Eastrose Fellowship
Unitarian Universalist
WE ARE A WELCOMING CONGREGATION
The Minister's View
- 2007
WE ARE A WELCOMING CONGREGATION
Monthly Letters to the Congregation by Rev. David Maynard
This Year's Letters
| December 2007 The minister’s view… Church As Commodity
The holiday rush is here. In the weeks from Thanksgiving to the New Year we endure a continuous stream of advertisements, special sales and expressions of contentment or distress regarding material gifts. Occasional voices will be raised to plead for the “meaning of the season.” This usually is centered in the birth of Jesus or an expression of concern for “the least of these." However, even these pleas are often accompanied with a return envelope or a list of desirable gifts for the needy. Tugging on wallets through our heartstrings is the norm. Recently a local newspaper featured a non-commercial “alternative Christmas” being organized by a local church. This amused me, because First Unitarian in Portland has done this for nearly a decade. Some religious and secular folks know that the only way to avoid the materialism is to drop out of the competition entirely. While I hold on to my nostalgic memories of Christmas tree gifts, I respect any efforts to minimize the holiday commercialism. We have come to treat Hope (in the form of the baby Jesus) and Charity (in appeals for money) as commodities to be bought, bartered, and sold. In the past few months I have come to realize that our Fellowship, along with nearly all other religious congregations, has sometimes become a commodity, too. This awareness hit me as I reflected on some members and friends who have moved away or dropped away from Eastrose. Although they may have pledged money toward the programs of the congregation, on leaving they simply drop their commitment. There seems to be no memory that a tight budget was constructed around their gifts. Rather, the sense is that if we are not attending the Sunday service or education programs and getting our money’s worth, we’ll just stop paying. In a commodity transaction one does not expect to pay for goods not received. My belief is that what Eastrose Fellowship offers spiritually and educationally goes beyond a religious commodity. I believe we Unitarian Universalists affect society in positive ways and that we bolster family and individual life to make each day richer for our presence. I believe that, while certainly circumstances may change, the “goods” delivered by Eastrose do more than just add to our pile of possessions. In fact, in the Christmas spirit, I do believe that Hope and Charity are alive and well within our walls and among the citizens of East County and Hoodland. That’s the meaningful message of Christmas for me. I’m glad I get to share these thoughts and times with you. Love, David P.S. Be certain to catch the series of UU ads in Time Magazine. Copies are posted on the board as we get them. |
| November 2007 The minister’s view… Assisted Living
My Universalist colleague Reverend Gordon (Bucky) McKeeman recently wrote the following wise words to Lee and Betty Gerold. He was responding to their inquiry about planning for their near and distant future. “Admitting that you can’t do everything that you ‘usta’ is often painful. My way of addressing it is to understand that we all are in ‘assisted living.’ Not one of us can do it alone. The electric company assists us. The water department does, too. So does the grocery store, the barbershop, the filling station, the newspaper, etc. Sometimes we need more help, sometimes temporarily, sometimes permanently. There’s no shame in it. “Rugged individualism” is not only impossible; it’s also unnecessary. If you feel good when you help somebody, you can make someone else feel good by allowing them, even inviting them to help you – when you need it -- which is always. I know this sounds preachy, but this preacher has had a personal experience of disability. I spent nine months in a wheelchair – me, the tennis champ, with a peripheral assymetrical neuropathy that no one – not even the Mayo Clinic – can tell me what caused it or even hold out hope for a cure. They did help. They prescribed braces. That helped. They prescribed exercise. That helps, but not much. Did I surrender? No, but we arranged a peace. I’ll do what I can. And, I’ll accept help without feeling I’ve given up. Is it easy? No! But I’m not giving up doing what I can, even though what I can may not seem like much to others. Some may be much better; some are much worse. What does that matter? It’s not a race, a contest. Right now I get a passing grade. Some day, I’m sure, I will fail. Everybody does, some day.” What grabbed me most in Bucky’s thoughts was the “we are all in assisted living” and “[Life is] not a race, a contest.” Also I love that wonderful hallmark of Universalism: we can never help one another too much or too often in times of need. We do this even if we only have a passing grade and even thought we know we will fail some day. We do it because it’s a loving part of what it means to be human. And, that’s enough. Love, David |
| October 2007 The minister’s view… Generosity and Turtles
