Black Lives Matter

I am thinking this week of the words of the civil rights activist Ella Baker. Fifty years ago, three Civil Rights workers were killed during the summer Mississippi campaign. A search was mounted after their disappearance that involved dragging the rivers of Mississippi. As they searched the muddy waters, they turned up bodies of black men who had never been looked for because they were Black.  Of this painful reality, Ella Baker said “Until the killing of black men, black mother’s sons, is as important as the killing of white men, white mothers’ sons, we who believe in freedom cannot rest…until this happens.”

I first heard those words when they were put to music by Bernice Johnson Reagon. Sadly, they are still all too appropriate today, fifty years later. In Ferguson, Missouri, when a grand jury failed to indict the white police officer who shot black teenager Michael Brown, mothers of black sons all over America shuddered in fear for their children. Because it was never just about this one situation. Professor of Political Science Melissa Harris-Perry has pointed out, "From 2006 to 2012 a white police officer killed a black person at least twice a week in this country."

Black men especially have been demonized by our society. They have been stereotyped as criminals, as thugs, as drug dealers, as dangerous, and then that demonization becomes its own justification for the fear that is used as a reason to kill. I think about the fact that some white men have taken to carrying guns in the city streets claiming their second amendment rights, and I haven't heard about any of them being shot or even detained by police. But a black twelve year old, Tamir Rice, was playing with a toy gun in an Ohio park, and was shot and killed by police this week.

We who believe in freedom like to tell the story that racism is easing, that, yes, we still have work to do, but so much progress has been made in the last fifty years. But each year I learn something new that astounds me concerning the depth and persistence of this plague in the very structures of our society. Schools today in America are more segregated than they were fifty years ago. Voting rights are being diminished each year, with methods that are targeted to people of color. More black men are in prison than ever before--the United States now imprisons a larger percentage of its black population than South Africa did at the height of Apartheid.

We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes. We have to be willing to acknowledge the problem, and not persist in a naïve feeling that all is well. The protectors of the status quo are already trying to put all the focus on rioting and looting. But as Dr. Martin Luther King once said, “I think we've got to see that a riot is the language of the unheard...” He did not condone violence, but he understood it.

I am encouraged by the thousands of people who participated in hundreds of vigils and protests on Tuesday evening, all across America and beyond. Are we waking up? I leave you with another quote from Ella Baker: “The older I get the better I know that the secret of my going on is when the reins are in the hands of the young who dare to run against the storm.” May we find the courage to stay on course.

With hope, Rev. Myke

Fifty Years!

Fifty years ago, in 1964, Universalists from the First Universalist Church in Portland left behind their big beautiful building at Congress Square to form a new UU community with their colleagues from the Messiah/All Souls Universalist Church on Stevens Avenue. It was a difficult decision, eventually made because the huge old building became unsustainable for a shrinking congregation. Most families had moved away from the downtown area. Attendance was down. Money was hard to come by. The consolidation was not without struggle as two church communities tried to form one new identity. They were re-inventing themselves.  As a part of the agreement, they promised to jointly build a new church building in the North Deering area.

Fifty years offers a lot of perspective. They didn't know 50 years ago what would emerge in the unfolding years. They only knew that what they had wasn't working. The consolidated church, then called the Universalist Society of Portland, built our current A2U2 building, with a smaller, multipurpose room for a sanctuary. I think that has had profound symbolic and practical significance for this community. Unknowingly, our predecessors laid a groundwork that positions us to be more flexible and adaptable, more focused on people than on structures, more focused on the future than on the past.

We are now in another time of change for religious institutions. Church attendance in the United States has been going down across most denominations. More people don't identify with any faith tradition at all. Some experts wonder if there will be any such thing as churches or ministers fifty years into the future. And of course, many of us ponder what changes the world will experience because of global warming and other ecological changes that humans are creating. Many churches are stuck in the model of the big old sanctuary, and the Sunday morning service.

But here we are, with a multipurpose building, beautiful land and a thriving community. And we are asking questions about how we can be sustainable for the next 50 years. We are exploring changes to our building and land that might help us in that dream. It is a challenging process because our visions often outpace what is possible with current technology and current economies. But why not dream and let ourselves experiment with a church that can keep on thriving.

On November 9^th, after each service, I encourage you to participate in an all-congregation feedback session with members of our Environmental Steering Committee. They will be presenting some of the ideas that have emerged, and the research they have done about things like energy efficiency, lowering our carbon footprint, and generating our own solar energy, along with possibilities for improving the parking lot, the bathrooms, and the foyer, and creating more beauty and usability of our land. I am so appreciative of all the work they have done to research the options! It is not so easy as we might think, and they have spent many hours on this. But they really need your feedback now, because nothing will happen without the congregation's financial and logistical and enthusiastic support—and there are decisions to make about how to proceed next.

