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Utah & You
A Sermon Given
by the Cedar Lane Delegates to the
1999 General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association
on August 8, 1999
at Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church
Bethesda, Maryland
Welcome: Jim Heltman
GOOD MORNING, and welcome. My name is Jim Heltman,
and I am the Chair of the Denominational Affairs Committee here
at Cedar Lane. I would like to extend a special welcome to any
visitors this morning. Today's service will not be the type of
service that visitors usually experience at Cedar Lane. Your visit
today coincides with our presentation to the Congregation of the
highlights of the 1999 General Assembly of the UUA. You will
be hearing the personal reflections of several of Cedar Lane's
delegates to GA.
General Assembly, for you visitors and newer members who
may not be familiar with the structure of the UUA, is the annual
gathering of representatives of the more than 1,000 UU
congregations throughout North America. This year over 3,600
people assembled in Salt Lake City, representing congregations
from every corner of the continent. Cedar Lane sent ten voting
delegates, and several members attended on their own. Four of the
ten delegates were youth representatives.
General Assembly, or GA as it is more affectionately known,
is an opportunity to experience Unitarian Universalism at its
greatest intensity. It is not unusual for Delegates to have
passionate responses to the sights and sounds of those five days.
Frankly, it would be unusual if they didn't.
Well, I'm just the warm-up man, here to get you excited about
the tales to come, and to alert you to a new development that will
effect this congregation dramatically. This year, and for many
years past, Cedar Lane has been allotted ten voting delegates to
GA. Next year, because of by-law changes enacted this year, we
will be allotted eighteen or nineteen voting delegates. There will
be nearly twice as many opportunities for members of this
congregation to experience a General Assembly first hand.
Denominational Affairs will be doing several things this fall
and winter to encourage attendance at GA 2000. Look for more
articles in the newsletter, Sunday Forums, and perhaps an Adult
Programs class dealing with GA in general, and some of the long-term issues that the congregation will be addressing in GA 2000.
We are trying to move GA from what has been essentially a
summer experience, and weave it into year 'round activities of the
Congregation.
One more comment and then I'm done: If you have access to
the Internet, visit the UUA web site. It provides very good
coverage of the GA events, speakers, etc. -- it's the next best thing
to being there.
General Assembly Overview: John Swank
This was the second General Assembly I've had the privilege
of attending -- but it doesn't make it any easier to prepare an
overview or summary. It's such an intensive experience, each of
us could talk at great length about it. Give us a chance at coffee
hour -- and we will.
We Unitarian Universalists have a well-earned reputation for
being able to dissect, discuss, and debate almost any issue. Or, as
one of the youth leaders put it, we can make anything complicated.
And some things at GA were complicated. When proposals
were being considered in the business or plenary sessions, there
were two "pro" mike, two "con" mike, an "amendment" mike and
a "procedural" mike. All the while, digital clocks on huge
telescreens counted down the remaining time for each speaker and
for the overall debate.
UUA Moderator Denny Davidoff did a masterful job, managing
the whole event with grace and humor. She opened Saturday's
session, which was the most crammed with reports, debates and
votes, with the greeting, "Welcome to the plenary from hell!"
At one point, representatives of the youth caucus took her
hostage when they felt an "energy break" was long overdue -- but
they also presented her with a bouquet of balloons as a token of
good will.
We UUs also are known to be "pro-choice." And boy, did we
have a lot of choices to make. In addition to the plenary sessions,
worship services, lectures, and other events scheduled so all
delegates could attend, there were many times in which multiple
workshops and other sessions were held.
During each of these time slots, 20 to 30 different programs
were offered. Each of us could attend up to nine of these sessions.
If my reckoning is right, there were a whole lot of different
combinations of events each of us could have attended. We
debated whether we should report to you on each decision we
made, but were afraid the service might run a little long.
Sometimes as a group we tried to cover as many different events
as we could. Sometimes we were torn between what we thought
we would enjoy, and what we had some sense we "should" attend.
