connection has also changed and developed, from an informal network to help out members who needed food or rides or other emergency help, to a more structured network using a database that can be activated through email. On the one hand, the structures may seem a little less immediate and personal—but the goal is the same—to match people with a need to people who can listen or offer some help. It is about manifesting the love that is the heart of our community.

Right now, one way the Pastoral Care Team or Caring Connection find out about a need is through our Joys and Concerns bulletin board or candles in church. But not everyone wants to speak in church or put their concern on a bulletin board. We are thinking about how to add other ways to pass on information and requests—perhaps with a designated email address, or a private box for joys and concerns along with our public board. If you have ideas, let me know. And stay tuned for further news in the next months.

Much love, Rev. Myke

Weavers

Happy Holidays & a Happy New Year!

Ending this year, 2010, I am mindful of how blessed I feel to be the minister at Allen Avenue UU Church.   I want to say a big thank you to all of the folks who bring our community together. What does it take to grow a community? First of all, it takes the energy of many individuals who share their creativity, kindness, and passion. Thank you! But even more than that, it takes the dedicated work of those I call the “weavers.” The weavers are those who weave a collection of bright individual threads into a beautiful garment.

Our committee chairpersons are weavers, who enable the talents of individuals to come together in the common purpose of each committee. Our Spiritual Enrichment Group facilitators are weavers, who hold the circles in which deeper bonds between our members and friends are nurtured. Our board members are weavers, who try to imagine the whole pattern of our church, and shape its direction. Our program staff are weavers―thank you Dale, Anne, and Kim, for enabling the participation of so many people in music and religious education, and for helping newcomers to find a way to join the tapestry. A special big thank you to our Church Fair coordinators, Angie, Julie, and Jennifer, for weaving a fantastic community event out of the efforts of dozens of volunteers.

I also want to say a big thank you to all of those who give their time and dedication to the more hidden side of any weaving―a sturdy foundation―a “loom” on which to build. Thank you to our support staff, Mary in the office, Pam for finances, and Steve for the building. Thank you to all the folks who work on the building and grounds, on church finances and stewardship, on communication and IT, on all areas of church administration. As our community has grown larger, your work has become more challenging and complex. Thank you!

May our A2U2 community grow strong in 2011, and may the weavers be plentiful and joyful!

May joy and many blessings come to each of you in the new year.

Rev. Myke

P. S. Margy and I are saying hello to two sister kittens, whom we are adopting from the HART Shelter in Cumberland. By the time you read this, we hope they will be here in our home, bringing their own kitteny joy to our world.  Here are Billie & Sassy (named after Jazz greats Billie Holiday and Sarah "Sassy" Vaughan.)