If you can't come to one of the Sunday sessions, you can also participate in a feedback session during the Program Council meeting on Monday the 10^th at 6:30, or in a meeting on Thursday the 13^th at 7 p.m.

I look forward to seeing you there. May we have insight and wisdom to bring our church into the next 50 years!

Rev. Myke

Looking Ahead: Sabbatical

First of all, thank you to all of you who sent good wishes and prayers to my family for my father's recovery from a stroke. He is making progress each day, and can now use a walker to walk. It was good to be with him and my mom for several days.

As part of how UU churches support their ministers, our contracts include a plan for us to take a sabbatical every several years. We “earn” one month of sabbatical time for each year of service to a congregation. The Board of Trustees and I have agreed for me to take a four month sabbatical later this year, from April 15 to August 15, 2015. A sabbatical is an opportunity to be free from the daily and weekly demands of ministry, in order to delve more deeply into activities that can refresh and renew one's ministry, and thus be a benefit to minister and congregation.

My first hope for this sabbatical is to work on the completion my book, Finding Our Way Home: A Spiritual Journey into Earth Community. This book is an expression of the spiritual side of our work on ecological sustainability. My goal is to share the book with A2U2 members and friends, and with the wider world, as part of our witness to the environment. Some of you have seen earlier portions of the book, which I used to create the class Spirituality: For Searchers, Skeptics, Activists, Mystics and All Broken-hearted Lovers of Earth, and which I posted in a blog online called Finding Our Way Home.

My second hope for the sabbatical is for Margy and I to consider greater alignment with our ecological values in our own living situation. This process is not always simple, so by having time to dedicate to the question, we hope to take some steps closer to our ideals. Perhaps we might move to a smaller house, or one located nearer to the church, or find other ways to lower our carbon footprint. This time will give us the space to take stock in our personal lives of the values we have been proclaiming here at our spiritual community, and then to bring back to all of you our experience of that process.

On a personal note, one more hope for the sabbatical is for Margy and I to pursue her long-time dream of travel to Ireland.

The Committee on Ministry will coordinate preparation and support for the sabbatical time. On the practical side, 2 months of the sabbatical will take place during the summer season when I am usually on vacation and study leave. During the other 2 months (April 15-June 21) the Pastoral Care Team, the Worship Committee, and our Intern Minister will lead our continued church life—we are much more prepared for this sabbatical because we have strong lay leadership already in place. On 5 Sundays, a visiting minister will lead worship. Since I won't be taking vacation or study leave during the summer, I will take 2 weeks of vacation in the last half of November and 2 1/2 weeks of study leave during the first half of February this coming year, and something similar the following year.

To give you a simplified picture of the year, here are all the months, divided in half: Yellow= Time I am at church, while Green= Time I am away on vacation, study leave and sabbatical.

Sep

Sep

Oct

Oct

Nov

Nov

Dec

Dec

Jan

Jan

Feb

Feb

Mar

Mar

Apr

Apr

May

May

Jun

Jun

Jul

Jul

Aug

Aug

I am excited to deepen my participation in our environmental focus, through the work we do this year at church, and through the work I can do while on sabbatical. If you have any questions, please contact me, or the chair of the Committee on Ministry, Rick Grover.

The Glass Is Already Broken

This week I am contemplating an old Zen saying, “The glass is already broken.” I believe it reminds us that all things are temporary, so we must not be too attached to things (including ourselves)—breakage is a part of the natural cycle of life. In our house, we are recently experiencing the breakage of our television set (during one of the electrical storms of August) and of our refrigerator, and just for good measure, my luggage was damaged during recent air travel. It has made things a bit chaotic during the past two weeks. I find that when one thing breaks I feel cranky. But when multiple things break, I start to get philosophical, and have to laugh again.

I have to remember that life is always a bit chaotic, and change is the nature of reality. This fall, we will have some change at church too. Happy change, but still a bit chaotic for everyone. We are welcoming a new Director of Religious Education, Taryn Walker. The search committee feels very excited about her experience and her potential, AND, it is all new for her. Taryn has a strong background working with kids, and she already loves our spiritual community, AND she has never been a DRE before. Just to make it a bit more challenging, her prior work commitments included two trips this fall—so, even though she has been hard at work during August, we won't get to welcome her at church until September 21^st. So please, help her to feel welcome in her new role, and offer a lot of patience and support as she learns the ropes. (And volunteer for RE!)