At the end of GA, the UUA issued a news release listing
several high points. These included:
- A landmark interfaith conversation on sexual orientation
held among the leaders of four faiths with widely differing
theologies -- Mormon, Catholic, Episcopal and UU.
- The introduction of the new, comprehensive sexuality
curriculum, "Our Whole Lives."
- Passage of the UUA's first statement of conscience and
action on other social justice issues.
While the news release is a bit dry, the UUA provides a much
livelier account of GA on its web site. We'll try to have some of
it up during coffee hour, but be sure to surf to www.uua.org on
your own when you get a chance. Again, that www.uua.org -- is
really worth the effort.
Another perspective on the GA in Salt Lake City can be
gleaned from press reports. My favorite headline is from the
Chicago Tribune of June 28: "Unitarians Meet, and Mormons Get
Quite an Eyeful." Here's part of the story:
"For the moment, all that divides members of two of the
nation's most opposite religions is West Temple Street."
[Let me explain that the convention center, called the
Salt Palace, is across the intersection from Temple Square,
a walled compound which contains the tabernacle, the
temple, visitor centers, and a lot of smiling young
missionaries anxious to share their faith with you. To
continue with the news report . . . ]
"Over the past five days Unitarian Universalists
teenagers sporting tattoos, pierced body parts and purple,
pink and orange hair have flooded streets where clean-cut
Mormon youth are the norm."
"The espresso machine's siren has whined at the close
of morning worship services in a state where nearly
three-quarters of the populace follows a religion that
considers coffee, tea, tobacco and alcohol sinful."
"And Saturday night, gay and lesbian couples could be
seen dancing to big band music at a church-sponsored
dance, where homosexual behavior may lead to expulsion
from the church that founded this city and still defines it .
. . ."
The story also contrasted our UU gathering with that of
Southern Baptists the previous year. They were said to have
"vilified the LDS [Latter Day Saints] Church" and "some
proselytizers had to be asked to stop distributing Southern Baptist
leaflets at Temple Square."
"In contrast," the Chicago paper said, "Unitarians, who pride
themselves on tolerance, have sought to underscore their drastic
distinctions, while stopping short of confrontation."
In the meantime, the Salt Lake City Tribune reported on family
issues under the headline: "Different Set of Family Values Comes
to Utah: Unitarians Embrace Family Diversity at National
Gathering."
It said, in part, ". . . pushing the traditional moral envelope is
nothing new for Unitarian Universalists."
These newspaper stories reflect our "gentle, angry" nature, but
they don't capture the spirituality or the passion of more than 3,500
UUs gathered together to live and promote our principles. I wish
we had enough chalices to light one for each of the banners
paraded throughout the convention hall at the opening celebration.
And for each of the new congregations who joined us during
the past year . . .
And for the 65 ministers welcomed into preliminary fellowship
and the 35 who received full fellowship during the Service of the
Living Tradition . . . as well as the 25 who retired and the 20 who
died during the past year.
I wish everyone could have been there to hear the poignant
stories shared with us by our ministers from Laramie and Littleton,
and to see the video and join in the standing ovation honoring
Ken MacLean's international ministry.
We all were moved by the passion and the solidarity of the
youth caucus . .
. . . and by the music
. . . and by the engulfing sense of community.
Here at Cedar Lane, we seek to help each other, and the
community around us.
To experience General Assembly is to know we are not alone
in seeking to extend the promise of our movement into the broader
world.
Rich Madaleno
During the past several weeks, I have found myself making
several statements I never thought I would hear myself say. First,
I went to a church convention. Second, it was in Salt Lake City.
And, finally the one that is most surprising to me, I had a great
time. I have said these things so many times; my family now
worries that I am going into the ministry.
As John just said, Salt Lake City was the site of the Southern
Baptist's national convention last year. It was in the very same
convention center that the Baptists passed their resolution calling
on wives to graciously submit to the subservient leadership of their
husbands. One afternoon during GA, I was standing in line at the
food court across the street from the convention center, when an
older gentleman, upon noticing my delegate badge with all of its
buttons and ribbons, asked me if I was enjoying my time in Salt
Lake. We talked for a while, and it turned out that he was leading
a group of students from a Mormon college in Idaho to a Mormon
music festival south of Salt Lake. As our conversation proceeded,
he told me how happy he and other Mormons were to have us
Unitarians in Salt Lake City. "While we may have our
differences," he said, "you can have a discussion with a Unitarian
that you simply cannot have with a Baptist. The Baptists just tell
you that you are going to hell."
