Sunday Service, September 26, 2021

Posted on August 29, 2021 by Linda Pallay

Dreaming with Zeus and Hera: Toward a Unitarian Universalist Theology
by Rev Dave Hunter
Unitarians, it was often said in the past, believe in one God – at most. Today such a statement would be insufficient to describe our Unitarian Universalist theological diversity. Here’s Dave’s take on the God question.

Posted in Sunday Service | Leave a comment

From the Minister’s Desk — August 2021

Posted on August 1, 2021 by Linda Pallay

At Dave’s family reunion  in July, I found myself in conversation with a young relative about the apparent gender transition of a cousin of his generation. How do we witness and bless such major life events when so many people are un-churched these days, I wondered. And on the way home I heard a book review about a novel in which a couple develop an app to create custom rituals for non-religious people.  The app goes viral, creating all sorts of disruptions  in their lives and the life of the world. So I was primed to listen carefully later in the week to an interview on Radio Times with Robert P. Jones, founder and CEO of PRRI, the Public Religion Research Institute about recent changes in religious affiliation. This major survey, based on half a million interviews in which people self identify, has data right down to the county level, and includes Unitarian Universalists as a separate group, not lumping us under “all other” as usual.

What did I learn about the religious landscape? Here are the headlines:

  • Two-thirds of the population are different kinds of Christians
  • Five percent are non-Christian religious
  • Two percent are UU — just behind Hindu and Others

The NONES – atheists, agnostics and those not affiliated with any religion have increased to one-quarter of the population.

White evangelicals have declined starkly from about 25% in 2008 to 14.5% in 2020. They are declining especially among the young. The result is that their median age is 56 – not far off from the UU median age of 53, both above the median age of 47 for all Americans.

In the interview, Jones said that younger people are leaving some forms of Christianity over values like LBGTQ rights, reproductive freedom, the climate crisis, leaving the liberal faiths looking like 30 year-olds and the more conservative religions looking like 70 year-olds.

What does this mean for this congregation? Might those young NONES realize they could benefit from a spiritual community that reflects their values? Maybe they will come looking for liberal religious education for their children and life passage rituals for their families? Might you find ways to welcome them warmly, to offer them nurture and challenge, and to receive the new ideas and skills and challenges that they would bring? What will your new normal look like? Who do you want to be? How do you want to bless the world?

Love, Kerry

Posted in From the Ministers Desk, From the Ministers Desk | Leave a comment

The President’s Message — August 2021

Posted on August 1, 2021 by Linda Pallay

“Live in the sunshine. Swim in the sea. Drink in the wild air.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

First, we have started to have in-person services which are held outdoors. It has been great to actually “see” people, especially those who have not participated in our Zoom services. For those who have not attended, please come see us. We have tents so you are not in the direct sun, Carly, our pianist, brings her electric keyboard so we have music, and we dine al fresco with our coffee hour. It has been quite an enjoyable experience so far. So, grab a chair and come see us.

The Buildings and Ground Committee (aka Jon Price) have been busy with various maintenance projects. New faucets installed in restrooms, ceiling tiles replaced, back closet dry-walled and painted and a UV filter added to our water filtration system. The Garden Committee has been busy harvesting the summer crops. The Pottstown Cluster of Religious Communities has started to accept food donations again, so we have been able to share our bounty with them. And finally, the Worship Committee has been working diligently to line up in-person speakers to supplement the Sunday Services conducted by our Ministers.

There is also a lot of work that is being done in preparation for our first indoor service scheduled for Sunday, September 12. Weekly cleaning of the fellowship has started up again and discussions are underway on how to conduct Children’s Religious Education. There are also discussions regarding what protocols we might put in place to keep members and friends of the UUFP healthy. While we can’t create a “Covid-free” environment, we can do our best to create a “Covid-safe” environment. Any protocols will be communicated to you prior to the first indoor service.