We are also welcoming a full-time Intern Minister for the 14-15 church year. Lyn Betz comes to us via the Concord, NH church, where she was a member for many years, and also did a two-year part-time internship. She recently graduated from Meadville Lombard Theological School, and brings many gifts of ministry to our congregation, plus a wonderful chance to share a perspective from another UU church, as she learns about our A2U2 culture and community. Remember how it felt to be the new kid on the block? I know you all are great at helping people to feel at home. That will be her primary work this first month, and then we'll see how best her ministry can find some good purpose here, and she can learn the aspects of ministry that she still needs to learn.

I am looking forward to seeing everyone again after a fairly restful but full summer. I had a chance to visit my parents, who are both in their eighties now and living in West Virginia, where two of my sisters also reside. Mom and dad are slowing down, and dealing with some health issues so my sisters are helping out in significant ways. On the other side of our family, sadly, my partner Margy's mother died at the end of July, at the age of 96. Even after someone has lived a long and full life, we cannot help but grieve their passing. I always appreciated that Margy's mother purposefully let me know I was welcome in their family, and that she, as well as Margy's sister, came to my ordination ceremony fifteen years ago. Margy and I traveled to Rochester for her memorial service in mid-August, and had a good visit with all of her extended family, including three little ones—ages one and a half, two and a half and three and a half.

So I will see you in church on September 7^th, and look forward to hearing about your summers and the events of your lives since last we met. I also look forward to more work on our church's three year plan, and our environmental focus—this year we get to see more details about possible improvements to our building and land, and make some decisions about what we might like to pursue as a congregation.

There are things we cannot control.

It is a long list. The weather, the seasons,

the coming of day and night.

Another person's joy and sorrow, or love and grief.

We cannot control anything

about another person, most of the time.

The things we cannot control

are more numerous than the things we can.

The economy. The price of milk.

The coming of storms or the blooming

of lady slippers.

The return of the hummingbirds,

or the death of poets.

If you are like me, you sometimes imagine

you have more power than you really have.

You try to control what you can,

and even what you cannot. You worry.

You want your children to be happy and fulfilled.

You want your parents to be healthy and content.

You want your partner to be a good match, and loving.

You may want the members of your church

to be enthusiastic and generous,

and your church staff to be talented and never to move away.

Big things or small things, no matter.

There are long lists of things we cannot control.

We want for all children to be safe, and girls who are lost to come home again.

We want angry young men to work out at the gym

and never to buy large amounts of guns and ammunition.

We want politicians to be dedicated to the common good,

and news media to the truth.

We cannot control anything about another person,

most of the time.

We cannot control another person's joy and sorrow, loss and grief.

We cannot control the ways that joy and sorrow come into our own life.

But there are a few things we can control.

We can choose the values we want to follow in our own lives.

We can choose to speak up and act

in ways that share our values with the world.

We can choose to greet a stranger

and listen to a friend.

We can choose kindness. No matter what.

We can choose to love.

(and love ourselves too)

May you find the places of choice in your life, and be at peace about all that is out of our control.

Rev. Myke

Our Relationship to the Earth

Today is daffodil blooming day at our house! Those bright yellow spring flowers are finally peeking out of their green casings. I am always interested in how micro-climates change in significant ways even by ten miles. The daffodils at church bloomed over a week ago. And this year our flowers are a couple weeks later than they were a few years ago—as evidenced by dated photo records on my laptop.

Thinking about the climate makes me think about climate change, and the activists who are working to change our relationship to the earth from that of “maximum extraction and destruction,” to that of “mutually beneficial partnership.”

This week in Washington DC, a group of ranchers and indigenous people from western states, called the “Cowboy Indian Alliance,” are bringing a message against the Keystone XL pipeline which would transport Tar Sands Oil from Canada down to Texas for processing. When I was a kid, we played battles as cowboys and Indians—though in our family we thought it was funny because my dad was sometimes a cowboy and my mom was part Indian—but now they are working together to protect the earth. Aside from the environmental hazards of a pipeline, the message is that we can't take that oil out of the sands if we want to preserve a climate that can support human life. You can find out more, and see photos of the teepees on the mall at http://rejectandprotect.org/

It was recently announced that President Obama is delaying his decision about KeystoneXL, probably until the fall, so that gives us more time to keep working against it. Some of us at A2U2 have signed on (with 100,000 others) to the Credo Pledge of Resistance. It says, "I pledge, if necessary, to join others in my community, and engage in acts of dignified, peaceful civil disobedience that could result in my arrest in order to send the message to President Obama and his administration that they must reject the Keystone XL pipeline."

