October 2002
The morning glory that blooms for an hour
Differs not at heart
From the giant pine that lives for a thousand years.
-Zen Proverb
- Sermon: "The “Stuff” of Life," by Sheryl Wurl
- REsources for Living, by Dan Harper
- Canvass issue, by Quest staff & CLF Board
- Making the Manifesto, by William F. Schulz
- Autumn, by David Bumbaugh
- Sorry, Hon, not my table, by Meg Barnhouse,
- More About Between Sundays , by Quest
staff
- Member Correspondence , by CLF members
- Notices, by Quest staff & CLF Board
The “Stuff” of Life
by the Rev. Sheryl Wurl,director of clinical pastoral education,
University of Tennessee Medical Center, Knoxville, Tennessee
It all began one afternoon with a call for the pediatric chaplain.
I listened and heard a family struggling to cope with the imminent loss
of a child. Knowing they were about to be torn apart, they desperately
needed now to confirm their togetherness.
“The family in 803 wants you to come bless some stuff,” was
how the unit secretary phrased it. “I don’t know what all
there is, but there’s a lot. We call them the ‘Jesus Family,’”
he added.
With the laughter of my peers in the chaplain’s office following
me, I headed for the eighth floor. They thought it especially fitting
that the Unitarian Universalist get this
assignment.
I stepped off the elevator and looked questioningly at the charge nurse.
She pointed to the room. The room was filled with “Jesus”
stuff. Schlocky Jesus memorabilia.
Black velvet paintings-one a plug-in version with oil “tears”
that ran down the face-a neon pink and black “Jesus Loves You”
pillow, a Jesus-faced clock, fluorescent-hearted Jesus key chains, a
Jesus-in-Gethsemane candy dish, and a weeping Jesus ashtray, among other
items.
In the bed was a frail, golden-haired child obviously in the last stages
of cystic fibrosis. At either side of her stood frightened-looking parents
and siblings. They smelled sweaty, unbathed, scared. They looked haunted.
“The nurse said you’d like to see a chaplain,” I began-they
nodded-”How can I help?”
“We want you to bless these things in the name of the Lord to watch
over our little daughter,” the man replied. He spoke quietly, and
with great dignity. His wife and the
others murmured their agreement.
“You have quite an assortment here,” I said. “Please
tell me something about them.”
Slowly at first, and then more excitedly, they told the stories of their
Jesus collection. “Remember when we got this? It cost so much we
had to eat hot dogs for supper. When we came out of the store with that
it was raining cats and dogs-we thought for sure the colors would run.
And (pointing to the electric-oil tears painting) this is her favorite.
She likes to watch the tears while she’s in bed. It quiets her.”
I listened and heard a family struggling to cope with the imminent loss
of a child. Knowing they were about to be torn apart, they desperately
needed now to confirm their
togetherness.
It turned out that each item had been acquired during family travels,
that each represented happy memories for them. That “stuff”
was, in fact, visible proof of their wholeness as a family, something
that, in a short while, they would never be again. Suddenly, I realized
what they were asking of me. They wanted me to validate their covenant
with each other through a recognizably religious ritual, not
literally bless the “Jesus stuff.”
So, holding hands in a large circle around the hospital bed, parents
each with one arm around their child, we prayed. We gave thanks for
her life and for the gift of their years together. We asked that they
continue to be blessed with a love that was strong and deep and truly
life-giving. And we acknowledged the importance of each Jesus piece
in the room, for they were reminders of their daughter’s place
in her family’s hearts, no matter what.
That experience touched me, and I carried it with me for days-mulling
over “what ifs.” What if I were in their place? I wondered-as
perhaps you might wonder- what would I choose to surround my terminally
ill child or loved one with? What “stuff” would represent
the joy of our shared life most eloquently? What would symbolize best
who we had been for one another? What is the last thing I would want
my dying child to see? To hear? To touch?
