Eastrose Fellowship Unitarian Universalist
WE ARE A WELCOMING CONGREGATION
Monthly Letters to the Congregation by Rev. David Maynard
This Year's Letters
| December 2008 The minister’s view… Covenant and Christmas
In October our Unitarian minister's group studied the way we covenant or bind ourselves to one another. While we were talking about the covenants among clergy, most of the elements of a covenant can transfer to other types of association such as our congregations, our families and our work places. What commitments, activities and expressions unite us? How is a covenant, in which we voluntarily bind ourselves to another, different from a contract where there is always a trade of one thing for another? Is marriage a contract or covenant? Is church membership a contract or a covenant? As we approach the holidays and the end of 2008, I find myself pondering the ties that bind us and the sometimes broken pieces of our covenant. The discussion on talk shows about whether to actually say “Merry Christmas” instead of “Happy Holidays” is actually a discussion about covenant. The annual gift giving rush evolved from a covenant and has often (especially for kids) devolved into a contract. “If I've been good, I deserve a gift!” Christmas carols are usually about a religious covenant or perhaps about a family covenant such as Jingle Bells. And the expectations of a pleasant family visit or the realities of frail individuals letting another down are covenants kept or covenants broken. During the holiday season as your families and friends gather and disperse, we can all pay attention to the implicit (and sometimes explicit) covenants that allow us to live and love with one another. It's part of what being religious and being a congregation means. May this be a time of love and caring for you all. Love, David P.S.: The Eastrose office will close much of December 26 – January 1. We will be open December 29 for sure. Mail and e-mail will be processed and telephone messages checked. |
| November 2008 The minister's view... Elections and the Church
The fall is an election time in several ways. One way is the Presidential election and all the state and local elections on November 4. While all indications are for a record turnout and a probable change in the political sphere, it is also a time of uncertainty and fear for many Americans. The great power in a democracy is the vote – we will elect the leaders and pass the ballot referenda that we deserve. This fall is turning out to be an election of values, too. Will we as a people and as individuals choose to change our public and private commitment to financial greed? Will we elect to impose controls on financial institutions after their self-destruction threatened to collapse our economy? Will we make some serious changes to protect those with lower incomes and less power in the housing and employment markets? Will we join the rest of the modern world in ensuring universal access to health care? Will we declare that the leaders of publicly rescued businesses cannot continue to command incomes 100 times or more that of their line workers? In the spirit of our annual pledge drive, will we as a people place generosity among our spiritual values? As times get hard for some, will be reach out to folks inside our Eastrose family who need support? In the realm of values a lot of voting will be taking place. This fall, and in reality every month of the year, is an election about what you want at Eastrose Fellowship, too. For the past few months we’ve offered some new programs for young adults and for those UUs over 50. If we count the votes cast by your feet, it may not be time for these efforts. On the other hand, the Brown Bag lunches and the Religious Education program rank high in the balloting. Recently somebody asked about starting a new program. My response is always about the same: we only count the Yes! votes. If you want something to happen, just do it – the election results will determine if it continues or not. In our congregation and in our society the democratic process guides our choices and determines what we will do and what we value. May the power of election be respected and appreciated by us all. Love, David |
| October 2008 The minister’s view… Greed and Generosity