I have participated in civil disobedience before in my life, though it was a long time ago. I was inspired by the groundswell of resistance to KeystoneXL, and the terrible importance of this work on behalf of the future of our planet and all its creatures. I am attending a training on the morning of May 3^rd (before coming down to Ferry Beach for our retreat days) to participate in the civil disobedience, should it be necessary. If you are interested, email me at revmyke at a2u2.org if you'd like more information.

In the meantime, work is continuing at A2U2 on our own relationship to our land and its structures. Tonight is the final meeting of the group of 20 or so members of A2U2 who have been part of the Permaculture Design Short Course with Lisa Fernandes. Mini-groups have been doing research about various areas that were identified as priorities in the congregational survey a few months ago. Issues like how to fix the parking lot, improve our air quality, and improve the bathrooms, along with hopes about how to use more renewable energy, increase energy efficiency, and how to create earth friendly habitat in our landscaping. I am sure that work will continue, and you'll hear more about it as we come up with some viable ideas. But you don't have to wait—if you want to get more involved, you are always welcome. Contact me, or even better, contact Harold McWilliams, at haroldmcwilliams at gmail.com, who has been doing a great job of coordinating our efforts. A great big thank you to Harold!

Happy Spring,

Rev. Myke

Spring is Coming!

Hard to believe that spring is coming on such a cold day as I am writing, but I know it is. In four weeks, we will be surrounded by green. April is a lovely month, and I look forward to the unfolding of life all around us that it brings. Meanwhile, here at A2U2, many good things have been happening and are moving forward.

About twenty of us have participated in a Permaculture Design Course led by Lisa Fernandes during February and March. We explored the principles of permaculture, and began to think about how we might apply them to the needs of our buildings and our land and our people. The group worked with some of the priorities that were expressed in the Permaculture Survey that took place in January and February (remember that?) Just like the wintry season in Maine, much of the work has been hidden “underground” but soon you'll be hearing more about it.

Another “underground” activity is that the Committee on Ministry has been reading through all the notes taken during the small group meetings for the Review of the Ministry of the church that took place in January. The Committee is now at work converting that huge amount of information into some common themes and they hope to send you a report about it this Spring. Stay tuned.

Our church Auction has also been going on “underground”—(or rather online)--at Bidding for Good. You can still participate in bidding on items there until March 30^th. Check it out. The full-fledged--appetizers/dinner/and a great time to be had by all--A2U2 Spring Fever Auction is coming up on Saturday April 5^th from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. There will also be activities, popcorn and pizza for children, so it will be a fun night out for the whole family. There is a cover charge of $10 per adult, but if you are not able to afford that cost, please let me know, and it can be waived. We want everyone to be able to attend.

I am looking forward once again to teaching my Spirituality class—Spirituality for Searchers, Skeptics, Activists, Mystics, and All Broken-Hearted Lovers of Earth. I so much enjoy this chance to go deeper with a group of people into our diverse spiritual journeys—talking and listening about how we define spirituality, how we connect with the earth, and each other, how we wrestle with the mystery of existence and the idea of God. If you want to be part of that conversation, please sign up by April 9^th, so I can send you reading materials in preparation for the first class on April 16^th. We will be meeting on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 9 p.m. and there are readings to complete each week between classes. If you want to register, you can sign up on the Adult Enrichment board, or email me at revmyke a2u2.org.

May the spring bring abundance and life to all of our dearest hopes and dreams!

Rev. Myke

New from the Wider UU

A lot is happening in the wider Unitarian Universalist movement that I thought would interest you. First of all, the UUA is moving its central offices from 25 Beacon Street to 24 Farnsworth Street in Boston. Some have expressed a feeling of loss at the departure from the historic building right next to the Massachusetts State House, but many are excited about creating a much more functional and adaptable space for moving into the future. The move is expected to happen in May.

Another new thing—the Northern New England District is moving toward regionalization—we are joining with other New England Districts to share staff resources and collaboration on many levels. I am not yet sure what this will mean for our connections with district staff, but you can find out more about it at our District Annual Meeting on April 12^th in Concord, NH. Registration is open now for this multigenerational gathering. If you would like to be a delegate for this event, talk to Clay Atkinson, our board president at clay [at] ericsonmitchell.com. You can find more information and Registration materials here.

This year, the annual UU General Assembly is happening June 25-29 in Providence, RI. It's close to us so that means we can get there by car, bus or train—no big plane fares to add to the cost. We are hoping that our youth group might be able to attend this year--they are beginning to talk about it—as well as many adults from our congregation. Registration (and application for scholarships) starts March 3^rd.