Bruno, the dirty, falling-apart stuffed dog that has shared my son’s bed from birth would most certainly be there for him. For my daughter, the polished stones we’ve all helped her collect. And then, there’s the big deer head, the faded picture of grandma Moot, a boomerang, and Flopsy the half-bald rabbit. Maybe even the scorpion paperweight or the Motley Crue posters.
A hodgepodge, to be sure. But each a treasure of memories. Each a token of what we deem important. To prepare for the separation of death, I would want to do exactly what this family had done-create an environment bursting with the “stuff” of life. When it comes right down to it, what can we human beings do for one another, when nothing else can be done, except to say, in whatever language we speak, “I love you, and I’m glad you are in my life.”
During the next few weeks, the “Jesus Family” and I developed a close relationship that included discussions about “being saved,” long talks about God’s plan for people, gentle teasing about our differing views of Jesus. They were startled but accepting when I described the image of Jesus I like best: head thrown back, laughing, obviously enjoying himself. We talked, too, about how they had become a part of my life, and I of theirs. Every “See you tomorrow,” had the bittersweet implication of “Good-bye,” should death come during the night. Which it did. But I was the chaplain on call the evening their daughter died, and so was there for final prayers, hugs, and tearful farewells. It was painful, but right, that we should be there, holding hands in a circle at the end.
Months later, I received a “Laughing Jesus” postcard from them. It carries a one-line message that I savor every time I read it. If I were on my deathbed right now, I would want that card within sight. Someone else might consider it trashy or silly or schlocky-but that’s not the point, is it? The point is, the “stuff” of my life now includes that piece of mail.
And what did they write on the postcard? “Thinking of you.”
“Me, too,” my heart answers.
“Me, too.”
Quest October 2002 Contents
“I can’t begin to tell you how much CLF
has meant to me.”
Little Rock, Arkansas
How much does CLF mean to you? This is our Canvass
issue
Why would you want to support CLF in 2003? . . .
You get Quest
This is your eight-page newsletter. It comes to you every month
(we have a taped version for visually impaired members), bringing a
communication from your minister, a column from your director of religious
education, several sermons or essays exploring liberal religion and
life as a liberal religious person, a poem or meditation, and occasionally
some member letters (when we have them to share!). We’ve heard from
many of you that Quest is a “spiritual lift,” “my lifeline to sanity,”
a “shot in the arm.”
You have access to the CLF library
This is a library of books, videos, and audiotapes, RE materials for
children and adults, and worship resources available by mail. You can
use them to invite like-minded others to join you in a Sunday service,
or to increase your knowledge of your faith, or to stimulate reflection
on your beliefs and values. This is a religion of thought and questioning-what
would a UU church be without a library?
If you have children, you get uu&me!
uu&me! is a wonderful, colorful magazine, beautifully designed and
written to help UU children think about what really matters. Betsy Williams,
uu&me!’s editor, creates this at-home resource to help parents
find ways to teach children UU principles within the context of their
own lives, to explore the rich diversity of other religious traditions
and beliefs, and to support parents as they nurture their family’s
spiritual life.
You have Religious Education resources for adults
and kids available through the internet and the CLF library
On our Web site, http://www.clfuu.org,
you’ll find Between Sundays. It’s designed to help
answer children’s religious questions. You can browse the site
by age level or subject category, or search by key words. Lessons and
activities are adapted from curricula published by the UUA, independent
authors, and the Church of the Larger Fellowship.
Between Sundays is our newest source for RE support, but as a
member you also have access to the CLF library and the Connections archive,
which contain activities for parents and children appropriate to every
season-and many religious traditions.
And most exciting, if you’ve got e-mail-you’ve
got each other
As part of our efforts to keep CLF coming to you in every way possible,
we’re expanding our web and on-line services as fast as our staff can
manage it! Our website has grown to include a members’ site that allows
members to read Quest, and uu&me! online; a jewelry page that lets you
shop on-line; and four e-mail lists: CLF-L for members, CLF-RE for religious
education families, UUMIL for UUs in the military, and CLF-YA for college-age
CLFers. And, you can both join and pay your pledge on-line! Believe
us-with the right support from you we can build a virtual church that
will really enrich the experience you can have with CLF.