We are planning the September 30 dedication of our new parking and landscaped areas. The rainwater on the asphalt does indeed go right into the rock base and the new plants are already showing signs of growth. As one long-term member put it, “I never believed we’d do it!” While we are a bit short of the $200,000 total cost and need to receive a few more capital gifts, the whole project has truly been a wonder of vision, commitment and cooperation. This generosity of wallet and spirit represent the best of Eastrose Fellowship and Unitarian Universalism. I am so proud to be one of your ministers. Thus, full of this spirit, I found the following paragraph written by “Bowling Alone” author Robert Putnam from the September 4 issue of Christian Century to be startling: “The greater the level of diversity in a community, the less people will vote or volunteer, give to charity or work on community projects. People living in ethnically diverse settings appear to ‘hunker down’ – that is, to pull in like a turtle.” Both at Eastrose and the UUA there is a steady interest in greater racial, ethnic and social diversity. However, Mr. Putnam’s research suggests this come at a literal high price. Less generosity and more “turtle” behavior may be the result of such diversity. Can this be true? Does increasing diversity stifle involvement? Sadly, I suspect that in general Putnam is right. After all, it’s what he observed happening among 30,000 people. The remedy, however, is also at hand. Whether the diversity is ethnic or racial or social class – or just simply new members to our congregation – we are all subject to the turtle effect. The context of community and our common value to reach out to one another serves to lure us out of the shells of our busy lives and into a world of opportunities to work, support and contribute together. We need to maintain our focus on community and values. We also need to celebrate our successes and plan together for our futures. The Dedication is such a good way to do this. Thank you, Eastrose Fellowship, for being you. Love, David |
| September 2007 The minister’s view… Contemporary Culture
In July on a Sunday morning Jane and I, along with several cousins and friends, went to the Metro Zoo. I was astounded at what we found. Around the large parking lot are the Zoo, the Children’s Museum and the World Forestry Center with the Oregon Vietnam Memorial just off to the north. The parking lot was totally full. The overflow parking a mile up Route 26 was full. Cars were cruising constantly and, as families departed, the spaces were filled immediately. Needless to say, the Zoo itself had lines throughout as young and old gazed at the animals, waited for a concert or rode the train. A day or two later I was walking our dog Nicole around the block at 6 a.m. For the sake of variety I took a new route. As we left our driveway we passed The Oregonian and The New York Times in their plastic bags. I was astounded again. In walking past four blocks of driveways I did not see one other newspaper waiting to be read. Not even one! Our cultural practices are always in flux. In these examples, the destination of Oregonians on Sunday mornings and the ways in which residents in our neighborhood get their news are dramatically different from what I do or expect. Such changes have implications for all social institutions, including our congregations. While Unitarian Universalism cannot compete with the Zoo or Children’s Museum, perhaps we can incorporate them in our curricula. While we UUs are historically based on the power of the written word, we may need to get serious about an Eastrose podcast and blog. And so forth. One of my mantras is “The way it is today is NOT the way it’s always going to be.” That’s what’s happening as contemporary cultural values change. Talking among ourselves about such changes is important and even useful. Love, David P.S. Beginning in September I will change my office schedule from Friday morning to Thursday morning 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The monthly Brown Bag lunch will move also to the first Thursday beginning September 6 at Noon. |
| August 2007 The Minister's View .... (on vacation! and well-deserved) |
|
We Unitarian Universalists make a big deal about tolerance. In
fact, according to Unitarian historian Earl Morse Wilbur, tolerance of
diversity, freedom of belief and the use of reason define our Unitarian
Universalist faith. These are our “trinity.” Thus, I am always taken aback a bit when a Unitarian Universalist
expresses intolerance. This takes the form of “I won’t come on
Sunday if the theme is paganism” or “I don’t like all the God
talk in church” or “When you quote from the Bible I want to throw
up” or “The services just are not spiritual enough for me.”
These are all variations on a theme: “To me your way of being spiritual
is not acceptable. You should be different.” The author Helen Keller wrote: “Toleration… is the
greatest gift of the mind; it requires the same effort of the brain that it
takes to balance oneself on a bicycle.” I like her view for several reasons.
First, tolerance is a mental gift. It is an attitude that often does not come
readily or even naturally. We will often choose to organize our lives by
exclusion of certain people and around fear of who they are or might become.