For those who are new, General Assembly is the annual meeting of our Unitarian Universalist Association. UU's from all over the country worship together, witness to our values, learn, connect, and make policy for the Association through a democratic process. Anyone may attend; we are also entitled to appoint 6 voting delegates from our congregation. The theme for 2014 GA is “Love Reaches Out,”
with an emphasis on how our faith helps us to grow in our capacity to serve the world with love.  

General Assembly includes fabulous programming--almost 200 choices over the 5 days.  One highlight is the annual Ware lecture, which this year be Sister Simone Campbell, a religious leader, attorney and poet with extensive experience in public policy and advocacy for systemic change. In 2012, she was instrumental in organizing the “Nuns on the Bus” tour advocating for justice for immigrants and low-income Americans. There is also an active youth and young adult contingent at GA. Scholarship and Volunteer Opportunities, Childcare, and Accessibility Services are available.

Click her for more information. If you would like to be a delegate from our church, contact Clay Atkinson. (The Board of Trustees makes the decision on our six delegates.)

Finally, the UUA has a new logo—check it out.

Fire in Winter

Winter has got us firmly in its grip, even as we are technically half-way through the season on February 2^nd. That day celebrates an old festival with many manifestations—Imbolc, Candlemas, Groundhog's Day, and now Superbowl Sunday. (Even though Superbowl seems like the farthest thing from a religious observance—or maybe not.) The Celts celebrated Brigid on this day, the Goddess of smith-craft, poetry, and healing. I always liked that combination—the forging of metal, the forging of words, the forging of whatever fiery powers create healing in people. I like what Cherrie Moraga says at the end of her poem, The Welder,

I am the welder.

I understand the capacity of heat

to change the shape of things.

I am suited to work

within the realm of sparks

out of control.

I am the welder.

I am taking the power

into my own hands.

Perhaps our A2U2 triple forge would include fiery speaking out for justice, warmth in the healing care we give to each other, and the flaming chalice of communal worship each week. Fire helps us get through the winter, and also through the winters of our souls, when hard times come into our lives. May you stay warm, and may your passion for life be rekindled by the light and fire in others.

We recently learned of the death of Pete Seeger, that fiery prophet for justice through the medium of song. He was an amazing light in our world, and (you might not know) he was a member of the UU Community Church in New York. He used music to bring people together, to connect us with the earth, to work for civil rights, worker rights, and peace, and to plant seeds of hope. His passing also reminds me of the passing of Nelson Mandela—both of them living long lives, both of them giants in our times.

I feel inspired and warmed by their light. They remind me that all of us have something to give the world, something to give to the times we live in. That is another side of the February festival—to claim our own gifts and use them to serve our world. May you find inspiration during these cold days, and may your light shine!

                                                                                    Love, Rev. Myke

Ministry

This January, our Committee on Ministry will conduct a church-wide “Review of the Ministry.” It is a chance for all of us to reflect on the ministry of the church—both that ministry which is done by your professional Minister (me), and that which is done by everyone in the ministry we share together. As the committee and I have talked about it during our fall meetings, it was intriguing to wrestle with the idea that every person has a ministry. What is your ministry? How do you share your gifts with the world? How are you present to others in encouraging and compassionate ways? And how does the role of the professional minister intersect with the roles of the ministry of every member?

I will be looking at some of those questions in worship on January 5^th, as a kind of conversation starter for the small groups that will be exploring these and other questions in the two weeks following, led by the Committee on Ministry. Our hope is to provoke meaningful sharing and connection among church members, as well as to get feedback for the work of our church. It is also a chance for me to get feedback from all of you.

In our UU faith tradition, the minister is “called” by the congregation, rather than “hired.” I don't have a boss to report to—rather, I have a covenantal relationship with the whole congregation, and work collaboratively with the Board. Some of you remember when I first came here eight and a half years ago in May, and we interviewed each other to see if we wanted to pursue ministry together. But more than half of our members have joined since then, so might not know how it works. In 2005, there was a week including worship and meetings of various groups in the church, culminating in a church-wide vote about whether to ask me to be your minister. By so doing, we entered this unique relationship. I suppose it is something like a marriage, because it is important every so often to check in about how we are doing. So that is one purpose of these January meetings.

I hope as many of you as possible will participate, either through your Spiritual Enrichment Group, or through signing up for the special meetings to take place in people's homes, or at church. I look forward to this opportunity to enhance the ministry of our church.

In the meantime, I wish everyone a wonderful New Year! May this coming year be full of good things for you and your families, and for our church community.

Rev. Myke