He was certainly right about one thing. Unitarians can and do
like to discuss just about any issue. For five days, 3,500 delegates
moved between countless seminars, workshops, and plenary
sessions, discussing just about every issue. We also voted on a
number of important resolutions concerning social justice which
you should be aware of and hopefully support.
The UUA recently adopted a new process to address social
justice issues. Through a committee called the Commission on
Social Witness, each year any number of resolutions on significant
social justice issues may be introduced for debate. These
resolutions are called "Study/Action Issues." And each year, only
one issue is adopted for referral to a two-year process of review by
congregations continent-wide, with the eventual goal that the issue
will be refined into a "Statement of Conscience." It is my
understanding that these "Statements of Conscience" will, in
essence, become part of the declaration of our faith, just below the
Principles and Purposes in their importance.
At this GA, we had the honor of debating and voting on the
very first "Statement of Conscience" to make it through the entire
process. I would like to read to you a portion of this Statement,
entitled "Beyond Religious Tolerance: the Challenges of Interfaith
Cooperation Begin with Us."
"We live in a global village that brings people of
diverse economic, cultural, and religious backgrounds into
close and interdependent contact. The resulting challenges
are immense. They defy traditional efforts to ensure social-economic fairness. While we hear the plea for a more just
society in the teachings of many faiths, intolerance towards
people of other faiths inhibits cooperative efforts.
Interfaith cooperation sets a high standard of thought,
feeling, and action -- for each individual and for each
community -- that by its nature goes beyond the boundaries
of self. It invites us to reach beyond ourselves into the
world to confront fear, ignorance, and hatred wherever we
find them. It also invites us to reach deep within ourselves
to assess our own prejudices. This work begins with living
principles, thereby modeling what is possible in the broader
community.
The Unitarian Universalist Association dedicates itself
to the challenges of interfaith cooperation and calls upon its
member congregations and individual Unitarian
Universalists, within dictates of conscience, to accept these
challenges. May our commitment to building a better world
begin with ourselves as we work with others to make the
world awaited, a world attained."
We also voted to approve the drafting of the another statement
for a potential final vote next year. This statement is entitled
"Economic Injustice, Poverty, and Racism." It will address the
linkages between poverty and racism in our society and ways our
faith can develop a stronger anti-racist role for itself. And, we
voted to adopt one issue to begin two years of study for a potential
vote on it in 2001. This statement is entitled "Responsible
Consumption as a Moral Imperative," and will attempt to address
ways we might lead more environmentally responsible lives as
individuals and communities.
The second part of the social justice component of GA
concerns adoption of another set of resolutions called "Actions of
Immediate Witness." These actions are aimed at issues of
immediate importance that do not quite rise to the level of a
"Statement of Conscience" but still deserves our attention. Three
Actions were adopted this year. They addressed: first, a moral
response to youth violence at Columbine High School; second, the
condemning of arson at three Sacramento area synagogues; and
third, a call to change the discriminatory policies of the Boy Scouts
of America.
As I am sure you would agree, these are all important issues,
whether they be statements of conscience or actions of immediate
witness. I encourage you to read the complete text of these
resolutions. They can be found at the UUA web site or we can
make them available to you. I hope that the Social Justice Council
can work to make sure that these issues are addressed within our
congregation and that we participate in the formulation of
resolutions for the next General Assembly.
Yesterday, I heard an insightful comment: "It is always easier
to remember those details that border on the humorous." With that
in mind, I would like to conclude with a short story from GA that
I think will always stick with me. Each year, GA opens with a
parade of banners representing UU congregations, institutions, and
programs. This year, our group of delegates had great seats right
on the aisle. We watched as hundreds of banners went by.