You’ve got a spiritual home
You support CLF not just for what you have coming to you as a CLF member,
but also for what CLF is to you. As UUs, we are all too aware of our
spirituality, our rigorous self-reliance, our devotion to freedom of
thought. But, as UUs who are distant from an easy association with like-minded
others, we are also aware of our need to find a religious home that
will hold our hearts-even if our feet may never take us there.
. . . Because you’ve got it coming to you!
Please be generous if you get a call during the CLF phonathon, October
15, 16, 17 & 22, 23, 24
From the Board Chair:
Like many of you I have been on the CLF mailing list for many years.
When I began in ministry, I looked forward to Quest because it gave
me inspiration for sermons, for meditations, for religious education
ideas. It was all there--and by some of the best in our Association.
I read it carefully, thankfully, and with a sense of personal inspiration.
There were a few times I'm not sure what I would have done without it.
Now I find myself elected by the CLF Board as its chair. It is an exciting
opportunity for me to give time and energy back to the organization
that has, for more than 50 years, served Unitarian Universalists in
a unique way. The Board and Staff are reviewing all of CLF’s programming
We need to ensure we're doing the right things and doing them well-including
maximizing the opportunities available from cyberspace. Since more and
more of you come to CLF via the Internet, we need to keep up to date
with its potential. We'll let you know what we discover.. We have reviewed
the performance of our minister, Jane Rzepka, and are warmly enthusiastic
about her ministry to our church and to Unitarian Universalism. We have
recently welcomed new members to the Board bringing in needed skills
and insight, and we’ve said good-bye to several who have served us skillfully.
We’re very excited that Dan Harper, who knows us well, has begun his
work as our new interim RE director. All the members of the staff and
Board of CLF count on your feedback to be sure you’re getting the church
you want and need. Let us hear your thoughts. In the last year the CLF
board has been actively involved in fundraising. First we canvassed
ourselves and then we telephoned some of you. We have committed to do
that again. We have extended this form of personal contact with our
congregation by planning our every-member canvass this fall as a phonathon.
We want to call each of you, talk to you about your church, and ask
you to pledge. There are so many things we need to do-and continue doing.
Simply, we must increase our income. Please make your pledge for 2003
now. If you get a call during the CLF Phonathon, be generous. This is
your church. Please help in whatever way you can.
In the quest,
Brad Greeley, Chair CLF Board of Directors
Here’s what we need
At any time of the year, you have an opportunity to pledge your support
for this spiritual home and its ministry. We urge you to make your pledge
according to your ability to contribute. Other UU churches ask their
members to pledge 2 percent of their income-and we make the same request.
Some give at this level, some volunteer an even greater portion. Some,
living on fixed incomes, give a small amount each month. The important
thing is that you contribute at whatever level you can.
How to give
Membership brings with it the responsibility to make and fulfill a pledge
for the calendar year. You may make a financial contribution in a variety
of ways:
Use the envelope found each month in Quest for your check or
credit card information.
Contribute by credit card (Visa, MC, or Discover) - pay in full or
set up an automatic monthly or quarterly withdrawal by contacting Lorraine
Dennis, Church Administrator at 617-948-6166 or
ldennis@uua.org.
Use our website at www.clfuu.org to set up your contribution.
We need and welcome your contribution to CLF whether or not you are
a member of the church. Sponsors help us to help those who cannot contribute
as much. If you are a member and it is a hardship for you to make a
contribution, you should understand that you are welcome here whether
or not you can contribute. In this case, please contact the minister
or the administrator.