“Worst financial crisis since the Great Depression” is just one of the alarms being rung in recent weeks. The bailout of one financial company last spring has turned into a rout spreading to the Freddie and Fannie of mortgage lending and to what now seems to be an endless series of failing or submerging money machine corporations. Another regular alarm rung repeatedly since the early summer is typified by the “5th Columnist” P. M. Carpenter: “there will be much more privatization of profit and socialization of loss. Translation: you're going to get stuck with this tab. You can bank on it.” If this seems a bit partisan, the Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson said a few weeks ago: “We're going to have to decide whether we want to have government support for private profit?” To date in general the answer to the Secretary's question is “yes – most of the time.” The recent era of unregulated greed is being supplanted by a mini-era of unpaid-for federal debt to assume trillion dollar losses on behalf of taxpayers. If you recognize this spending pattern as similar to the funding of the Iraq war – which has only appeared in our accumulated federal deficit and never in an actual budget – you might note that the same administration is promoting it. Contrast, if you will, our 2008 canvass campaign centered on generosity. I believe the essence of our message about generosity is caught by Unitarian Universalist Malvina Reynolds in the words of her song Magic Penny: “Love is something if you give it away, Give it away, give it away. Love is something if you give it away, You end up having more. It's just like a magic penny, Hold it tight and you won't have any. Lend it, spend it, and you'll have so many They'll roll all over the floor.” We sang this recently and I could feel the mood of the Chapel lighten as we voiced the verses. We were musically bringing Life to the room! Whenever I think about giving money away I remember George Harris in Peoria, Illinois. George repaired our furnace from time to time. He and June never had a lot of money. However, they supported their Universalist church generously. George told me every time he sent a check to the church, his work phone rang with orders. Love and money is something if you give it away. You end up having more. I'm well aware in our era of consumer spending and financial greed that such an ethic seems alien or even untrue. And, in a material sense, that may be right. However, if human relationships matter and if the energy of love between humans makes a difference, then an ethic of generosity is a spiritual matter. A deeper meaning to our lives results from generosity of love, time and money. I hope that's what Eastrose Fellowship is really about. I will work with all of you to make sure that's what we do. Love, David P.S. Be sure to accept an offer from a Canvass Committee member to join in a discussion about Eastrose and generosity – you'll be glad you participated. |
| September 2008 The minister’s view… Is It Safe To Be Liberal?
After the killings in Knoxville, I wrote the following letter, which was printed in The Gresham Outlook and in modified form in the Oregonian: “As a Unitarian Universalist (UU) minister, I take the murder of two parishioners at our sister UU church in Knoxville, Tenn., very seriously. Apparently the accused shooter was seeking to kill ‘liberals’ before he himself was to be shot by the police. Due to the courage of congregants that morning, he was stopped after firing three rounds. I am terrifically sad at the death of two good people and proud of the bravery of their fellow worshippers. “Two additional observations are, first, that I’ve never heard of ‘liberals’ taking up arms and shooting random people in public. All too often I’ve heard of unhealthy persons espousing fundamentalist values wreaking just that kind of havoc. Liberals are more likely to teach peace than wielding a gun. Second, a few years ago it was popular in some churches to say ‘if you were accused of being a (insert name of faith), would there be enough evidence to convict you?’ I am ironically proud that, indeed, Unitarian Universalists as outspoken ‘liberals’ on issues like same-sex marriage, civil rights of all kinds, and abortion rights, are well known enough to get the attention of a sick person out to get liberals. I hope we never lose that courage of our convictions that making a better world for all is our collective responsibility.” The responses have been mostly supportive, though two writers assailed me for talking about conservative Christians (which I clearly did not do) and promoting libertine values (not that, either.) My liberalism is of the Edwin Markham form: “He drew a circle that shut me out— Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout. But Love and I had the wit to win: We drew a circle that took him in!” As a liberal, I am more interested in finding the common cause with an opponent rather than our differences. As a liberal, I am more interested in the fruits of love and compassion than either in being right or being vindicated. It’s never really been all that safe to be a liberal, actually. By definition a liberal is open to attack. However, I am pleased that we liberals find each other and form churches around such inclusive values. Though I continue to mourn the deaths of Greg McKendry, Jr. and Linda Kraeger and the violation of safe worshipping at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Church, it is still as safe to be a liberal as ever. For that, I cannot be sufficiently grateful. Love, David P.S. Be sure to join us to say Goodbye! to Betty Gerold on Monday, September 1 from 3-6 p.m. She will move to Indiana the following week. |