Banners of all colors and all designs from all across North America
marched by, including one that featured several stalks of wheat
under the title "Plant Justice." After that one went by, Jay
Schneider leaned over and said "Plant Justice! Is there a liberal
cause this religion won't indorse? If we are not supposed to eat
meat and now plants, what's left!"
For days we all laughed about this story, even though we
remained confused as to the meaning of the banner. Every meal
together included a call for "Plant Justice." Several days later, I
noticed that the UU Service Committee had tee-shirts in their booth
featuring the "Plant Justice" logo. So, I asked the staff member
there if she had any pamphlets on this "Plant Justice" initiative.
"My whole delegation is interested in this 'Plant Justice' program,"
I said, "and we want to know more about it." She looked at me a
bit perplexed and replied; "We don't have any pamphlets on that
topic. Why don't you just take a tee-shirt." So I did and opened
it to see the whole logo, which included this phrase "Harvest
Peace" at the bottom. "Oh! Plant justice, harvest peace." I said,
"'Plant' is a verb, not a noun! Now it all makes sense." As you
can imagine, we laughed for days about this.
I am quite fond of this shirt now, not just for this memorable
story, but also for the profound message it displays: "Plant Justice.
Harvest Peace." I think that we as a denomination and as
individuals did a lot of 'planting' in Salt Lake City this June. And,
I personally cannot wait to see what grows from it this year.
Arlene Schneider
What's interesting is that all of us look back on GA and find
different defining moments. While I loved the daily 8 a.m.
worship services, for me, the meaning of GA was captured in one
event. It had been billed as the "Prom You Never Went To" and
it was one of several nightly dances GA members could attend at
the Doubletree Hotel.
GA organizers had invited the Salt Lake City Gay & Lesbian
Coalition to join us at the prom, and that evening the joy-filled
dancers included men dancing with men, women twirling with
women, old people dancing with young people, dressed up people
dancing with dressed down people, white people dancing with
black, Asian-Pacific Islander, Hispanic, native American Indian
people AND men dancing with women.
I close my eyes now and I can still see John Buehrens looking
very elegant in his tuxedo. John admits he didn't go to his prom
and felt obliged to dress up for this one. Then I see our wonderful
kids with purple, green and orange hair. One girl's wearing a skirt
she's fashioned out of duct tape; her date's wearing a coordinated
duct tape tie. What a wonderful time were having just being there
together, this gigantic kaleidoscope of people making their way
around the dance floor.
The wonderful music that evening was played by the terrific
Weber State University Dance Band. I approached one of the band
members during a break and asked her if she was planning on
pursuing a career in music after graduation. She responded that
she planned to do just that -- after she finished her two-year
missionary commitment. OH!
I instantly began to calculate how many other of these Weber
State students might also be Mormons and found myself wondering
what they were thinking as they watched this mosaic of dancers.
And I secretly hoped that just one of them might be learning a
lesson about the importance of unconditional love, acceptance,
inclusivity, tolerance and the power of diversity.
My heart sang at the prom as I danced and sang and purely
enjoyed just being there with all the other celebrants . . . and
celebrating we were! I am touched to my core by my UU faith.
John Heltman
GA was a truly unique experience for me, one from which I
will draw inspiration for many years to come. I arrived in Salt
Lake with what I thought would be realistic expectations for a
Unitarian Universalist assembly, but discovered within a matter of
hours that there was a spirit there that I had never experienced
before at a Unitarian function, and that I didn't believe existed.
In order to paint an adequate picture of the 1999 General
Assembly in Salt Lake City I have to begin with the almost
fantastical experience of just getting there. Imagine waking up at
4:30 a.m., driving 45 minutes to Dulles airport, and then being
whisked away to a magical land of make believe way out beyond
the horizon. Everything is different in Salt Lake. It's not like the
streets are paved with gold or that dinosaurs rule the land, but
everything is tilted slightly from what you expect. Suffice it to say
that after awhile you don't know what to expect. The air is salty,
which made my eyes burn a little. The city lies in a valley,
surrounded on three sides by tall, snow-capped peaks and on the
other by a lake that simply defies imagination. The land is
unreasonably flat, so much so that if you drop a ball in the middle
of the street it can roll on for days. The sky is bigger and bluer,
and the temperature may be 105 at noon and 65 when the sun
sets. You have to change your clothes four times a day just to stay
comfortable. The city is simply surreal.
