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