Keller says it’s the greatest gift, and she may be right. Second, tolerance uses our brains. We have to think, to feel, and
to mentally connect with the life of another person or group. And, third,
tolerance is the spiritual practice of balance. Not to be caught up in just our
way or just another’s way, but to live and believe in the unique balance
that is our way. It’s finding that balance that allows us to be happy and
healthy Unitarian Universalists as well as individuals. Like riding a bicycle, tolerance takes practice – and we may
skin our emotional knees a few times as we learn to be tolerant. Similarly,
tolerance is a habit that once learned can always be restored to practice. I
hope that over the summer we all get a chance to explore this great gift and to
improve our skill at being Unitarian Universalist. Love, David |
| June 2007 The Minister’s View… Lest We Forget
The month of May ends with Memorial Day. July begins with the celebration of our war of Independence. So, for my June column, I find myself pondering things we ought to remember. Rudyard Kipling’s refrain from his poem “Recessional” provides the title line: “Judge of the Nations, spare us yet. Lest we forget – lest we forget! One day recently after dropping my wife Jane off at the Japanese garden I took her suggestion to visit the Holocaust Memorial near the Washington Park reservoirs. I parked under the gorgeous trees with blooming azaleas and rhododendron all around. I walked into the Memorial and wondered at the abandoned suitcase on the stones. Then I saw the teddy bear, the torn book, and eventually the eyeglasses, doll and baby shoe. I began to get the message. All these bronze items were dropped by the victims in their rush to torment and death. The memorial is truly worth seeing, reading and feeling. The Holocaust unleashed by Germany and her supporters was directed, as the memorial texts say, at children, political prisoners, homosexuals, Jews, Jehovah’s Witnesses, “social undesirables,” rescuers, righteous, Roma, resisters, liberators, martyrs. I remember as a Unitarian teenager realizing that my family and I would have been among those rounded up for our social and political views. The Oregon Holocaust Memorial concludes with these words: “Our precious life rests not on our ability to see what makes us different, one from another, but rather on our ability to recognize what makes us the same. What ultimately defines us is the moral strength to believe in our common humanity, and to act upon this belief.” In recounting the history of the Holocaust, the reader is reminded that “Long before the crimes took place the seeds took root.” Thus, even in our nation today, we must maintain vigilance and take action against bigotry and loss of civil liberties. Lest we forget – lest we forget. Love, David P.S. During the month of July as usual I will be on vacation. The office and the Board President will know how to reach me. |
| May 2007 The Minister's View ... Strong Women
My wife Jane told me why she became a Unitarian Universalist in our first few days of knowing one another. She began attending First Unitarian church in Portland in the early 1970’s. She discovered that she really liked the character and spirit of the older women in the church. “I want to be an older woman like them,” she realized. So, looking ahead, she became a part of that congregation. A few months ago she remarked that hopefully she’d become one. Like those First Church women three decades ago, the older women of Eastrose Fellowship have those traits. Perhaps Garrison Keillor’s Lake Wobegon quip gets it right: the women are strong, the men are good-looking and the children are above average. Unitarian Universalist women do not tend toward shyness. While their names may not always get into the male-written history books, the commitment to education, freedom of thought, and speaking out against wrong-doing goes back throughout our liberal religious heritage. The American feminist movement, birth control, anti-war efforts and social revolutions for equal rights and equal treatment are just a few such areas. In our Eastrose congregation women serve in all capacities and lead us in action from peace work to the League of Women Voters to hospice volunteers to direct social service. Women’s church work may be done in a public forum with a well thought out argument as well as organizing kitchen cupboards. While strong women can be found in all institutions, one joy of being a Unitarian Universalist minister is serving with so many. On behalf of the men and the children I send my gratitude – keep coming back! Love, David |
| April 2007 The Minister's View ... Annual Inventories Taking an inventory is built into our American culture. New Year’s Day resolutions and periodic stock inventories are just part of the way we guide our lives and run our businesses. This time of year another inventory process occurs as we lean on our dining room tables and put together our sundry tax forms. Jane and I have used the same tax preparation service for many years. I am the one who gathers the forms, prints out the financial data and puts numbers in all the boxes on the planning document sent to us each January. Going back through twelve months of transactions always brings up memories of pleasant events, difficult times, lessons learned and dreams deferred. The only resolutions I make are to organize the data more carefully this year (which I never do). However, there is a certain equanimity in looking over the decisions of a year and pondering how they became the stuff of our lives. It’s a useful inventory. Most startling to me this year was the review of my automobile travel log. In September, 2006 I traveled on Eastrose ministry business for 22 out of 30 days. In April, 2006 I drove 1,538 miles doing my job. While I am aware that working here is more than a one-half time job (which is fine), this was concrete evidence of the intensity of the work. I immediately recognized my internal feeling about this inventory. I had the feeling before. It is the sudden recognition how some part of my life creeps up in intensity or demands until it’s a major factor in my use of time. Inventories are a chance to somewhat objectively look at who we have become. Only then can we make choices about where we might want to be going next. It’s important with any inventory to share the results with those affected. Then we can make decisions which are based in the real elements of living. Which is why I wanted to share this with you and Jane. Love, David |