In closing, I hope that all of you are enjoying your summer and doing things that bring you joy. I look for- ward to seeing you at an upcoming in-person service.

In gratitude, Linda K.

Posted in President's Message | Leave a comment

Sunday Service, August 1, 2021

Posted on July 26, 2021 by Linda Pallay

Conservation Leaders, Part II. Lay Speaker: Lisa Jokiel

We’ve added three more stars to the Hit Parade of Environmentalists – Al Gore, Birute Galdikas, and Aldo Leopold. There will be more statements of awareness, this time from members of the congregation, and we’ll take am in depth look at the work of Washington’s Gov. Jay Inslee.

Posted in News of the Fellowship, Sunday Service | Leave a comment

Sunday Service, August 8, 2021

Posted on July 26, 2021 by Linda Pallay

The Dignity and Worth of Every Person: Our Impossible Belief? Speaker: Rev Dave Hunter

In the first of our seven UU principles we affirm “the dignity and worth of every person.” Do we really mean it? How many people can you think of in the next minute who appear to lack “dignity and worth”?

Posted in Sunday Service | Leave a comment

Sunday Service, August 15, 2021

Posted on July 26, 2021 by Linda Pallay

Truth, Trust, and Tribe. Speaker: Rev. Kerry Mueller

UU Principles include the use of the democratic process in society at large, but how do we engage in that process when we live in divided realities, pervasive disinformation and rampant distrust? Come explore these questions with Rev. Kerry.

Posted in Sunday Service | Leave a comment

Sunday Service, August 22, 2021

Posted on July 26, 2021 by Linda Pallay

Finding Serenity. Lay Speaker: Emily Quarles-Mowrer

Have you ever had the sensation that you are flailing, while others effortlessly float through life? When we see a swan gliding across a placid lake, we do not think about the furious underwater paddling that propels it. Perhaps the people we think are floating are flailing in their own ways. The Serenity Prayer attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr says, “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Join us as we think about the difference between failing and floating in the river of life.

Posted in News of the Fellowship, Sunday Service | Leave a comment

Sunday Service, August 29, 2021

Posted on July 26, 2021 by Linda Pallay

Animals Are Blessings. Lay Speaker: Emily Quarles-Mowrer

Carl Sagan once said something reminiscent of our 7th Principle. He said, “Like it or not, we humans are bound up with our fellows, and with the other plants and animals around the world. Our lives are intertwined.” For this special service, we will be honoring the ways that our lives are intertwined with the lives of animals. We are inviting the congregation to bring a personal story about an animal who has touched your life, and a picture as well if you would like. We will have time during the service to share the unique contributions that animals make in our worlds

Posted in News of the Fellowship, Sunday Service | Leave a comment

From the Minister’s Desk–July 2021

Posted on July 1, 2021 by Linda Pallay

A few days ago, Congress established June 19 as a federal holiday – Juneteenth – to commemorate the date, June 19, 1865, when slaves in Texas were officially notified that they were now free, two years after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. The 13th Amendment to the Constitution, making slavery unconstitutional and ending slavery in two border states, Delaware and Kentucky, was ratified on December 6, 1865. The immediate result of the new federal holiday was that some federal employees, because June 19 fell on a Saturday this year, had the day off on Friday, June 18.  But what will the long term effect be?  What impact will the new holiday have on the descendants of former slaves?  Will we do any better now than we did a century and a half ago? In general, slaves were not allowed to learn to read and write; they owned no property or anything else. The progress of Reconstruction period was ended with the Compromise of 1877, when Hayes became president following the contested election of 1876.  The history of the subsequent Jim Crow era is not a happy one.  How are we doing today, 67 years after the Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education?