| August 2008 The minister’s view… Many Paths On June 23 the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life issued a study of American religious values. This was widely reported in the press – you may have seen the story. Over 70% of a wide range of believers agreed that “many religions can lead to eternal life,” and over 55% believe “Good diplomacy is the best way to ensure peace.” With some notable exceptions (such as Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses) there was a broad consensus for tolerance and respect among those Americans surveyed. Our Unitarian Universalist faith is centered around the concepts of many paths to spirituality or a religious faith. We also embrace talking with those you don’t like or don’t understand. The whole Pew survey actually, affirms the general popularity of our approach to the phenomenon of faith. The web site is http://religions.pewforum.org if you want to see more. I guess the summary for us would be: Keep on Trucking! I’ll take encouragement wherever it’s found. Love, David |
| July 2008 The minister’s view… Marriage and Life
The headline in today’s newspaper shows two women Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin being married in San Francisco after being together over fifty years. Phyllis was my boss for two years beginning in 1972. I knew her and Del well. In fact, while Phyllis did not care much for clergy, she did tell me once that I could perform her funeral! I told her I was not in any hurry. Their courage as a lesbian couple and the courage of California to offer same-sex marriage is inspirational. I add to their accolades, our congratulations! I also wanted to share a poem for July: “A Note” Life is the only way to get covered in leaves, catch your breath on the sand, rise on wings; to be a dog, or stroke its warm fur; to tell pain from everything it’s not; to squeeze inside events, dawdle in view, to seek the least of all possible mistakes. An extraordinary chance to remember for a moment a conversation held with the lamp switched off; and if only once to stumble on a stone, end up soaked in one downpour or another, mislay your keys in the grass; and to follow a spark on the wind with your eyes; and to keep on not knowing something important. Wislawa Szymborska, trans. Stanislaw Baranczak and Clare Cavanaugh Love, David P.S. My wife and I are on vacation in July. Please contact the fellowship office or Board President Ron Randall or one of our community ministers Sue Matranga-Watson or Barbara Stevens if need be. I can be reached in an emergency, too. |
| June 2008 The Minister's View .... “Living the Future” The New York Times columnist David Brooks recently penned “The Neural Buddhists” as he reflected on the changing brainscape of consciousness studies. His summary of a number of books includes the following observations: “First, the self is not a fixed entity but a dynamic process of relationships. Second, underneath the patina of different religions, people around the world have common moral intuitions. Third, people are equipped to experience the sacred, to have moments of elevated experience when they transcend boundaries and overflow with love. Fourth, God can best be conceived as the nature one experiences at those moments, the unknowable total of all there is.” My wife pointed this column out to me. After I read it I passed it on to a fellow Unitarian Universalist who thinks along theological lines. As I said to him, Brooks' four observations jump out at me for two big reasons. First, they are the core of our functional faith which has developed during my lifetime. My personal definition of “spiritual” is “nourishing and healthy relationships with other people and with ones environment.” That certainly takes in Brooks' first and third points. As a UU I assume any intuition available to me is available to any human. As for the fourth point, that's where my concept of God rests today – and I'm not all that unusual as a Unitarian. The other big reason the four points struck me is a confirmation, if a bit anecdotal, that every major religious transformation in our culture begins with Unitarian Universalists' beliefs several decades earlier. We made a public mark leading social reforms: abolition of slavery, women's and same sex rights, abortion rights, and more recently cross-cultural peace. Our theology emphasized universal salvation and the unity of the God experience. More recently acceptance of faith as a human phenomenon has been adopted by modern religions around the world. Indeed, denying such beliefs is the hallmark of fundamentalism and of intolerance. While I can certainly mention UU beliefs that have not stood the test of time, that does not diminish the importance of the ones that broaden the scope of faith for all persons. So, take those reflections with you as you travel this summer or as you spend some time with a good book. Keep your relationships healthy; look for what we humans have in common rather than how we differ; open yourself to beauty and the transcendent; and experience awe whenever possible. And stay in touch with this wonderful religious movement we call home. Love, David P.S. My wife and I are on vacation in July. Please contact the fellowship office or Board President Ron Randall or one of our community ministers if need be. I can be reached in an emergency, too. |