Probably the most dramatic experience I have brought home
from GA was the Opening Session. This begins with the Parade of
Banners, and continues with micro-sermons from about half a
dozen Unitarian Universalist ministers from around the country,
and closes with the first plenary session. Sprinkle in some songs,
a video, and tribal music and you'll begin to get a pretty fair
understanding of how it went. But when the Unitarian minister
from Littleton, Colorado came up to speak, I was almost afraid of
what he would say. The solemnity in this giant hall was almost
overpowering. It was like the Moment of Truth. What was he going
to say? Everybody knew what he was going to talk about, but what
was he going to tell us? How would he deliver his words and
thoughts? The suspense was so intense I could hardly stand it.
Finally he spoke. His voice was loud, but not obnoxious. He spoke
forcefully. His rich baritone thrust the words into the microphone,
and he moved his hands like an evangelical preacher. His body
language and the words he spoke said, if nothing else, that he was
not afraid. He had seen the face of evil; he had children in his
youth group that went to Columbine, who were there. But he was
not afraid for the children, for America, or for the faith. Because,
he said, Unitarian Universalism saves lives. He had seen it happen.
To hear this man say those words was a truly religious
experience. I had never experienced anything so liberating before.
I have been a Unitarian Universalist all my life, and as such I have
spent considerable time having to explain what UU means when
anyone asks me about my religion. It has been disheartening to
realize that not only are Unitarians few in number, but most people
don't even know you exist. So, to hear a minister of my faith, who
has more right than anyone to question his religion, tell me that not
only is Unitarian Universalism alive but that it is making dramatic
changes in people's lives, resonated with me on a level I never
knew possible. I looked around me and saw nothing but Unitarians,
and it startled me as if I had only just noticed them. I felt a new
sense of pride, realizing that I am a part of a thriving nationwide
community that saves lives.
Throughout the week these feelings were confirmed, time and
again. I went to a workshop dealing with the agenda of the
religious right, and discovered that UUs have a place in politics
and that we're making waves of our own. Living in a hotel full of
UU youth. Seeing UUs on the street. Living in a bubble of
Unitarians three thousand miles from home, surrounded by a
landscape that looks like it was painted on the sky incited in me an
almost delusional mix of euphoria and purpose. Needless to say,
I'm glad that I went and I only hope that I can find a ways to act
on the feelings of purpose that I brought back with me.
Sylvia Weaver Jones (read by Elaine Swank)
WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG?
Why did I wait so long to attend GA? Maybe I thought it was
going to be dry as dust, all policies, procedures and issues with no
action. I was wrong.
After leaving home in Maryland at 6 a.m. and arriving at our
hotel at 5:30 p.m. (home time), I got a burst of energy from seeing
this hot, dry, clean city with its wall of mountains, some snow-
topped. Got our badges with spiffy ribbons: Delegate, and a purple
one, Annual Program Fund Honor Society. After caucusing with
our Cedar Lane contingent, we ate a snack in our room and then
crossed the street for the first plenary session. I sat open-mouthed
while drummers drummed and banners representing each of our
1,000 societies and UUA organizations paraded around the hall.
WOW! I didn't know there were over 1,000 UUA churches in the
U.S. and Canada and over 300,000 UUA members. The feeling of
being among friends and like-minded people that I get at CLUUC
was multiplied by 1,000 I sent back email to the members of the
Adult Programs Committee on which I serve. Each letter started
with, "Today is the BEST day yet!" My last letter ended with,
"VERY WELL WORTH IT. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR
BURNT-OUT CASES. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR OUR
YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS TO HOLD THEM CLOSE TO
THEIR RELIGIOUS ROOTS. NOT-FOR-POLICY-WONKS
ONLY!" On to Nashville!
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