REsources for Living
by Dan Harper, interim director of religious education, Church of
the Larger Fellowship
I'd like to explore three broad areas of religious education: wisdom
from the world's religions; our Jewish and Christian heritage; and
Unitarian Universalism. Many of you may remember that Betsy Williams,
the long-time Director of Religious Education of CLF, has stepped
down as DRE (while continuing her role as editor of our children’s
magazine, uu&me). You probably also know that CLF has hired an interim
DRE for ten hours a week, and you may be wondering who this new person
is: It’s me. I'm a lifelong Unitarian Universalist, and I grew up
in the First Parish of Concord, Mass. I've been a CLF member for four
years, and some of you may know me from the CLF e-mail list. For the
last eight years, I have worked as a DRE in Unitarian Universalist
congregations. It's very exciting for me to be able to work at CLF.
We CLFers have a long tradition of religious education. As the interim
DRE, I will help CLF members and staff look at the religious education
program Betsy Williams has built over the last ten years, so CLF can
decide where to go from here. In my Quest columns over the next year,
I'd like to explore three broad areas of religious education: wisdom
from the world's religions; our Jewish and Christian heritage; and
Unitarian Universalism. I'm going to suggest projects you might accomplish
with children or on your own. Let’s discuss Unitarian Universalism
first, and in discussing it, I’d like to go right to the issue of
Unitarian Unversalist identity. Who are the Unitarian Universalists?
If you were to say that you are a Muslim, in most places in the world
the chances are pretty good that people would have at least some idea
of what you meant. But if you say that you are a Unitarian Universalist
(UU), there’s little chance that people would have any idea what a
UU is. So let's begin by asking: Who are Unitarian Universalists,
anyway? I've chosen two people I feel represent the ideals of Unitarian
Universalism. You'll find short descriptions of these people below.
But these are very brief descriptions, so your family might decide
to find out more about them. To get you started, I've given you references
to the World Wide Web and to a few books, and I will post more information
to the CLF-RE mailing list (to join go to the Members page at www.clfuu.org/members
and click on E-mail Lists, then look for CLF-RE). While these two
Unitarian Universalists are very different kinds of people, I feel
they share a key characteristic: they believe it's up to humanity
to make the world a better place. More on this next month! The Ambassador
of Peace Back in 1982, ten-year-old Samantha Smith lived in Maine
in the United States. She was an ordinary kid who liked to play softball
and went to a Unitarian Universalist Sunday school. One day Samantha
asked her mother why people would ever want to start a war. Samantha
worried that the United States and the Soviet Union might start a
devastating nuclear war. Yuri Andropov had just become the leader
of the Soviet Union, and Samantha asked her mother to write to Andropov,
asking if he was planning to start a war. But her mother said Samantha
should write to Andropov, since it was her idea. Samantha wrote the
letter, and eventually got a reply. Andropov invited Samantha to visit
his country, and in the summer of 1983, Samantha and her parents spent
two weeks in the Soviet Union. Because of her visit and her letter,
Samantha became world-famous. Many people felt Samantha had furthered
the cause of world peace, and they called her "The Ambassador of Peace."
Her father said that Samantha's letter proved that "kids could make
a difference." To learn more, you can look on the Web at: www.suite101.com/article.cfm/history_for_children/17086
Or, you can read Journey to the Soviet Union, by Samantha Smith (Little,
Brown: 1984), out-of-print, available in many libraries. The World
Wide Web Tim Berners-Lee's parents were mathematicians and worked
on designing early computers in England, so perhaps it's not surprising
that he grew up to be the man who invented the World Wide Web. Mr.
Berners-Lee had an early interest in science and engineering. In high
school, he liked electronics and math, and in college he majored in
physics. After college, Mr. Berners-Lee started building his own computers,
and worked as a computer consultant. He dreamed of a system that would
allow people to access information stored on one computer from any
other computer in the world. In 1989, while working at CERN, a major
European science lab, he made his dream into reality and created the
World Wide Web. Mr. Berners-Lee moved to North America in 1994 to
work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He and his wife
and two children started attending a Unitarian Universalist church
near Boston. He found in Unitarian Universalism many of the ideals
he tried to bring into reality through the World Wide Web, including
independent thinking, tolerance, truth, and hope. He remains an active
Unitarian Universalist, and his children are still participating in
Unitarian Universalist religious education programs. To learn more,
you can look on the Web for “WWW, UU, and I” at www.w3.org/People/Berners-Lee.UU.html,
or you can read Weaving the Web by Tim Berners-Lee (Harperbusiness:
2000).
