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FaceBook. Some people love it; some people hate it. Some are addicted to it; some are confused by it. Some are excited by its possibilities; some are worried about its potentials. Whichever side of this divide you fall on, however, it is clear that FaceBook is a phenomenon in our society and one that is changing the way we live. It’s been said that, “FaceBook has completely and radically revolutionized the way we waste time.” It is that, but it’s more than that, of course.
FaceBook is becoming an ever increasing part of our lives here at TJMC, too. Our FaceBook page is a lively (cyber) community, and a lot of people are feeling increasingly connected to our church through it. Others, though, are feeling left out and are worried about FaceBook creating a wedge within our congregation – those who are “on” and those who aren’t. I want to use my column this month to address this directly.
I absolutely agree that the FaceBook “community” is a lively and exciting sub-community of the church. People are connecting there – discussing services, asking for help, sharing about their lives, not to mention posting pictures of cute kittens doing silly things! And I fully understand that those who aren’t on FaceBook feel that they are missing out on something.
I’d point out that many of these same things happen in covenant groups and yet all the people who aren’t in covenant groups don’t worry that they’re going to split the church. The truth is, there have always been sub-groups of the congregation – that’s the way communities work. There’s a group that’s been getting together for quite a while to have breakfast once a week, Atlas Coffee has been referred to as a TJMC satellite, and let’s not forget all of the conversations that have taken place in our parking lots over the years! No one is “in” on everything that goes on around here – no one can be.
And so congregations create smaller sub-groups – the hiking group, UUppities, UUGuys, the Christian Fellowship, covenant groups, and working groups of various kinds, to name a few. And in each of these smaller groups things are said and shared that people not in those groups miss out on. And that’s just the way communities work. . . especially as they get larger, as our congregation has been doing.
It’s important, though, that the “business” of the church not be carried out in these small groups. Vitally important. Because we honor the democratic process it’s important that the business of the congregation be carried out in the open – in the meetings of our committees, councils, the Board, and of our whole congregation. (And please note: there is a Congregational Meeting coming up after the second service on Sunday, May 20!) We’re all familiar with the model in which decisions get made in the parking lot after the formal meeting is over. Thank goodness that isn’t happening in our parking lots!
And neither does it happen on FaceBook. Some of the work of our church – that is, the connecting and community building – certainly does, as it does in all of our smaller groupings, but the business of the church is left for the formal channels as it should be.
Two final thoughts: first, if you are worried that you’re missing out on involvement with the business of the church, check our website and make sure that you’re reading the bulletin and the Friday e-mail regularly, join one of the working committees (or just attend some of their meetings), and make sure that you are there at our full Congregational Meetings. These are really the only ways to stay in the loop.
And if you’re worried that you’re missing out on one of the thriving sub-communities of our congregation, fear not! An AFD class – FaceBook as a Spiritual Practice – is in the works, and there are lots of individuals who’d be more than happy to give you private tutoring. We have approximately 450 signed members of the congregation, and there are nearly 260 members on our FaceBook page. Clearly something cool is happening. And that’s something not to worry about, but to celebrate.
In Gassho,
Rev. Erik
As I write this I have just returned from the big Nehemiah Action – the large-scale event in which IMPACT engages with our elected and community leaders. This was my first Nehemiah Action, and I was honored to be one of the participants on stage.
I was also honored to look out into the audience – 1,502 people strong – and see so many folks from TJMC. There are 33 faith communities represented in IMPACT – Interfaith Movement Promoting Action by Congregations Together. On the stage were Catholics, Mennonites, and Baptists; Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and Methodists; Muslims, Jews, and Unitarian Universalists, and probably others. Representatives of 33 area communities of faith were gathered in one place and our congregation alone accounted for a little more than 10% of those present. THAT is how to make an IMPACT!
Our theme for the month of April is “Creation.” This seemed a natural choice last summer when the Worship Weavers were thinking about themes for this year – after all, this is the real beginning of springtime (one of the blessings of living in C’ville, I’m discovering) and is the month in which Earth Day falls. It makes sense, then, to think about “creation.”
And yet there is so much more packed into that word than merely its reference to “the creation” – the universe in which we live and of which we’re a part. There is the act of creation, the creative movement. I have heard it said that the Biblical idea that humanity was created “in the image of God” means that we are inherently creative. That we, too, are creators.
And, so, we’ll be thinking about the world we live in, and the arts, but we’ll also be exploring issues of social justice.
As I write this I’m not only back from Nehemiah but also preparing to go to Monticello tomorrow. I will be meeting with some of the folks there to learn what they think of the idea of TJMC-UU embracing its role as “namesake” of Thomas Jefferson, both to uphold his ideals and to “atone for his sins.” I’m going to ask them how we might begin to honor those who’ve too long been hidden in the shadows cast by Jefferson’s light. I’m going to begin to explore with them how we might more deeply and more fully engage the present-day legacy of slavery which stands in such stark contrast with the Jeffersonian ideal of freedom.
There is a curricula that’s been created by the UUA – “Building the World We Dream Of.” The work of social justice is often seen as an act of protest. It is, I believe, more correctly understood as an act of creation. I look forward to our exploration of “Creation” in many different facets.