| March 2007 The Minister's View .... Vandals
The Vandals are on my mind as I write. As the Huns invaded from Asia, the Germanic Vandals fled and settled in Spain. They spread across northern Africa and then crossed the Mediterranean to conquer the islands off Italy and then Italy itself. When they invaded Rome in 455 “they plundered the city and its artworks, and their name has remained a synonym for willful desecration and destruction.” Centuries ago the Vandals reenacted their oppression by the Huns and spread destruction wantonly across land and water. Today our small Unitarian Universalist fellowship in Gresham must put up with modern vandals. Paintballs get blasted at the siding and outdoor water spigots are left running. A crazy nighttime driver erodes circles in our parking lot gravel. The concrete Bob Russell memorial bench (with affixed plaque) was stolen from the Peace Garden. The brand new “For Rent” sign installed out at 181st Avenue was gone in 36 hours. From various pieces of evidence we know that the doors and windows to the church are tested often. It’s vandalism – “willful desecration and destruction.” Vandalism is so common that victims usually do not report it and the police are usually too busy to help. And, like their predecessors, these contemporary vandals most likely were persecuted as kids and heap it on us randomly as they spread their anti-social wares. Of course, part of the reaction I have is that I recall doing some similar things as a young man. Setting a juniper bush on fire, stealing toys in a variety store, jumping curbs with the car and pirating flags and mementos from a cemetery are a few of the memories that make me wince. My victims were probably just as annoyed, resigned, and felt helpless as does Eastrose Fellowship. I was in some way a Vandal, too. I’ve pursued the “doughnut” driver and others have cleaned off the paintball residue. We replaced the sign and we will buy a new bench (and bolt it down). While the vandals may be acting out their pain, if the opportunity arises to bring legal intervention to bear on them, we’ll do it. While vandals may be willful and destructive, vandalism is not inevitable or excusable. Only if we stand up to bullies and misbehavior can we keep ourselves from being overrun and from building more fortresses. Organizing a Neighborhood Watch would be our best course of action. Only by being open and honest about the impact of vandalism on all of us can we move to a safer, saner society. Love, David P.S. We’d like to begin podcasting some of our Sunday services – and to do that we’ll need some trained sound system operators. See Rev. Maynard if interested. |
| Febuary 2007 The Minister’s View… Compassionate Communication
Popular author Marshall Rosenberg “believes it is our nature to enjoy giving and receiving in a compassionate manner.” He adds that, in the spirit of nonviolence taught by Gandhi, compassion occurs “when violence has subsided from the heart.” Whether physical, verbal, emotional or spiritual, causing pain or hurt to others causes violence in the heart. Rosenberg adds that two questions have guided his studies: What happens to disconnect us from our compassionate nature, leading us to behave violently and exploitatively? And What allows some people to stay connected to their compassionate nature under even the most trying circumstances? In his book on Nonviolent Communication, A Language of Life he describes a process to enhance compassion and reduce violence in our lives. He describes a four-point plan to express how one is and to receive empathically such expressions. His points are, first: to learn to Observe what is not contributing to one’s well-being or compassion; second, to express one’s Feeling(s) about the observation; third, to state what Need is causing the feelings (e.g. self-worth, acceptance, nourishment, fun, honesty, etc.); and fourth, to make a clear Request of the other for a concrete change. The goal of the four points is to restore compassion and to reduce violence in the relationship. Although I am a known skeptic about self-help books, I find Marshall Rosenberg’s scheme very attractive. I think there are two main reasons for my attitude. As he says, there is nothing especially new in what he suggests – it’s just good human interpersonal dynamics. What is different is the focus on compassion as the goal. I really like that. I also realize that compassionate nonviolent communication is grounded in our first UU principle: we covenant to affirm and promote the inherent dignity and worth of every person. That principle is profound in its implications for how we treat one another. It is also profound in differentiating Unitarian Universalists from other traditional faiths. I look forward to learning more and practicing his concepts in my daily life. Love, David P.S. The Adult Education program Democracy Talking is, in practical terms, an opportunity to experience nonviolent communication about controversial subjects. |
| January 2007 The Minister’s View… Hell and Happy New Year
As a New Year’s gift, I’d also like to share the following short column from my colleague Rev. Burton Carley in Memphis. We Unitarian Universalists have some theological answers, too: “The other day I was asked if Unitarians offered salvation from hell? Sometimes I struggle with such questions because the very framework they arrive in encourages a negative response and does not represent the depth and maturity of our faith. This time however I remembered a scene from the novel by Georges Bernanos, “The Diary of a Country Priest.” The priest encounters a woman who is completely turned in on herself. She has been abandoned by her daughter and betrayed by her husband. Death has claimed her young son. With so much loss and grief her heart has hardened. So the priest urges her to unlock her hardened heart, pleading: “Hell is not to love anymore.”May 2007 be a year of compassion, meaning and reaching out to others for you and yours. Love and Happy Holidays, David P.S. After several excellent years of editing The Petals, Lurene John has requested a new editor. Please thank her for a job well done! What a great gift she has given. |