Quest October 2002 Contents
Sorry, Hon, not my table
by Meg Barnhouse, minister, UU Church of Spartanburg, SC
I love for a waitress to call me “Hon.” It’s comforting. She doesn’t
know me, and I don’t know her, but we fit into well-worn, ancient
categories: I am the “Hungry One” and she is the “One Who Brings Nourishment
From the Unseen Source.” When I was younger, I worked as a waitress
in Philadelphia and New Jersey. I learned useful things while serving
food to strangers. I know how to rush around with my hands full, thinking
about six things at the same time, which has stood me in good stead
as the working mother of two small sons. I know that people are not
at their best when they’re hungry. That knowledge helps me to understand
world events. If the citizens of the world were well fed, we’d have
fewer wars and less mayhem. The most helpful thing I grasped while
waitressing was that some tables are my responsibility, and some are
not. A waitress gets overwhelmed if she has too many tables, and no
one gets good service. In my life, I have certain things to take care
of: my children, my relationships, my work, myself, and one or two
causes. That’s it. Other things are not my table. I would go nuts
if I tried to take care of everyone, if I tried to make everybody
do the right thing. If I went through my life without ever learning
to say, “Sorry, that’s not my table, Hon,” I would burn out and be
no good to anybody. I need to have a surly waitress inside myself
that I can call on when it seems everyone in the world is waving an
empty coffee cup in my direction. My Inner Waitress looks over at
them, keeping her six plates balanced and her feet moving, and says,
“Sorry, Hon, not my table.”
"Waitressing in the Sacred Kitchens,"
is taken from the meditation manual, The Rock of Ages at the Taj
Mahal, by the Rev. Meg Barnhouse, (Boston: Skinner House Books,
1999). The book is available from the UUA Bookstore and from the CLF
library.
Quest October 2002 Contents
Making the Manifesto
by the Rev. William F. Schulz, executive director, Amnesty
International USA
This introduction is excerpted from Making the Manifesto: The
Birth of Religious Humanism, by the Rev. William F. Schulz (Boston:
Skinner House Books, 2002). It is available from the UUA bookstore
and from the CLF library.
Whether they realize it or not, all Americans interested in matters
religious, no matter what theological labels they claim, have been
influenced by religious humanism, the movement whose origins in the
early part of the twentieth century are described in this book. For
those of orthodox persuasion, religious humanism-much less its counterpart,
secular humanism-represents the stark danger that comes with abandonment
of biblical authority. For more liberal Christians, religious humanism
reflects a boundary that helps them define their own theological limits.
And to those of a progressive stripe, regardless of whether they claim
the humanist label themselves or are even interested in religion,
humanism is of value to the extent that it embodies philosophical
pragmatism with the conviction that is so germane to our current struggles:
namely, that religious certitude leads to division, intolerance, and
ultimately violence.
Unitarian Universalism, the faith community in which the vast majority
of religious humanists are found today, has, in particular, been deeply
affected by the religious humanist strain, diverse as the theological
perspectives may be within the Unitarian Universalist family. Foremost,
religious humanism made it possible for those with radically nontraditional
views of religion to find in Unitarian Universalism a comfortable
religious home. Religious humanism was unapologetically religious.
But religious humanism is not just a matter of historical curiosity,
at least as far as Unitarian Universalism is concerned. After all,
46 percent of Unitarian Universalists reported in 1998 that they regarded
themselves as theologically humanist-more than twice the number who
identified with the second most common perspective, nature-centered
spirituality, and far more than the 13 percent who called themselves
theists or the 9.5 percent who described themselves as Christians.