In Gassho,
Rev. Erik
As I write this I am in between the reading of two books. I’ve just finished How to be Black by Baratunde Thurston. (Whose inside jacket flap defiantly declares, “If you don’t buy this book you’re a racist!”) I’m following that up by reading Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness: what it means to be black now by Touré. Both of these books are giving me new insights into the richness of that “us-ness” that is part of the reality of being “one human family, on one fragile planet, in one miraculous universe, bound by love.” Both of these books are explorations of identity, travelogues on these authors’ journeys into being who they are. The scenery along the way is both different than anything I’ve ever experienced and ever so familiar. One human family, indeed.
One (of the many) thing(s) that stand out for me in both books is the intentionality of the question – what does it mean to be Black? There is a powerful moment in the extraordinary documentary The Color of Fear in which one of the African American participants asks one of the European American participants why it doesn’t freak him out that he’s never even thought about what it means to be white. (Not his exact words, but that was certainly the thrust of it.) It becomes clear that this is one of the differences between these two experiences – whites don’t have to think about their “whiteness” because it is held to be normalized; Blacks, on the other hand, have their blackness thrust in their face every single day. They have to think about it. And this turns out to be a positive.
Above the entrance to the famous Oracle of Delphi in Greece were carved the words, “Know Thyself.” This is not always an easy thing, to be intentionally, consciously exploring our own identity. Yet this is, of course, one of the purposes of the religious endeavor – to ask ourselves what it is we believe about ourselves, about one another, about the world and the universe around us. Then we can look at how we live in the world – how we behave, what we do – and see how that aligns with who we have learned we are. Sometimes this calls for a change in behavior; sometimes it calls for a revision of our self-understanding. Always the process continues – reflection/action, reflection/action . . .
This is important for congregations, too. Who is Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church? What does it mean to be a Unitarian Universalist congregation? What does it mean to be this UU congregation in this place at this time? And from this, of course, then action/reflection, action/reflection . . .
For now, I toss out the questions. As we continue “cultivating connections,” let’s see where those connections lead us. (And keep an eye on my blog www.a-ministers-musings.blogspot.com, where I’ll be writing about this all month.)
In Gassho,
Rev. Erik
The theme for the month of February is “Justice.” I once heard someone pronounce the word with more “uh” than “ih” in the second syllable and that led to an epiphany. Just us.
There’s an old saying the preachers really only have one or two sermons that we keep recycling over and over. This is definitely one of mine – there is no “us and them” there is only “us.” I’ve taken to summing up Unitarian Universalist theology with the words: We are one human family, on one fragile planet, in one miraculous universe, bound by love. I believe this to be True (with a capital “T”). I believe that it is fundamental. Essential.
From this, then, the idea that injustice occurs when someone – or a group of someones – sees other someones as separate. Distinct. Different. Injustice occurs when the inherent worth and dignity of a person or group of people is denied, when the inherent relatedness of each of us to all of us is overlooked or disregarded.
Sexism, heterosexism, racism, ableism, classism – each of these and all of these are, at their core, a denial of “Just Us.” This is part of what makes them so perniciously intertwined. They each exclude someone from the “us” and set systems in place to perpetuate that exclusion. Individual acts of individual people are, of course, important, but the systems… that’s the real dragon to be slain.
And I believe that fundamentally – in the essence of it – the “solution” (if you will) to all of the myriad forms of injustice – both specific and systemic – is to reassert the awareness of “just us.” Justice occurs when our interrelatedness is recognized and acknowledged. (And it should go without saying that this interrelatedness extends beyond mere human to human interconnections but human to animal, and plant, and planet, and beyond.)
As the Rev. Dr. King so famously said, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” It might be worth remembering that the inverse is also true – every time justice is reaffirmed anywhere, injustice everywhere loses some of its hold.
In Gassho,
Rev. Erik
We’re approaching the six-month anniversary of our coming together as OCP (ordained clergy person) and Congregation (filled with ministers!). The rhythms are coming a little easier, the steps are beginning to make sense. And as those of you who’ve been to my office can attest, I’m pretty much settled in!
Sam Jackson,who until recently was part of our cleaning crew, once looked around the space and dubbed it “The Batcave.” (And if you haven’t yet, come visit and you’ll soon see why.) I like it. I’m thinking of renaming this column, “Notes from the Batcave.”
With this in mind, I would like to take this opportunity to remind you that “my” office is really “your” office. I may be its current resident – and may be so for a long, long time – but the space really belongs to all of you and I make use of it in service to our community. (I’m usually in the office Mondays through Thursdays 9 AM – 2 PM, some later afternoons, and many evenings, too.)
So please remember: this space is available to you for pastoral counseling and spiritual direction. It’s available for consultation on the work of your committee or task force. It’s available to collaborate on rites of passage such as weddings, memorial services, house blessings, job transitions, and anything else that might use a jolt of good old fashioned religious energy. It’s available for times of shared prayer and meditation.
And it’s available as a lending library. This office has one of the largest sets of bookshelves that I’ve ever seen in a clergy person’s office, and they’re pretty much all filled. There are books on Taoism, Buddhism, Buddhist/Christian dialogue, progressive Christianity (including about Jesus, God, and the Bible), spiritual practices (especially prayer), Unitarian Universalist history, a large number of different scriptures from various religions, and even some books on physics!
It is my hope that we will use the resources of this space to further and deepen all of our ministries.
In Gassho, Rev. Erik
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