| May 2008 The minister’s view… “All that we do...” My Universalist colleague Reverend Gordon McKeeman (Bucky) writes: “Ministry is what we do together as we celebrate triumphs of our human Spirit. We who minister speak and live the best we know with the full knowledge that is is never quite enough... and yet are reassured by lostness found, fragments reunited, wounds healed, and joys shared. Ministry is all that we do... together.” These words were used by Reverend Christine Riley, minister of the Washington County Unitarian Universalist Congregation, for her Installation in early April. The Universalist side of our family with the 1961 merger brought a concern for the health of the Spirit and for the manifestations of love among us which religiously nourishes us to this day. This balances the traditional (in my view) Unitarian concern for transforming ideas and institutional social justice. We are a great pair. Ministry is a profound form of caring for one another. We care by celebrating the human Spirit, as Bucky says. We care by pursuing deeper knowledge, restoring what is broken to wholeness, and holding sacred the memory of those who have gone before and left us as the beneficiaries of their gifts. We care by calling ministers for our congregations, to be sure. With the possible addition of Barbara Stevens as an Affiliated Community Minister our Eastrose group may have three clergy! However, we care even more by acknowledging the work of ministry done by our members and friends here at Eastrose. Whether in worship, religious education, funding, social justice, aesthetics and the physical plant or any other aspect of our common task to care for one another, it's all a very special form of ministry. As we approach our May annual meeting, I find myself reflecting on the hard work and changes in Eastrose this past year. The ministry done by you is heartening and at time a wonder. Thank you! Indeed, “Ministry is all that we do... together.” Love, David |
| April 2008 The minister’s view… “Whatever We Do in the World” In her sermon on February 3 our Affiliated Community Minister Reverend Sue Matranga-Watson said: “Whatever we do in the world touches others.” At that moment she was referring to her partner Jude Watson’s trip to Biloxi to help build housing for hurricane Katrina refugees. However, the sentiment, as she says, is global. The ecologist and philosopher Garrett Hardin, who died in 2003, posited Hardin's First Law of Ecology: "You cannot do only one thing." While his concern was the impact of pollution and human activity on the eco-system, his Law is global, too. As the centuries pass humans have expanded their awareness of other cultures and their knowledge of natural systems. This awareness reinforces Hardin’s Law. Exploitation of resources, abuse of groups of people, and the wanton accumulation of power or wealth are big actions that affect all people. Yet these are dwarfed by millions of perhaps selfish individual decisions. These millions of decisions are the “one thing” that can set us on destructive courses. The antidote is found in Reverend Sue’s phrase: “Whatever we do in the world touches others.” It’s when we take action (“do”) that we touch others. And when we do touch others, by deed and by generosity, we ourselves are transformed a bit in the process. That’s why it’s so important to stay involved in a wide range of volunteer and social change activities: to allow for that transformation. Even if we are doing more than one thing, we can ensure that at least to some degree our actions are bringing some goodness to others in this world. Like the stories of Pandora which Jeannette Leardi shared in March, for all the hazards of the world let loose, there are also gifts, such as Hope, which abound. Love, David |
| March 2008 The minister’s view… “Ecumenists”
On a Tuesday morning in the Eastrose Thatcher room recently sat nine clergy: one United Methodist, three Presbyterians, one Christian (Disciples), two Lutherans, one United Church of Christ and one Unitarian Universalist. This Gresham Clergy group has met for about a year. They’ve hosted a joint Thanksgiving service, an Ash Wednesday service and we are planning an Earth Day service for April 23. For the future we are looking at community service, ties to Mount Hood Community College, and other ways to engage our faiths locally. We do this by sharing coffee, snacks, conversation and prayer. We are colleagues and we know from experience that collective energy is greater than separate parts. We accept that part of religion is celebration and transformation. We expect that with one another. We are also “liberal,” in the sense of Edwin Markham’s poem: “He drew a circle that shut me out -- Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout -- But love and I had the wit to win; We drew a circle that took him in.” As I told the group, simply being together is good. I think this may be the first time such a clergy group has met at Eastrose Fellowship. “Ecumenical” means being a part of the greater world. My ministry has focused on connections and finding common ground both inside and outside our walls. This Gresham clergy group is a good step forward in my experience. I’m glad we can be together, one day at a time. Love, David P.S. During March the Committee on Ministry will host a series of geographically based home meetings. Do plan on attending one! |