And even those Unitarian Universalists who do not identify with the
religious humanist category would be foolish not to realize that they,
too, should pay it tribute, for it provides a set of values that are
due honor to this day.
The truth is that a lot of nonsense passes for religion in this twenty-first
century, as it has in all the preceding centuries. Religious humanism
is willing to call a charlatan a charlatan, and while reason is by
no means the only vehicle of religious exploration, we abandon it
altogether only at our peril. Where would we who cherish the natural
world be without religious humanism’s insistence that the world
is a seamless garment and that we humans are a part of the weaving?
When the Unitarian Universalist Principles and Purposes revere the
“interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part,”
they hark back to that fundamental humanist point. . . that human
beings are “a part of nature” and have “emerged as
the result of a continuous process.” Or consider religious humanism’s
courageous faith that the future of the world is in human hands-not
those of an angry God or inexorable fate. Humanism beckons us to believe
that we can make a difference to history.
Finally, what kind of people would Unitarian Universalists be without
humanism’s generous contention that the blessings of life are
available to all, not just the Chosen or the Saved, and that they
appear not in the miraculous or extraordinary but in the simple dress
of the
everyday?
. . . Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson are right: The basic principles
of humanism have come to pervade our larger culture. In a recent pamphlet
on humanism, one of its practitioners listed its basic tenets as:
Showing love to all humans.
Immortality is found in the examples we set and the work we do.
We gain insight from many sources and all cultures. . . .
We have the power within ourselves to realize the best we are capable
of as human beings.
We are responsible for what we do and become.
. . . Informed by such latter-day influences as feminist theology,
Zen Buddhism, deep ecology, and new models of cosmology introduced
by science itself, most religious explorers today would want to go
further, use richer language, and wrestle with deeper questions. .
. . The religious world-and not just the Unitarian Universalist religious
world-has largely said to such explorers, “Go to it.”
But having said this, I return, in the last measure, to appreciation.
For of course, early religious humanists had to be bold in their pronouncements
and brash in their claims. They were seeking nothing less than to
save religion itself-from the modernists, on the one hand (whom they
thought would turn it to mush), and the futilitarians, on the other
(whom they knew would throw it out altogether). In that task, they
succeeded by carving out a spot for an intellectually respectable
faith. And for that, every one of us owes them our thanks.
Quest October 2002 Contents
Autumn
by the Rev. David Bumbaugh, associate professor of ministry,
Meadville Lombard Theological School
In my backyard some profligate
has scattered yellow leaves across the green grass,
calling my attention to the fact
that autumn is passing this way.
From long-dormant fireplaces,
the smell of wood-smoke rises in the late afternoon
reminding me that winter is on its way.
Flocks of small birds circle and wheel in the sky,
touch briefly on the garage roof and take off again.
Chattering squirrels rush about,
up and down trees, across lawns,
with no more purpose than to enjoy the moment.
They invite me to live in the here and now,
nor worry about lost summers, approaching winter.
Perhaps this is the year I will learn to be
as wise as the sparrow and the squirrel,
sit and watch the yellow leaf settle quietly to the ground
and give no energy to worries
about where I put the rake.
Quest October 2002 Contents
More About Between Sundays
You may recall that in her last column for
Quest , former Church of the Larger Fellowship DRE Betsy Williams
talked about a new Web site, created by Betsy, that CLF members-parents
in particular-can use as a source for religious education. Called
Between Sundays, the site is a wonderful legacy from Betsy and we
are happy to offer a more detailed explanation of its features in
this issue. Between Sundays is designed to help adults answer the
questions kids ask about religion and life-and more. It’s designed
to help adults, teachers, and others who interact with children use
those questions as opportunities for deeper learning about that topic.
Responses to questions are more in the nature of jumping-off places
for discussion and learning than they are simple, factual answers.