In 1953, when I was 10 and my brother 13, we moved from one Detroit suburb to another, to a higher status suburb, to a house that would enable my brother and me each to have our own bedroom, to a house with more than one bathroom. One day following the move I happened to be reading the deed for the house (why I was doing that I have no idea) and discovered a restrictive covenant, prohibiting the sale of the house to Blacks and probably to some other categories of people. I was upset by this and asked my father about it.  He assured me that the covenant no longer had any legal effect (the Supreme Court had struck down racially restrictive covenants in 1948, Shelley v. Kraemer). But discrimination in housing persisted: It was banned by the Fair Housing Act in 1968.  But how much progress have we made in housing integration since I was 10?

Prior to the Civil War, many Unitarians and Universalists were abolitionists, mostly prominently Theodore Parker. But there were others whose livelihoods depended on slavery. And John C. Calhoun of South Carolina was a Unitarian and a preeminent defender of slavery.

Woodrow Wilson was not a Unitarian or a Universalist, but before he was president of the United States he was president of Princeton University. Princeton’s school of public affairs was named after him as was the university’s alternative to the selective dining club system, the Woodrow Wilson Society, where I took my meals. I was unaware at the time how racist he was as president (or maybe I was aware but considered it irrelevant ancient history). Now Wilson’s name has been stricken from the public affairs school and he is no longer celebrated at Princeton.

So here’s my suggestion: to educate and reinforce our UU anti-racism, to inspire us to go from words to deeds, let’s charter a bus some time in the months ahead and spend several hours at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, in Washington DC.

Love, Dave

Posted in From the Ministers Desk, From the Ministers Desk, News of the Fellowship | Leave a comment

President’s Message–July 2021

Posted on July 1, 2021 by Linda Pallay

“Life’s most important and urgent question is, What are you doing for others?”   ~ Martin Luther King

It’s hard to believe that this month starts another new fiscal year for the UUFP. And with that comes some changes to the Board of Directors. I’d like to welcome the new members of the Board: Mary Ryan, our new Secretary and Allan Pallay, a new Member at Large. Having new members join the Board is always a good thing, because they bring new ideas and offer diversity of opinions that only help to make the Board more effective in meeting the needs of the Fellowship. I’d also like to recognize that Kris Barnthouse will now be our Treasurer. Miranda Van Horn will assume the role of Member at Large and Rick Duske will continue in his role as Vice-President. I look forward to working with this Board of Directors as we face a new year with new opportunities for the fellowship.

I would also like to recognize someone who has chosen to step down from the Board, Linda Pallay. Linda has been on the Board in some capacity for over fifteen consecutive years. Her roles have included that of President, Secretary and Treasurer. I believe that Linda embodies the MLK quote above because she has certainly done so much for the UUFP over the years. Linda’s calm leadership, thoughtful demeanor and ability to think strategically made her a valuable member of the Board. Her presence on the Board will be greatly missed; however, I think that you all will agree that she has earned a well-deserved break. Linda, thank you for all that you have done to support the UUFP over the years.

The first few months of the new year will have the Board focusing on bringing our fellowship together in-person: First, with outside services during the summer and then with indoor services starting in September. I am also hoping that sometime in the fall, the Board will be able to hold a retreat where we will evaluate how we handled the COVID 19 situation, what we have learned about the fellowship and how it functioned during this time and what will be our focus moving forward. In order to do this effectively, the Board needs to hear how members and friends feel about these issues. Therefore, once we are back together, members of the Board will be reaching out to you for your perspective. I also want to let you know that the board would like to hold another Congregational Meeting sometime in the first half of this fiscal year to vote on issues that we did not address during the last two Congregational meetings. Stay tuned for further information.

I will end this month’s message with a request. The UUFP Community is sustained by the various committees and Board Members which are comprised of friends and members who volunteer their time and talent. The challenge we face, however, is that some of our committees have only one or two people (yes, Jon Price IS the Building and Grounds Committee). If you would like to become more active in supporting the UUFP community by donating your time, please reach out to a Committee Chair or a Board Member to discuss how you can help. Any additional effort is greatly appreciated by all.

In gratitude, Linda K.

Posted in News of the Fellowship, President's Message, Uncategorized | Leave a comment