| February 2008 The minister’s view… “Connections and
Glue” As I write this column a very silly looking gift sits beside me. It is a discarded black cell phone with an orange Crazy Glue cap fastened on the top. The man who presented this was saying his good-bye to our weekly men’s group. After meeting for five years he wanted me, as group leader, to have a gift symbolic of my role as “glue and connector” in the group. He also presented me with a small carved wooden owl. I was appreciative and moved by his thoughtfulness. Connections and glue are, in fact, a major part of both my counseling and ministry. Some time ago I gave a sermon on Evil in which I summarize evil as isolation. That is, isolation from the soul and integrity of other people. Isolation from a radical individualism instead of dependent, connected humanness. Isolation from our cultural history and genetic inheritance which can be used for good or ill. Isolation from accountability to others for our behaviors. Isolation from the light of truth and hiding behind a mask of secrecy. If ministry in part is a moral mission, then connections and glue are part of moral actions . By acknowledging our common human connections and by utilizing the glue of friendships and common purpose we counteract bad things. We also benefit individually by both passing on the good things we’ve been handed and ensuring that good things will come back to us in our own times of need. While the modified cell phone looks silly, the symbolism for me is serious. I hope that my concern for helping others find connections and glue never wanes. I also hope that if you or I fall short in this quest, we’ll either assist or remind one another. It’s working together on such goals that brings us closer to the life of peace and love we seek for all. These are goals which are uniquely human and among our greatest gifts. Love, David |
| January 2008 The minister's view... “In The Beginning…”
The opening line in a book is quite important to authors. For example, Scott Peck's “Life is difficult,” grabbed readers for decades and kept The Road Less Travelled on the best-seller lists. Likewise, “In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth,” serves well as the opening line for a best-seller in Jewish and Christian circles. These two openings and a hundred thousand others over the centuries result from intentional thought and action on the part of the writer(s). They are designed to establish the direction of the book and also to involve the reader in what follows. Beginnings are important. However, when it comes to living out our lives, we do not get to choose our opening lines. These are handed to us by culture and genetics. These are dictated in myriad languages and uttered under all imaginable and unimaginable circumstances. Some days I am amazed that we understand one another at all. What is possible, however, is to use intention and help from others to start over again. That is, to take all of who we are and what we have become to this point in our lives and say, “from this day on I have a new beginning which is .....” As we welcome the New Year, I find much in this past year to cherish and much to regret. My past year began with a series of family deaths and ends with some tragic events going on at home and in my counseling practice. In between were a host of wonderful trips, visits and conversations and one new granddaughter. Then, in December while talking about the Peace Pilgrim, I read these words: “If your life is in harmony with your part in the Life Pattern... then your life is full and good but not overcrowded. If it is overcrowded, you are doing more than is right for you to do, more than is your job to do in the total scheme of things.” Those words really struck me. My life is overcrowded. For one New Year's resolution, I plan to write a new beginning line moving toward that harmony Peace Pilgrim describes. Although I cannot change what's gone before, I can begin to do what is just my “job to to in the total scheme of things.” Like any opening line, I'll need to be intentional and take action to get it right. I invite you to do the same in your life, if you could use a new beginning. Love, David P.S. Copies of Peace Pilgrim's Steps to Inner Peace are available from my office. |