In answer to the question, “What does sacred mean?” for instance,
the responding page begins with a goal: “To begin to see the sacred
in the beauty and mystery of nature,” and continues with a quote from
Joseph Cornell’s “In Sharing Nature with Children.” Five quite different
activities follow. The first involves reading nature stories (a full
list of books, all having to do with trees, is provided); another
suggests a project that will teach something about identifying trees
and leaves (the URL for a forestry Web site is given); two other activities
have components that offer opportunities for imaginative, artistic
exploration and family sharing about trees. The final activity asks
the child and his or her family to consider paper-the wise use or
waste thereof-and encourages the student to question him or herself
about the kind of consumer he or she wants to be. There will be more
than 60 “lessons” on the Web site-lessons adapted from published religious
education curricula, as well as from past issues of CLF’s Connections
and uu&me! Some of the lessons have extensive background information
for adults. Betsy thought it a shame that only our RE teachers get
the wonderful adult education provided in the background material
that accompanies each curriculum. Now that material is just a click
away for everyone. Lessons are organized by the four categories used
by the UUA’s Department of Religious Education in curriculum development:
UU Identity (stories, values, beliefs, heritage), Jewish and Christian
Heritage (God, Bible, Jesus), World Religions (spirituality, ethics,
practices, human nature), and Social Justice (diversity, oppression,
witness, service, action). Further, they are grouped into three age
ranges: Early Childhood (ages 4 to 8), Middle Childhood (ages 9 to
13), and Adolescence (ages 14 to 18). Click on “Early Childhood” and
you’ll find an introduction to the age-range and a list of the four
categories; click on one of the categories and you’ll see a list of
questions that children in that age range typically ask about the
content area. (i.e.: What do UUs believe about God? Why do we celebrate
Christmas if we don’t believe in Jesus? Is the Bible true?) Click
on the question and you’ll get to the lesson(s) for that age. Please
go the site at www.uua.org/clf/betweensundays
and try it out. Let us know what you think, either by adding a comment
in the “user comments” section at the end of the lesson, or by getting
in touch with our Interim Religious Educator, Dan Harper. It is our
hope that Between Sundays will be a living document-growing and changing
frequently to accommodate your needs and interests.
Quest October 2002 Contents
Member Correspondence
A letter from Alaska:
Many months ago you wrote an article about Larry Richards in Aitutaki.
I was enthralled, but did forget the name of the island. I was working
on North Slope (ANWAR), Alaska. In May, my sister took me to the warmest,
nicest place for a much needed vacation from snow and darkness. As
I arrived at the Aitutaki airport, Larry was passing out coupons for
his restaurant. It rang a bell. “Are you a Unitarian?” I asked him-he
did look rather surprised! I read about you in the CLF newsletter.
For the next few days we had a lovely time visiting and comparing
Alaska and Aitutaki. It was fun! Thank you!
Linda Sheets Lockwood Yakutat, Alaska
A “Joy” posted during Sunday “Joys and Concerns”
from the CLF E-Mail List:
When I don’t have a conflict teaching a class, I go out to the airport
each day around 11:00 to meet the plane from Rarotonga to hand out
flyers to promote our restaurant. I greet people, welcoming them to
Aitutaki, and invite them to visit our restaurant and wish them a
nice stay. This last Thursday as I handed a flyer to a woman she asked
me if I was a Unitarian. I said yes I was. She said she was from the
North Slope of Alaska and had read about me in Quest. She didn’t know
about the CLF e-mail list so I told her all about it. The Internet
is expensive for her so I don’t know if she will join or not, but
it brought home how small the world really is.
Larry Richards Aitutaki, Cook Islands
Quest October 2002 Contents
So Long to Judy
Judy Wilburn, our Membership Administrator here in the CLF office,
has left to pursue a new position at the Harvard University Press.
She will continue to work part time to help ease the transition here
at CLF. We wish her good luck as she starts her new adventure so much
closer to her home.
Did You Know
Did you know that our minister, Jane Rzepka, along with CLF Clerk,
the Rev. Ken Sawyer, has written a newly published book on preaching?
Called Thematic Preaching, it’s available at the UUA Bookstore.
Quest October 2002 Contents
Last updated June 12, 2005
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