From the minister:
Stash the Trash
Engage in Learning by Participating in Living
On a rainy Saturday morning last month, small groups of
people gathered all over Ames to pick up trash. Thomas,
our 15-year-old son, and I met up with several members
of the Fellowship’s Coming of Age group and their
mentors in the Fellowship parking lot. Some of us were
bedecked in rain coats, and others were less well-attired
for the weather, but we all grabbed plastic garbage bags
(tucking a couple extras in our pockets) and gardening
gloves and set off in search of trash to stash.
The plan was to head south toward Lincoln Way, filling
our bags as we went. The first stop was at the corner of
our parking lot. There was an amazing amount of trivial
refuse there: wrappers, cigarette butts, and empty cans
mixed in among the leaves. Throughout the morning, I was
surprised at how much garbage was lurking in spots I had
never noticed, despite passing them on a daily basis.
This could be because I usually pass these places in a
car, sealed off from the realities of the environment.
It could also be because I too often only notice the
surface of the world around me, not bothering to look
more deeply into the life that’s there. Whatever the
reason, this was an awakening.
As we soaked in more of the early spring rain, one group
crossed the street searching the periphery of Pammel Woods,
while the other group continued on the west side of Hyland.
Some of the finds our youth made were amazing. They found a
bicycle, a frying pan, and enough bits and pieces from a car
to think that one had gradually disintegrated as it rolled
down the hill.
This annual event, sponsored by The Tribune, may seem to
be about beautifying our town by cleaning up after ourselves,
but it’s really about much more. It mirrors one of the
aspects of our religious education program that is based
on the philosophy of Unitarian educator John Dewey: the belief
that we learn by doing. Our beliefs don’t become real until
they are acted on. We don’t really understand what it means to
care for the earth until we are about the task of doing so.
Such acts shift our reality, taking an awareness of the head
or heart and moving it into our very bones. Such an embodied
knowing is the source of strength, of comfort, of courage. It
doesn’t happen just for young people; in each stage of life,
we engage in learning by participating in living.
On another note, our Director of Youth and Children’s
Ministries, Benette Sherman, has taken the position of Lifespan
Religious Program Coordinator for the Northeast and New
Hampshire/Vermont District. Our loss is a great gain for
that district and for the larger Unitarian Universalist
movement. Please congratulate Benette on the honor of being
chosen for this position. We have created a small group to
consider next steps, and you’ll find a position announcement
on page 7 for an acting director for 2007-2008. Thanks for
your continued support for our RE programs and patience as
we make this transition.
See you on Sundays,
-- Brian |
Sunday, May 6, 10 a.m. only, followed by annual meeting
Ten Years Ago
the Rev. Brian Eslinger
It was ten years ago this month that I became the
ministerial candidate for the Fellowship. I’ll take a few moments to
reflect, and then I’ll open up the program to your questions.
Special Music: Brian Eslinger, Barb Evenson,
Tom Russell
Sunday, May 13, 9 & 11 a.m.
Fine Arts Program
the Rev. Brian Eslinger and Peggy Earnshaw
Celebrate Mother’s Day with the arts!
Performances and creations from many arts will be featured on
this special Sunday. We will also recognize our graduating high
school seniors during the second service.
All-Congregational
Special Presentations: Fellowship Youth
Sunday, May 20, 9 & 11 a.m.
Eating: To Devour the Interdependent Web
or To Nourish It?
the Rev. Charlotte Shivvers
The relationship to food has long been a
sacred matter, from Jewish kosher practice to the Islamic
ban on pork. How does our religion direct our relation to food?
What do UU principles and practice direct beyond support for
potlucks and coffee hours? And how is it changing? This sermon
evolved from one that won the Schweitzer Award at General
Assembly in 2004. The Rev. Shivvers is Minister Emerita of the
Sepulveda Unitarian-Universalist Society in Los Angeles and
has served as interim minister at churches in Kansas City and
Omaha. Now retired, she and her husband, Bob Baker, live near
Knoxville, Iowa, on the farm where she was born.
Transition to summer schedule, 10 a.m. only
Sunday, May 27, 10 a.m. only
Spirit of Life: a Choral Service
Fellowship Voices, directed by Erv Luedders
We gather to nourish our spirits. Asking for
spirit. Supporting individual concerns. Supporting the love of
couples. Longing for spirit in our life. Examining our lives.
Looking for acceptance. Singing to our spirit. Looking for
beauty in life. Finding beauty in our country. Finding comfort.
Becoming alive. Proceeding in spirit.
All-Congregational
Special Music: Ed Carbrey, Barb Evenson, Carolyn Heising |
